Lava Mae Marks Five-Year Anniversary Fueled by $100,000 Support From Wells Fargo

San Francisco-based Nonprofit Delivering Mobile Hygiene and Access to Other Critical Services Set to Surpass Its 2020 Goal to Serve 30,000 Californians

News provided by

Lava Mae

Jun 18, 2019, 08:00 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, June 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Lava Mae (http://www.lavamae.org), a San Francisco-based nonprofit transforming the way communities see and serve our unhoused neighbors around the world, announced today that Wells Fargo awarded the organization $100,000 to amplify the impact of its programs. Mario Diaz, vice president, Wells Fargo Foundation, will present the check at Lava Mae's 34^th Pop-Up Care Village on Tuesday, June 18.

Recognized for its innovative response to gaps in services for people experiencing homelessness, Lava Mae delivers its services with Radical Hospitality^™, which extends the highest level of care and respect to rekindle dignity and hope in our unhoused neighbors.

Since launching its services in 2014, Lava Mae has:

Delivered 68,250 showers to 19,251 guests in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Oakland.
33 Pop-Up Care Villages (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland and Austin, Texas) – one-stop events that mobilize businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, social entrepreneurs and volunteers to bring critical services to the streets – that have served 6,578 houseless neighbors with 140 partners and 550 volunteers.
Created our buildIT platform to host our DIY mobile hygiene toolkit, downloaded 1,860 times to date, and responded to 4,000 requests from 29 separate countries for assistance in replicating our service.
Trained, directly advised or inspired 136 communities around the globe to create mobile hygiene services based on our model.
Single-handedly raised awareness about the lack of access to hygiene for people experiencing homelessness.

"By supporting our work to boost resilience and eliminate obstacles to opportunity for our unhoused neighbors, this gift exemplifies Wells Fargo's commitment to resilient and sustainable communities," said Lava Mae founder/CEO Doniece Sandoval. "These funds will accelerate – by almost a year – our vision to deliver hygiene, dignity and hope to 30,000 Californians by 2020. What better way to mark our five-year anniversary?"

"Addressing housing insecurity is a priority issue for Wells Fargo and part of our philanthropic strategy to help create stronger communities. We are proud to support Lava Mae's work to provide mobile showers to individuals experiencing homelessness," said Mario Diaz, community relations senior consultant for Wells Fargo.

June 18 Event Details

What: Lava Mae Pop-Up Care Village in partnership with SF Public Work's Partner Celebration

Where: San Francisco's UN Plaza

Time: 10 a.m.–2 p.m.; Ceremony: 10–10:30 a.m.

About Lava Mae

Lava Mae is a design & innovation company transforming lives in the world of homelessness and disrupting the way communities see and serve our unhoused neighbors around the globe. Founded in San Francisco in 2013, Lava Mae began by converting public transportation buses into showers and toilets on wheels to deliver hygiene and rekindle dignity for our houseless neighbors. For more information, visit lavamae.org and connect with the Lava Mae community on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Contact:
Vanessa Wellmann
[email protected]

SOURCE Lava Mae