Literacy Volunteers of the Montachusett Area Receives $5,800 Grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to Support Adult Literacy
Fitchburg – May 18, 2026 – The Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF) recently awarded the literacy Volunteers of the Montachusett Area a $5,800 grant to support adult literacy. The funds contribute to a record‑setting, single‑day total of nearly $16 million in grants nationwide—supporting adult, family, and summer literacy programs in the 48 states where Dollar General operates. The milestone surpasses the Foundation’s previous record of more than $13.2 million granted in May 2025.
“Literacy Volunteers of the Montachusett Area is deeply grateful to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for its generous support of adult literacy in our community,” said Zwanieke Visser, Executive Director of Literacy Volunteers of the Montachusett Area. “The majority of these funds will be used to recruit and train volunteer tutors who provide free one-on-one literacy and English language instruction to adult learners across our region. Strong tutor training is essential to ensuring that our students receive high-quality, supportive instruction that helps them build language, literacy, workforce, and life skills. This grant will help us continue expanding access to educational opportunities while strengthening the impact of our volunteer program and the communities we serve.”
“Since the Foundation’s inception in 1993, our focus has remained on making meaningful investments in students, teachers, and the organizations that support literacy and learning at every stage of life,” said Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. “We are grateful for the impact teachers and educators make every day and are excited to have another record setting year of helping expand literacy access for learners of all ages. These funds will help educators enhance their instruction and create opportunities that help empower students to reach their full potential.”
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation supports organizations that increase access to educational programming, stimulate and enable innovation in the delivery of educational instruction and inspire a love of reading. Each year, DGLF awards funds to nonprofit organizations, schools, and libraries within a 15-mile radius of a Dollar General store or distribution center to support adult, family, summer and youth literacy programs. The Foundation also offers a student referral program for individuals interested in learning how to read, speak English, or prepare for the high school equivalency exam. Referrals to a local organization that provides free literacy services are available online here or through referral cards found in the Learn to Read brochures that are available at the cash register of every Dollar General store
The Foundation plans to launch its seventh annual The Yellow Glasses Project campaign on July 20, 2026, in which customers can purchase yellow sunglasses at Dollar General stores for $2 each to benefit the DGLF.
About Literacy Volunteers of the Montachusett Area
Literacy Volunteers of the Montachusett Area is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, confidential literacy and English language tutoring to adults throughout North Central Massachusetts. Through one-on-one tutoring, small group instruction, conversation groups, citizenship preparation, and community partnerships, the organization helps adult learners build literacy, language, workforce, and life skills that support greater opportunity and community participation. Volunteer tutors are trained and supported to provide learner-centered instruction that fosters confidence, independence, and lifelong learning.
Literacy Volunteers of the Montachusett Area – Building better lives one word at a time
About the Dollar General Literacy Foundation
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. Since 1993, the Foundation has awarded more than $292 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 25 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. Each year, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation provides financial support to schools, nonprofit organizations and libraries within a 15-mile radius of Dollar General stores and distribution centers. To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation or apply for a literacy grant, visit www.dgliteracy.org.
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