We're pleased to announce that our April grant has been awarded to Shower Power, an organization that works to expand access to personal hygiene resources by providing shower facilities and hygiene products to anyone in New York City who needs them.

In their own words: Founded in 2017, Shower Power is a hygiene justice organization working tirelessly to address the widespread need for clean, consistent, personal care resources in New York City. We are a key part of citywide efforts to increase access to shower facilities, toiletries, and hygiene products, with the goal of there being convenient, safe, and consistently available resources in every borough. The essential services we provide to our guests are also an entry-point to connecting them to important partner and government services and programs, from basic wound care to permanent housing. Most visibly we run our shower program in two boroughs, and provide toiletry kits through our own work and via our partner organizations doing street outreach around the city. Our work centers our guests, sees their inherent worth, and affirms their dignity.

We have two locations: Harlem United, W.125th Street, NYC and Ridgewood Presbyterian Church, Ridgewood, NY, where we offer free showers in a safe and dignified manner.

This grant will provide support for Shower Power's immediate needs of towels, bleach, hygiene items, socks, and more for their facilities with the longer term goal of providing more widespread availability of hygiene resources and programs, well-integrated with other services from their partner providers, all week, year round. "We want to destigmatize homelessness and the individuals who experience it."