Community Matters: Free Flow NM
Free Flow NM
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
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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.
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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.
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