Change A Life This Giving Tuesday

You may have already read our story of the woman we helped this past summer who was pregnant and homeless. Just weeks from her due date, we sent new clothing, a Welcome Baby Bag, a new mom kit, and essential toiletries for the soon-to-be mom and her baby.

Your amazing generosity made it possible for us to spring into action when Community Service Officers from Boston Police Department asked us to help this new mom. With your support now, we can continue answering every call for help within 24-48 hours, bringing essentials for warmth, health, and dignity to thousands of infants, children, and adults experiencing homelessness in Greater Boston.

To give a gift to Circle of Hope, visit our website or mail a check payable to Circle of Hope to: P.O. Box 920724, Needham MA, 02492. Giving a gift in honor of a loved one? Include their name and address on your donation form or with your check and we'll mail them an acknowledgement card!

You can donate any time before the end of the year, but if you donate before Tuesday, November 30, you can participate in Circle of Hope's Giving Tuesday campaign! Download a COH Giving Tuesday pledge card (or create your own!) and share it on social media on or before Tuesday to inspire your friends and family to give as well. Be sure to tag Circle of Hope and use the hashtag #GivingTuesday.

@CircleOfHopeNeedham (Facebook & Instagram)

@CircleOfHopeBOS (Twitter)

As always, thank you for your kindness and generosity. Your support is protecting and saving lives.

2021 Annual Campaign

Dear Friends,

In mid-June, Community Service Officers from Boston Police Department District E-13 asked Circle of Hope to help a young woman who was pregnant and homeless. “She doesn’t have anything,” the officers told us. Her due date was less than three weeks away.

Right away, we sent the soon-to-be mom brand new clothing, a Welcome Baby Bag, a new mom kit, and essential toiletries. These vital donations helped her and her newborn thrive in the vulnerable postpartum months. 

The number of emergency response requests grew this year, as did our partnership with the Boston Police Bureau of Community Engagement. Within 48 hours, we answered their emergency calls for dozens of families who lost everything in house fires, giving 6,500 items to children and families throughout Boston. Ten graduating public high school students who were homeless received our “Welcome to College” packages of bedding, toiletries, and health essentials at a special recognition celebration. Through Circle of Hope’s Vaccine Equity Initiative, Community Service Officers distributed COVID-19 vaccine postcards in multiple languages to help families who are homeless access reliable, life-saving vaccine information. 

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have supplied our partner shelters and clinics with 166,000 essential items – including 31,700 pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) – to prevent the spread of illness and keep the people we serve healthy.

We couldn’t have done it without you. Your generosity made it possible for Circle of Hope to answer every call for help. Your support now will help us deploy warm clothing, hygiene supplies, and PPE directly to people in need this year.

Please give a gift to our Annual Campaign by December 31, 2021 to help us protect infants, children, and adults who are homeless and most at-risk during the pandemic. 

Thank you for your generosity and support. Together, we are protecting health and saving lives.

Most gratefully,

Barbara Waterhouse

Founder, Executive Director

October 2021 News from Circle of Hope

Our October newsletter launched this week! Click here to read our latest updates, including the exciting news about our gently used donation policy.

New Go-To Crew Request: New Sneakers for Adults

We have an urgent need for new sneakers for women (sizes 8-10) and men (sizes 10+)! Please help us protect the health of adults experiencing homelessness by donating new sneakers to COH. Here are a few ways you can help:

1. Ship new sneakers to 1329 Highland Ave. Needham, MA 02492 from your preferred online retailer or our Amazon Wish List.

2. Purchase new shoes in-person and drop them off in the "Go-To Crew" bin outside Circle of Hope on Monday, Oct. 4, Tuesday, Oct. 5, or Wednesday, Oct. 6 from 10am - 12pm.

3. Donate to our Emergency Fund by visiting our website.

4. Share this request with friends and family who might be willing to help.

Thank you very much!

September 2021 News

Our September newsletter went out today! Read about our urgent donation needs and important fall updates.

Donation Guideline Update

We are piloting a new way for you to donate gently worn clothing to Circle of Hope for the months of October and November.

In addition to accepting brand new items, we will accept donations of gently used casual clothing in excellent condition for all ages and sizes, including: T-shirts (short and long sleeve), sweatpants, sweatshirts, sweaters, jackets, coats, winter boots, leggings, and athletic wear. We cannot accept button-down shirts, dresses, business clothing, formalwear, bathing suits, out-of-season clothing, or used socks/underwear.

We can accept no more than 3 paper grocery bags or white kitchen trash bags of gently used clothing per drop-off. No black trash bags, please. There is no bag limit for brand new donations.

Appointments are required for donation drop-offs and can be scheduled online via Sign Up Genius. To schedule an appointment to drop off new donations, please click here. To schedule a time to drop off gently used donations, click here.

Everyone entering Circle of Hope must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear a face mask covering the nose and mouth at all times while inside our spaces.

If you have questions about these changes, please don't hesitate to ask by emailing Carolyn at carolyn@circleofhopeonline.org. Thank you very much for your patience and understanding as we navigate the ongoing pandemic and continue doing everything we can to protect the health and safety of all of our donors, volunteers, staff, and recipients of our donations.

July 2021 News

Our July newsletter has launched! Click here to read our latest updates.

One Year of COVID-19 Response Report

When the COVID-19 crisis erupted in March 2020, Circle of Hope transformed to immediately prioritize disease prevention. We helped 24,000 homeless individuals stay healthy and safe last year by providing them with all-new clothing and essentials, including 18,600 pieces of PPE. We responded within 48 hours to 8 multi-family house fires, helping 20 displaced families get back on their feet. We gave brand new winter coats to 2,300 children, women, and men experiencing homelessness during the coldest months. Please click the button below to read more about our life-saving COVID-19 response.

HOPE Blooms - In Case You Missed It

Last night, Circle of Hope supporters came together virtually for HOPE Blooms, a celebration of everything we have accomplished together over the past year. Thank you to everyone who joined us! In case you missed it, click below for event highlights or click here to watch the video.

We'd like to express our deepest gratitude to our event sponsors for enabling us to create this fun event free of charge. Thank you to special guest Eden Espinosa for the incredible performance. And thank you to our supporters for helping us serve more than 24,000 individuals experiencing homelessness last year. We truly could not have done this without you!

To continue fueling our life-saving work in the coming year, please consider a gift to Circle of Hope. To donate, click the button below or text HOPEBLOOMS to 44321.

Join us for virtual HOPE Blooms with special guest Eden Espinosa

A virtual production of Circle of Hope's annual event with a special performance by Eden Espinosa, star of Broadway's production of Wicked

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26 | 7:00-7:30 p.m.

Most recognized for her critically acclaimed portrayal of Elphaba in the Broadway production of “Wicked”, Eden Espinosa will join COH’s Executive Director, Barbara Waterhouse and a cast of supporters for a thirty-minute program of song, celebration and hope!

Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at how Circle of Hope transformed during the pandemic providing lifesaving clothing, dignity items and PPE to homeless individuals and families. Learn how your support makes our vital work possible.