Help PWR Save & Change Lives in 2024

At PWR, we take immense pride in being the state's leader in harm reduction and recovery. Our responsibility goes beyond providing safety supplies, testing, and education; it’s about instilling a sense of respect, love, and dignity in each person we encounter. That’s why this year’s end-of-year giving theme is "The PWR of Love." We believe in the transformative power of love and empathy: through our peer-led approach, we aim to ensure that every individual is cared for and supported.

Our impact has increased in recent years, driven by the unfortunate need in our community and our team's profound understanding and commitment to serving our clients. In 2023, the Project Weber/RENEW team went above and beyond to accomplish our mission:

• Life-Saving & Life-Changing Encounters: Our team engaged in over 20,000 encounters with 5,500 unique individuals. In each interaction, we not only provided vital resources but also offered genuine peer support, forming life-saving and changing connections that go beyond the surface.

• Transformative Housing: Witnessing the transformative power of recovery, our team placed nearly 500 individuals into recovery housing. This effort translated into providing more than just shelter — paying for over 23,000 nights of solace, warmth, and the promise of a brighter tomorrow.

• Sharing Joy: Our team celebrates with the people we serve: having birthday celebrations with clients who haven’t had a cake in years, building community through homemade dinners with our support groups, celebrating holidays with gifts and warm meals, celebrating those who’ve been lost,  and honoring recovery milestones. 

• Nurturing Essential Needs: Amidst 16,000 instances of addressing basic needs, our dedicated staff exceeded the essentials. We provided water, food, clothing, toiletries, and more — not merely as supplies but as symbols of care, dignity, and the understanding that everyone deserves to have their most basic needs cared for. 

• Doses of Life: Distributing 9,000 doses of life-saving Narcan, our team became agents of hope and redemption. The impact went beyond numbers; 25% of those doses were used to reverse overdoses, turning each distribution into another chance at life. 

The PWR team is working to raise $50,000 by December 31st to ensure that the people we serve have a safe and loving space free from judgment - and, most importantly, access to opportunities that inspire change. 

These funds will support the continuation of our current range of impactful programs and services and the creation of the country's first-ever legally sanctioned Overdose Prevention Center. In 2024, in partnership with substance use and healthcare providers, we are opening an Overdose Prevention Center that will be regulated by the Department of Health and serve as a model for the rest of the nation.

Our very own Lex Morales (PWR’s Pawtucket Program Director) said it best in this video, expressing the essence of what makes PWR so special:

"There's a general feeling you get when you step into those doors; instead of just being the negative things going on in your life, you're looked at as a human being. When you walk into a place, you want to feel that acceptance; you want to feel that love."

You can play a pivotal role in expanding our ability to save and transform lives by contributing today!