Lowell General Ball raises $56K for growing food access program
Dwelling House of Hope helps thousands of families with food, education and other resources
Hundreds of families will gain access to food assistance and other resources thanks to the support of more than 500 guests at the Lowell General Hospital Ball for Community Health Initiatives, held Saturday, March 4, at the InterContinental Hotel in Boston.
The event, held for the first time in three years due the pandemic, brought together Lowell General’s leadership, physicians and staff with community leaders in healthcare, business, education and social services from across the Merrimack Valley. Together, they raised $56,000 for Dwelling House of Hope, a growing, Lowell-based non-profit that aims to eliminate poverty across the Merrimack Valley through food assistance, and other resources.
Dwelling House of Hope was chosen as this year’s Fund a Need recipient because of its work to address food insecurity and behavioral health, issues identified as two of the region’s most pressing public health concerns in the region’s latest Greater Lowell Community Health Needs Assessment, completed in late 2022.
“Dwelling House of Hope provides thousands of local families with food resources, support and compassion, and we could not be more proud to support their efforts,” Lowell General CEO Jody White said. “The only way we can accomplish our goals to improve health beyond the four walls of the hospital is by partnering with our incredible non-profit partners across this region.”
Dwelling House of Hope Founder and Executive Director Levenia Furusa, an immigrant from Zimbabwe, started her work in 2009 with a small food pantry in her basement. Today, her organization helps thousands of families across the Merrimack Valley, many of them non-English speaking immigrants, with nutritious food, cooking education and clothing.
The Lowell General Hospital Ball for Community Health Initiatives was established in 2006 by Lowell General Hospital, its dedicated medical staff and concerned members of the community.
Co-chairs for this year’s event were Drs. Anasuya Gunturi and Wassim Mazraany, who hand the baton to Drs. Miret Ibrahim and Allen Hwang for next year.