Community Matters: Free Flow NM
Free Flow NM
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Listen here
On this episode of Community Matters, we welcome Laurie Merrill, Founder and Executive Director of Free Flow NM. Recipient of the 2025 “Courageous Innovation” Piñon Award, Free Flow NM has been tackling period poverty and menstrual stigma across northern New Mexico since 2020. Laurie shares the barriers New Mexicans face in accessing period products and highlights recent triumphs. What began with a small effort assembling 300 period kits has grown into distributing more than 50,000 products each month through innovative programs such as Period Pods and community education initiatives.
Laurie, a Santa Fe resident since middle school, founded Free Flow NM during the uncertainty of the pandemic, channeling a lifelong commitment to service into addressing the inequities of period poverty. Inspired by her parents’ example of volunteerism, she has led the organization to distribute over 750,000 menstrual products across northern New Mexico while creating spaces for education and open dialogue. Under her leadership, Free Flow NM is reshaping community attitudes toward menstruation—transforming it from a source of stigma into a natural fact of life that deserves dignity and equity.
_____
About Community Matters
Our monthly radio show invites subject experts and community leaders to talk about the challenges and inequities our region faces and possible solutions that could contribute to its growth. Hosted by Santa Fe Community Foundation staff, Community Matters airs on the third Wednesday of every month at 6:00 PM on KSFR (101.1 FM). Listen to past episodes here.
Community Matters: Dollars4Schools
Dollars4Schools provides public and charter school educators in Santa Fe with the resources they need to bring creative classroom projects to life and meet essential student needs. Whether it’s art supplies, science kits, or basic necessities, local donors make it all possible — one classroom at a time.
Community Matters: The Power of Community-Led Giving, Part Two
The second installment of our special two-part Community Matters episode continues the conversation with leaders of the Santa Fe Community Foundation’s identity-based giving circles. From celebrating cultural resilience to advancing equity and joy, this episode shines light on the power of community-led giving to shape a more inclusive and vibrant New Mexico.
Community Matters: The Power of Community-Led Giving, Part One
In the first of a special two-part Community Matters episode, host Sandra Session-Robertson sits down with Jhane Myers of the Native American Advised Fund, Marsie Silvestro of the Envision Fund (LGBTQ+), and Raashan Ahmad of the Empower! Black Futures Community Fund to explore the origins and guiding values of these powerful identity-based giving circles. Together, they discuss how each fund supports historically underserved communities to build a more equitable future for all of New Mexico.
