CHICOPEE – Chicopee native, Ann Czuchra, has created over 150 “essential bags” for girls in the community.

The bags are filled with sanitary napkins to provide girls who might be unprepared or unsupported at home have access to what they need during their periods. Czuchra said she has delivered them to Chicopee’s Supervisory Nurse who will distribute them to schools of all grade levels.

Czuchra said she got the idea for these bags from her granddaughter. She receives Ipsy bags monthly, which are small bags filled with makeup samples. After going through the makeup, the bags would be empty and unused. Czuchra decided to take the bags she had left over from her granddaughter and begin filling them. This way, she said, girls would always be prepared and never embarrassed about their periods.

“I remember when I was a kid and you’re not prepared, and I went down to the school nurse and they didn’t really have anything,” said Czuchra. “I figured if the schools had these for the girls that aren’t prepared, they’d have something cute and something to keep to put their own supplies in, and if they don’t want it for that they can just use it for whatever they want it for.”

After posting in the Chicopee Area Community Forum about creating these bags, Czuchra said she had many people reach out to donate.

“People have been very, very generous,” she said. “I had over 45 to 50 people donating bags and sanitary napkins and I had a couple people that sent me checks for supplies.”

Czuchra said she will continue making these bags as long as she has the supplies and donations from the community. She said those interested in helping her with this initiative can reach out to her on Facebook.

Czuchra said that she hopes these bags will help girls in the community feel cared for.

“I think it just gives the girls the feeling of being helped and cared for in the community where they may not get that at home. I remember when I was a kid, this was more or less shunned and it really wasn’t talked about.”