As women all throughout the country fight to ensure access to their bodily health, FloFund was created as a student-led nonprofit that strives to educate and raise awareness on period poverty through distribution of menstrual care packages. Founded and presided over by sophomore Kayla Fu, FloFund uses fundraisers and volunteers to help support women in shelters. 

“I really wanted to help provide support and shelter for women who need menstrual products,” Fu says. 

Fu was part of a previous group that helped collect pads to donate to women’s shelters, and when that club disbanded, she knew she didn’t want their mission to end. 

“I had a lot of pads left over, and I wanted to do something worthwhile,” Fu recalls. 

This year, Fu is striving to continue this environment for the support of women who don’t have access to quality menstrual care, which she mainly does through fundraising and volunteering opportunities. So far, the club has had an impressive impact by raising over one thousand dollars and distributing many care packages throughout Ann Arbor.

“It’s about coordinating things and reaching out to different organizations, about communicating with people and then planning what to do,” says Fu. 

But despite some of the difficulties that arise during coordination, it’s not only the activism that allows this work to be so rewarding—it’s also the feeling of being part of a community. 

“I really like that when we meet up with volunteers, it feels super natural and it feels like  a group of friends who enjoy doing things together. It genuinely feels like something I enjoy doing,” Fu explains. 

FloFund posts regularly on Instagram (@flo_fund), where they share opportunities and fundraisers to participate in, with an upcoming restaurant fundraiser at Noodles & Co on State Street on Jan. 18.