Local Moms' Pink Flower Project Provides Period Supplies to Public Schools
The nonprofit has delivered menstrual hygiene supplies to 86 area schools to ensure girls have what they need when they need it.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
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Shelby Gilliam may not be the mother of any tween girls, but she was a tween girl herself once, and she remembers the fear of getting a period at school and being unprepared.
“I have two boys, so no little girls to take care of or explain the birds and bees to, so it was just on my heart and on my mind,” Gilliam said.
When her son was 10 or 11—the age when some of his female classmates were getting their first periods—she started gathering menstrual hygiene products and sending them in to the nurse at his Spotsylania elementary school, who was also a family friend.
“She loved the idea, so at least for a while, any time I could put some extra bags [of supplies] together for her, I would,” Gilliam said.
Then, in early 2024, Gilliam, a Florida native, happened on a Facebook post from the Florida-based organization Good for Girls about its Oopsie Bag Project, which collects cosmetic bags and fills them with donated individually wrapped pads, panty liners, and hygiene wipes. These bags are delivered to every school in Volusia County.
Gilliam realized she was on to something that she could expand to all Fredericksburg-area public schools.
“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I want to do this,’” she recalled. “I’m not even a girl mom, but I am a girl, and you can’t tell me that other moms wouldn’t want this for their daughters going into school—because when it happens at school, it has the potential to be so incredibly embarassing.”
Gilliam began sharing her idea in her community and through Facebook. Neighbor Taylor Testman and Andrea Harder, whose children attend school with Gilliam’s children, quickly came on board as secretary and treasurer, respectively, and the Pink Flower Project was born.
The women gathered supplies and filed paperwork for the group’s nonprofit status throughout 2024, and in January of 2025, they held the first “stuffing party,” during which they prepared bags to be delivered to Spotsylvania schools.
Each 4x6, decorative, non-transparent makeup bag contains two pads, two liners, and two hygiene wipes, all individiually wrapped—as well as two stickers bearing positive affirmations as “the upside to unfortunately getting your period at school,” Testman said.
Pink Flower Project made its first delivery of supplies to every Spotsylvania County school in January of 2025, and since then has expanded its reach and delivered supplies to all Fredericksburg, Stafford, Caroline, King George, and Orange schools as well—86 schools in all.
The team emails schools in advance to ensure that a principal, social worker, nurse, or counselor is available to accept the boxes, Gilliam said. She said she was initially “terrified” that she would receive some “Thanks, but no thanks” responses, but not a single school has declined.
“I think we ran into more male principals in Caroline and King George counties, and even they were so receptive,” she said. “In Caroline, I think, we dropped off a box at one school and it was a male principal who came out and took the box, shook my hand and wanted to talk about the products. We thought, ‘Well, all right then, you’re a rock star! We love you. Go guy!’”
Gilliam said she began having age-appropriate conversations with her oldest son when she was pregnant with her second son in 2021.
“He’s 13 now, so he knows that if he sees something on the back of a girl’s dress or shorts or whatever it is, his job is to grab his sweater or just walk up behind her and say, ‘Hey, I think there’s something going on, let me help you,’” Gilliam said.
“And he knows that if I find out that he made fun of a girl or said something derogatory, like ‘Is it that time of month again?’ he will be grounded for the rest of his life,” she added with a laugh.
Testman agreed that it’s important to destigmatize open conversations about periods, especially among boys.
“I wish that people had been more accepting when we were in school,” she said. “We didn’t have those [period support] resources then.”
Pink Flower Project leaves it up to the individual schools to determine where the period supply bags are kept. The group has also donated extra bags to health teachers to use during their lessons.
“We’re happy to do stuff like that as well,” Gilliam said. “We also dropped nine pairs of leggings at Spotsy Middle last year.”
Gilliam said there are three ways the commmunity can support the Pink Flower Project—by donating supplies or funds, or by volunteering to help prepare bags or deliver supplies to schools.
“Our ask is that if you’re going to buy a box of pads or liners for your own home, maybe just consider buying a second box for us,” Gilliam said. “And the Amazon wishlist is always open.”
Two local businesses—Hair Revival Salon off Route 3 near Gordon Road, and both locations of Provisions Thrift Store—are serving as drop-off points for donated supplies.
“We would love to add more drop-off locations in other counties,” Gilliam said.
Donated funds would be used to rent a truck for delivery or a storage space to house supplies, which currently are taking over Gilliam’s basement—a testament to the womens’ dedication to and the community’s support of their mission.
“There are 50 boxes staring back at me as I peek out my door,” she said. “So having a storage unit and that rent paid would be fantastic.”
To find out how to volunteer or donate to Pink Flower Project, visit the website.
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