Our Story

Flowers for Power started out as a school project; our teacher told us to find a way to make a difference in the community. At first we had no idea where to start – what could we tackle as a couple of inexperienced students? The idea for accessible sanitary products planted itself in our heads when we stumbled upon a video online, interviewing houseless women about their struggles with menstruation on the streets. As we further researched the topic we discovered that menstruators all across Canada had been struggling to afford and obtain pads and tampons for years.  The clincher was, no one was talking about it, yet this was happening right here at home in Surrey BC. We found ourselves outraged that periods were such a stigmatized topic, that people were being forced to endure discomfort and even disease because they could not access the supplies they needed. 

We got to work right away, building our knowledge and establishing our presence online. Within two months we had raised nearly $1000 and had collected hundreds of product donations from our High School as well as from small businesses and establishments throughout our community. We expanded our horizons from simply collecting tampons and pads, to collecting products like toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant and soap. In January 2018, we took a trip to Surrey’s tent city [135A st.]  to hand out our care packages one-on-one. 

On this journey we discovered that feeling clean and comfortable should be viewed as a basic human right. Inaccessibility to hygiene is an issue that reaches beyond the people of Canada’s tent cities; it effects many in small town Canada, as well as thousands in our big cities that simply cannot afford the steep costs of feminine hygiene products. No one should be forced to miss school, work, or to sit out on their life because of a natural phenomenon. 

As our project drew to a close we realized our job wasn’t finished. Since the conclusion of our class in February 2018 we have continued to build our name as an organization and develop new ways to reach out to our community and make a difference. We will not quit until all British Columbians are able to access their right to comfort. 

Xoxo

Veronica, Daniella and Miranda