LavaMaeˣ Grants $10,000 to The Merrimack Valley Dream Center
February 14, 2023
The $10,000 grant, in partnership with The Starbucks Foundation, will expand hygiene access in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
The Merrimack Valley Dream Center is a non-profit whose mission is to spark lasting transformation in those in the Merrimack Valley who need hope, freedom, and purpose by providing sustainable outreach programs and by partnering with other organizations. The organization is the recipient of funding from LavaMaeˣ’s Hygiene for Humanity Fund. The grant program invests in mobile hygiene solutions across the United States, and thanks to its new funding partnership with The Starbucks Foundation, The Merrimack Valley Dream Center can purchase a second mobile shower trailer and expand its services.
The Merrimack Valley Dream Center backstory
The Merrimack Valley Dream Center joined our 1:1 Mentorship program in February 2021 and launched its first mobile shower trailer in July 2022. Julio Meran, Founder of The Merrimack Valley Dream Center, has been very successful with his program and has already delivered more than 500 showers and 700 hygiene kits to people in need.
Funding for a second trailer
With the first shower trailer already serving the cities Haverhill, MA and Lawrence, MA six days a week, the need for a second trailer became more apparent. And after seeing such success in their first six months of service, we gladly awarded Julio and his team $10,000 to secure the second trailer that is due to launch in April 2023.
The Merrimack Valley Dream Center’s Fresh Start mobile shower unit offers unhoused residents an opportunity for a hot shower and to use a restroom with dignity. To learn more about The Merrimack Valley Dream Center and its progress, you can visit its website.
