Expanding access to
personal hygiene
resources in New York City
About Us
Shower Power is a nonprofit organization that is focused on hygiene access and justice.
Established in 2017, serving New York City
Origin story
- As volunteers in a soup kitchen, we saw how inconsistently personal care products were available and how much people sought the opportunity to wash up, taking advantage of the sinks in the bathroom to feel a small sense of being refreshed.
- We started packing hygiene kits to try to make sure other kitchens and outreach programs around the city would more consistently have these products to provide guests alongside the important services they provide.
- We launched our first mobile shower during COVID, partnering with Doctors without Borders to move quickly and address the existing need that was rapidly growing.
- Four years later, we have provided 25,000 hygiene kits and over 5,000 showers to those in need in NYC
Our Mission
Expand access to personal hygiene resources in New York City
Goals for Our Community
- Prevent health issues
- Reduce stigmatization
- Make resources conveniently available for no cost
Organizational objectives
- Advance the conversation around hygiene in the direct service community
- Identify opportunities to fill hygiene gaps and support sustainable programs
- Build community-driven programs to create greater access to hygiene resources
- Centralize information about where to find resources
Our Approach
We believe our community deserves access to the goods and resources that reduce the risk of illness and other preventable health issues. Shower Power does this through two primary means.
- Directly provides individuals with the resources they need to effectively and regularly care for themselves, regardless of their living situation.
- Ensures that our partner service providers have all of the resources and knowledge they need to continue that mission in their own interactions with guests.
Our Team
Richard Vernon
Executive Director
richard@showerpowernyc.org
Amma Woods
Program Director
amma@showerpowernyc.org
Our Board
Our Financials
Our Annual Reports review the progress we have made in enhancing access to personal hygiene resources in New York City. While reports have not been produced every year, full financial data is available with the IRS or on Guidestar.
2022-2023
Highlights: We secured generous funding to purchase and build a second shower trailer. This trailer has four private shower rooms, one of them fully wheelchair accessible and ADA compliant. In October 2022 we launched our first ‘Next Stop” campaign in October, raising over $50,000 to support our expansion into Queens. Come July 2023, we were open in Ridgewood, Queens thanks to a wonderful partnership we built with Ridgewood Presbyterian Church.
2019-2020
Highlights: Over the course of the fiscal year, Shower Power greatly intensified our programming due to the dual crises of worsening homelessness and of COVID-19. We launched our first shower operations in Harlem, partnering with Doctors Without Borders to swiftly address our community’s needs.
Never has our message resonated with so many people – Hygiene is Health Care. We feel it should be a universal right.
Shower Power is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, recognized by the following entities, among many others (e.g., Benevity, PayPal Giving Fund, etc.)
GuideStar Gold Seal of Transparency
We are honored to be distinguished with the Gold Seal of Transparency on GuideStar!
GuideStar is the world’s largest source of information about nonprofit organizations. By adding information about our goals, strategies, capabilities, and vision, they highlight the difference we hope to make in New York City
State of New York Charities Bureau
CHAR: 46-61-81
Charitable organizations operating in New York State are required by law to register and file annual financial reports with the Attorney General’s Office. This includes any organization that conducts charitable activities, holds property that is used for charitable purposes, or solicits financial or other contributions.
U.S. Internal Revenue Service
EIN: 82-2732545
The United States Internal Revenue Service designated Shower Power, Inc. exempt from federal income tax under IRC-501(c)(3) on August 11, 2017. This designation allows donors to deduct contributions they make. We are required to file an IRS-990 annually which is available publicly.