Project Padcycle

Hi everybody! My name is Breeanna Messner and I am currently living in San Diego, CA while preparing to apply to medical school. While living in San Diego I have spent some time volunteering with the homeless population and have seen first hand the many adversities this community faces every day. As I was in the store one day, complaining about how ridiculously expensive feminine products are, it struck me that for homeless women, having their period is far more than an inconvenience, it’s a crisis.


A survey done in January 2018 found that there are currently 1340 homeless women in San Diego (1). Most women are familiar with having the monthly inconvenience of cramps, mood swings, and expensive trips to the store to buy tampons and pads. However, every month homeless women have to choose between buying food and buying feminine hygiene products. Now, can you imagine making this sacrifice? While I know the discussion about periods is pretty taboo for many people, it is such an incredibly important topic to discuss, especially when talking about the immense problem that homeless women face.


So, I had this idea... I could make reusable pads and donate them to the homeless women in San Diego. My goal is to make 150 pads total, and provide 3 pads each to 50 women. The main problem that I’ve run into is the price. In order to reach my goal, I will need to spend about $1,000 dollars on materials. These materials include flannel material, towels, snap buttons, thread, ziploc bags, and a couple other things needed to sew the pads together.


Unfortunately I cannot cover the costs myself, so I decided to make a GoFundMe to see if I could raise the funds to achieve my goal. Being able to distribute to at least 50 women is my goal and I believe $1,000 will get me there. I would love to be able to make a larger impact in the homeless community and reach more women in need if the funds allow me too.


If monetary donations are not feasible for you, the simple action of sharing this page would allow me, with your help, to make 50 women’s lives a little easier.


If you would like to get more involved with this project or know of anyone that might be able to help us, please contact me at [email redacted].


It’s a crisis. PERIOD.




1. https://www.rtfhsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/2018-WPoint-in-Time-Count-Annual-Report.pdf