Pause for a moment to reflect upon our humble teeth. Teeth make it possible for us to chew all kinds of tough foods from carrots to walnuts, making our lives better and more flavourful. It's possible to get by without teeth (and some unfortunate people do) but it is not pleasant.
Unfortunately, some of us take our teeth for granted, even though we depend on them every day. Maybe we don't floss as often as we should, or we neglect annual checkups at the dentist. To some degree we can get away with this: teeth are pretty strong, and it takes years of neglect for them to develop significant damage and drop out. In the busy hustle-and-bustle of life, we forget about our teeth until it's too late. Then we get cavities or our teeth fall out, and we are sorry.
We think free/liberated/open source software is a lot like teeth. An abundance of free software makes it possible for us to do all kinds of tasks from accounting to 3D animation, making our lives better and more productive. It's possible to get by without free software (and some unfortunate people do) but it is not pleasant.
Unfortunately, some of us take our free software for granted, even though we use it (and some of us make our livings from it) every day. Maybe we don't support free software developers as often as we should, or we neglect sending thank-you notes to great projects. To some degree we can get away with this: free software is pretty strong, and it takes years of neglect for developers to get sick of the process and drop out. In the busy hustle-and-bustle of life, we forget about our free software until it's too late. Then fewer developers are willing to create and maintain free software projects, and we are sorry.
The FLOSS Fund attempts to address free software neglect by providing a structured way for LUG members to express appreciation and support for their favourite free software. Each month, members make voluntary contributions to a software project, and then we send off those contributions to the developers to show our appreciation for their hard work.