LEVENIA FURUSA

FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

A devoted and passionate servant, born and raised in Zimbabwe, a third world country in Africa where her father helped orphaned and homeless children in need, Levenia had the spirit of serving instilled in her at a young age. Levenia moved to the US in 1995 and was surprised that poverty existed in a first world country and decided to make a difference in her small community. She worked at Life links in a Self-Directed Team for 8 years before she moved to Fidelity House Human Services where she worked for 14 years as a Managing Director, assisting in hiring and training employees. She saw single parents struggling to pay bills and unable to spend time with their children, and with a heart to serve and make lives better for people, she founded the Dwelling House of Hope in 2010 and began distributing food from the basement of her house.

Dwelling House of Hope received 501(c)(3) status in 2014. At that time, more than 80 families from Lowell and neighboring cities were being served each week. After hearing rumors that it was not safe to run a food pantry from the basement, Levenia inquired about potential locations at Lowell City Hall, and was directed to Fusion church on Mount Hope Street. It happened that the owner, Dr. Arthur “Chip” Gonzales, was a friend of Levenia’s family and knew about her work efforts, and the charitable work of her father. He happily provided the space. Commercial equipment needed for the efficient running of the pantry was purchased and the food pantry was officially opened at 125 Mount Hope Street on April 15, 2016, with the mayor of Lowell cutting the ribbon.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit our community hard, forcing businesses and food pantries to shut down. Food insecurity increased dramatically in our community. Before the pandemic, DHOH served 400 families per month, which spiraled to 800 plus families per month with emergency food, baby food and formula, gift cards, household supplies (including soap, hand sanitizer and bleach), personal protection equipment and diapers for children and the elderly. We also increased our home deliveries from 100 per week to over 350 per week. In the same year, she was awarded the Greater Lowell Community Foundation's Community Connector Award in recognition for her work in the community. The City of Lowell also recognized her for going beyond simply operating a food pantry, while serving immigrants and refugees in Lowell

To date, DHOH currently serves an average of 23,500 unique clients distributing over 190,000 pounds of food. 49% of our clients are adults between the ages of 18 and 64, 40% are children under the age of 18 and 11% comes from seniors 65 and above. Levenia continues to expand and has made a remarkable contribution in the Merrimack Valley and beyond. DHOH functions as a micro–Food Bank for eleven local churches with congregations primarily comprised of diverse underserved communities. Additionally, Food pantry services are provided to nine local service agencies. Expansion of Food pantry services are ongoing to support organizations that work with the City’s unhoused population. “Adopted” the McAuliffe Elementary School for selected food distribution.

Levenia is also a founding Board member and President of the Lowell African Cultural Association, which hosts the annual Lowell African Festival. She is certified as an Intensive foster care provider and works with children through the Department of Children and Social Services. She has been certified as a trainer by American Red Cross in First Aid, CPR/AED and Responding to Emergencies and by ServSafe for food safety and teaches cooking classes. She is certified by MA Alliance in Sober Housing to open and run a sober house and is also a COVID-19 compliance officer. She is a council of experts of Project Bread. Levenia Furusa is an appointed Commissioner on the City of Lowell Hunger Homeless Commission, an active member of the Greater Lowell Non-Profit Association, The Greater Lowell Health Alliance’s (GLHA) Health Equity and Wellness & Chronic Health Task Forces. The DHOH is also represented on the Department of Transitional Assistance’s Greater Lowell Office Advisory Board, the Department of Mental Health’s Greater Lowell Office Advisory Board, the GLHA’s Behavioral Health and Housing & Build Environment Task Forces, the State SNAP Coalition, and the City’s Fair Housing and Housing Choice Coalitions. Levenia Furusa is a US Federal Chaplin.