Meet Demetra Presley | Menstrual Equity Advocate and Period Enthusiast

We had the good fortune of connecting with Demetra Presley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Demetra, how does your business help the community or world?
Go With The Flow is a 501c3 non-profit organization based in Phoenix that provides menstrual supplies to students and homeless and low income community members. Many people do not realize that currently in the United States, one in five students will miss class or a day of school, because they do not have access to menstrual supplies. When menstrual supplies are not made readily available, it can have a detrimental impact not only on a students ability to attend school, but also on their ability to focus on their education once they are there. Missing school is not the only consequence when students lack access to these essential items however. They will also engage in unsafe practices such as making period products from unsanitary items like toilet paper and newspaper or will extend the shelf life of the products they do have access to, which can make them vulnerable to infections or worse, Toxic Shock Syndrome. Unfortunately, many schools do not have the monetary capacity to provide menstrual products at the capacity they are requested which often results in students being extremely limited on how many items they are provided or school staff covering the expense with money out of their own pocket. Go With The Flow was created to be a resource for schools to help them provide these important supplies to students. It is Go With The Flow’s core belief that a student should not miss school just because their body is engaging in a normal, healthy, function. Go With The Flow creates “period packs” which are small bags of pads, tampons, and panty liners, and donates them for free to schools across the state of Arizona. Since our first donation of period packs in January 2018, we have donated over 25,000 to students and other community members. We have provided period packs to elementary schools up to community colleges and do so at no cost to the school and as often as requested during the course of the academic year. We also donate period packs and period supplies to non-profit organizations who work with homeless and low income community members, who often lack access to menstrual products as well. Often times when individuals donate to shelters, food closets, clothing banks, etc, they do not include pads and tampons as part of the hygiene supplies they give; this results in social service agencies being unable to provide them consistently to community members they work with. Go With The Flow works to ensure menstruators in our community have access to the period products they need to manage their cycles safely and with dignity.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a child of parents who served in the military and were great advocates of education and public service. After graduating from high school, I attended Arizona State University where I received a Bachelor of Science and later a Masters of Science in Justice Studies. I spent over 10 years working in social services as a case manager and victim advocate. While neither my background or professional experience was in non-profit management, I refused to let that deter me from trying to meet a need I saw was being unaddressed in my community. When Go With The Flow was created, it began as a Facebook page and a Go Fund Me account that was shared within my social networks, simply asking for a donation so I could provide period products to a school. Since that Facebook post, what was originally an idea that stirred in me late one night, has since grown into a non-profit organization that has provided thousands of period supplies to our community, and continues to expand with each passing year. The story of Go With The Flow is one that speaks to what can happen when a person utilizes what they have available to them, no matter how inconsequential those tools may seem to be, to advocate for change. Apart from the awareness and advocacy Go With The Flow engages in to educate the public about the importance of menstruators having access to period supplies, I hope to show by example to not be afraid to create and build something you believe in.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Our itinerary would include a stop for coffee at Fair Trade Cafe, retail therapy at two of the best boutiques in Phoenix- Frances and Local Nomad, picking up cookies at Urban Cookies, followed by a book run to Changing Hands and Palabras Bilingual Bookstore. The day would wrap up with drinks at The Coronado Phoenix and lobster mac n cheese from The Capital Grille.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Go With The Flow is a grassroots non-profit organization that is volunteer led and donation operated. We exist from contributions made by community members who support our work and want to help menstruators in our community have access to period supplies. We are always thankful for and deeply humbled by the support community members have shown us- whether that is through coordinating donation drives, purchasing pads and tampons at the store when they are picking up their own, or making monthly financial contributions. There is no show of support too great or too small as every donation can and does make a difference to the community member it is provided to.

Website: www.gowiththeflowaz.org
Instagram: Go With The Flow AZ
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gowiththeflowaz

Image Credits
Shaunte Glover, James McLeod