On November 15, reporters from NBC10 Boston came to Circle of Hope to assemble Welcome Baby Bags and Dignity Bags for families experiencing homelessness. Kwani Lunis, Maria Sansone, Hannah Donnelly, and Derek Zagami packed dozens of bags for the people we serve and interviewed Executive Director Ari Barbanell for a feature on The Hub Today's Light Up Seaport segment. We had a lot of fun with the whole crew and we're grateful for their help!
Why your donation matters more than ever this Giving Tuesday
After a year like this one, it can be easy to start feeling helpless in the face of overwhelming need. Will my $25 really help? Can I make a difference when the need is so deep? Does my contribution really matter?
The answer is a resounding “yes.” Now, more than ever, your generosity this Giving Tuesday has the power to transform lives.
The family shelter system in Massachusetts is exceeding capacity for the first time in the 40 years since MA became a “right-to-shelter” state for families experiencing homelessness. With astronomical housing prices and stagnant wages, thousands of families are struggling to get by. 4,000 children in Boston Public Schools alone experience homelessness every year and are at greater risk of chronic absenteeism due to housing instability and clothing and hygiene insecurity. Up to 17% of public college students in MA experience homelessness in a given year.
Thousands of migrant families are arriving in Massachusetts with only the clothes they are wearing, unprepared for the looming New England winter. Unable to obtain work visas, these families literally have no way to provide their children with winter hats, mittens, and coats. Many of these families are medically fragile; all are traumatized. They need hygiene products for health and dignity. Their babies need porta-cribs to sleep safely, whether they are in shelter or a temporary intake facility or overflow site like a convention center, college dorm, or office building. Without seasonally appropriate clothing, hygiene essentials, bedding, and towels, these families are at greater risk of ongoing health complications and compounded trauma.
Circle of Hope’s partner shelters and programs are seeing an increase in need across the board. Several partner programs are reporting a marked increase in the number of heavily pregnant women arriving in shelter with nothing for themselves or their babies. One partner family shelter had six births in September alone. Many of our partner programs are also seeing an increase in the number of older adults - particularly recent widows - seeking services. For the first time ever, we are regularly receiving requests for incontinence products like Depends. We are working diligently to meet the unique needs of each client we serve.
So this year, Circle of Hope needs your help more than ever to keep up with the growing humanitarian crisis in Massachusetts. Your donation puts gloves on the hands of a child waiting for the school bus, warm jammies on a newborn baby in shelter, well-fitting maternity clothes on an expectant mom who has been re-wearing the same sweats her whole pregnancy, menstrual products in the backpack of a teen who might otherwise miss school during her period, and clean socks and waterproof boots on the feet of a medically compromised man who spends his days outside while shelters are closed.
Every single dollar donated is a message of hope, support, and love for someone going through something as isolating and traumatic as homelessness. While we may not solve clothing and hygiene insecurity for everyone this Giving Tuesday, your gift has the power to make all the difference to an individual or family in Boston, letting them know that someone saw them in a moment of deep need and reached out a hand to help. Your compassion will change someone’s life.
How Your Back To School Donations Help Kids Experiencing Homelessness
Combatting Clothing and Hygiene Insecurity in Boston and MetroWest Schools
Nearly 20,000 students in Massachusetts public schools experienced homelessness during the 2020-2021 academic year. In Boston Public Schools alone, 4,000 students experience homelessness every year.
Students experiencing homelessness are chronically absent from school at rates at least 2-3 times higher than their stably housed peers - due, in part, to clothing and hygiene insecurity. Students without access to seasonally appropriate, well-fitting clothing and hygiene essentials like soap, shampoo, and period products, are more likely to miss school. Children experiencing homelessness are also sick twice as often as their peers and have higher rates of mental health disorders like anxiety and depression.
Circle of Hope helps students experiencing homelessness in Boston and MetroWest stay healthy and attend school with confidence and dignity by providing them with new and like-new clothing, winter gear, shoes, and hygiene essentials. These vital supplies ensure that students can get to and from school safely, maintain personal hygiene to reduce their risk of viral and bacterial infections, and stay comfortable and confident throughout their day. By providing these essentials, we’re also helping lighten the mental load for thousands of parents experiencing homelessness by helping them meet these basic needs for their children.
“My goal has always been to be a wonderful role model for my daughter by being able to provide the basic necessities of life,” said Camille Fenton, a former resident of Project Hope Family Shelter. “When my daughter comes up to me and tells me that her shoes are too tight or that her coat isn’t keeping her warm, I am instantly faced with a dilemma. Do I take the $20 I had budgeted towards her coat or do I buy these $16.99 shoes? With the help of Circle of Hope, I didn’t have to make those tough decisions.”
Your donations to Circle of Hope help students stay physically and mentally healthy, reduce rates of chronic absenteeism, and dismantle the barriers to education faced by children experiencing homelessness. You can help thousands of children stay healthy and learn comfortably:
Donate your child’s outgrown clothing in excellent condition. Visit our website to view our complete donation guidelines or schedule your donation drop-off appointment.
Shop for a full outfit (shirt, pants, underwear, socks) for a child who is the same size as your own child (or any size!). Schedule an appointment to drop off your donations or ship them directly to Circle of Hope at 1329 Highland Ave. Needham, MA 02492.
Run a fall or winter collection drive to gather hygiene products, socks and underwear, winter accessories, or other much-needed items for children experiencing homelessness. View our Collection Drive Guide for help getting started.
Join our Go-To Crew to receive email alerts about urgent donation needs.
Your generosity has the power to change a child’s life. Together, we can help students experiencing homelessness stay healthy and stay in school.
