SERVICE DESCRIPTION
DID YOU KNOW?
Menstrual pads are the highest demand personal care item among female-focused service providers and shelters (via Conscious Period)
For our annual FLOWvember event, we're collecting menstrual products for people at The Midnight Mission and Covenant House California.
Join us on November 11th from 11am to 2pm to drop off donations and build period kits. Join us to learn about why hygiene is so important to our neighbors experiencing homelessness and those in transitional housing. We'll be packing up donated menstrual hygiene products, writing notes of love and encouragement for recipients, and enjoying bagels & bloody marys.
Admission is free with an item from our donation list, or a $10 donation.
EVENT RECAP
Last year, we inaugurated our very first Menstrual Flowvember. Born of a need to provide period products for women, girls, and menstruating humans experiencing homelessness, we partnered with two local organizations to collect hygiene products, build period kits, and hand them off to the places that could distribute them to those in need. The event was so successful in year one, that we knew we needed to do it again. This time, we'd highlight two DIFFERENT orgs, get a bigger space, and invite even more speakers.
This year, we worked with Covenant House and The Midnight Mission - two inspiring organizations here in Los Angeles. The work that both places do to help lift up and support the people they serve is nothing short of miraculous.
One of my favorite parts of the event was the roster of speakers. We had representatives from both organizations speak, My favorite speaker was Ruth Mendez, a program participant from The Midnight Mission. She kept it beyond real, and personal. Her journey is everyone's journey - struggle, sacrifice, and triumph.
For me, the best thing about ResisterhoodLA is the ever-present spirit of teamwork that accompanies every event. EACH and EVERY person who made this event happen was tapped for their talent and their willingness to give, and boy did they show up in force. Gina, Cara, Lex, Rachel, Colleen, Ben, Lizzie, Michelle, Jeff, Samantha, Steph, Derek, George, and Mary - thank you for going above and beyond to make this a success.
But what was truly mindblowing - AGAIN, for the second year in a row! - was the volunteers. The outpouring of love and support was overwhelming. Amazon boxes poured in from all over the country leading up to the event, and on the day of Flowvember, the line of donors and people waiting to build kits stretched out the door and onto the street. Friends, family, and volunteers-turned-new-buddies did everything from writing messages of love and hope, to helping load the U-Haul. We got a big boost from some big sponsors too: Aunt Flow, Period.org and Gum provided thousands of period products AND toothbrushes, respectively. We were shocked and beyond grateful for the generous gifts from our biggest sponsor to our tiniest participant (1-year-old Reagan)!
ResisterhoodLA, this event belongs to all of us.
The most stunning moment of the second annual Flowvember came when Mary mentioned to me that reps from Covenant House were thrilled with the donations - it would last them two full weeks. TWO WEEKS. Let that sink in. We did so much in one day, but so much more is needed. #Flowvember2019... are you in?
Contributed by Amanda Horning, producer.
ABOUT THE MIDNIGHT MISSION
Founded in 1914, The Midnight Mission offers paths to self-sufficiency to men, women and children who have lost direction. Our emergency services and 12-step recovery, family living, job training, education and workforce development programs offer a compassionate bridge to achieve and maintain healthy, productive lives. We remove obstacles and provide the accountability and structure that people who are experiencing homelessness need to be productive in their communities. Our conviction and commitment to their success define us.
ABOUT COVENANT HOUSE
For more than four decades, Covenant House California has helped transform and save the lives of more than a million homeless, runaway and trafficked young people. We offer housing and support services to young people in need – reaching 80,000 boys and girls every year.