Important Donation and Volunteer Updates!

NEW WEEKEND DONATION HOURS

Starting Feb. 24, Circle of Hope will be open for donation drop-offs on the last Saturday of the month from 10am - 12pm! We hope to add additional Saturdays in the future.

DONATION POLICY UPDATE

We are eliminating the 3-bag limit on gently used donations; donors are now welcome to drop off more than 3 bags of clothing at a time. Please continue bagging and labeling your new and gently used donations separately. We also ask that you use smaller-sized bags, such as brown paper grocery bags or unscented kitchen-sized trash bags, so all of our volunteers and staff can lift them safely.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are recruiting new volunteers for the following roles:

• Greeter(s): 10am - 12pm on the last Saturday of every month. Greeters are stationed at the front desk of Circle of Hope and are primarily responsible for welcoming donors, answering questions, helping bring donations inside, and providing donation receipts.

• 1-2 Sorters: 10am - 12pm on Thursday mornings. Responsibilities may include sorting and packaging clothing and hygiene items, packing orders for shelter deliveries, and organizing and shelving donations.

• 2-3 new Drivers: 1-2 shelter deliveries per month. Volunteer Drivers are responsible for delivering donated goods to our partner shelters and programs, primarily located in Boston, Cambridge, and Framingham, using their personal vehicles or (optionally) the COH van.

To learn more about these opportunities and apply to become a volunteer, please visit our website.

NEW ONE-TIME VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Starting Thursday, March 7, we will begin offering one-time volunteer opportunities at Circle of Hope's donation center. Individuals and groups may sign up for a one-time volunteer shift at Circle of Hope on the first Thursday of every month from 3-5 pm. There will be 8 slots available per shift and slots are first come, first served. All volunteers must be age 12+ and anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult guardian. 

Thursday volunteers will help sort, bag, and organize donations, assemble donation kits, and assist with inventory and organization at our donation center.  

If you have questions about the volunteer shifts, please contact Christine Ruddy at christine@circleofhopeonline.org. 

Circle of Hope Participates in Winter Walk 2024

Team Circle of Hope

On Sunday, February 11, the Circle of Hope team participated in the 2024 Winter Walk, an annual walk to raise homelessness awareness and funds. This year, we were thrilled to join as Winter Walk's in-kind partner, and we brought several bags of clothing donations back to COH with us!

Our team had a great morning walking with 4,000 other service providers, fundraisers, supporters, and neighbors who are experiencing homelessness. Our heartfelt thanks to Winter Walk for your partnership and to everyone who donated clothing for the people we serve!

Donation Policy Update

Effective February 2024, we are no longer limiting gently-used donations to 3 bags per drop-off. Donors may drop off more than 3 bags of clothing donations at one time.

We ask that you continue bagging your new and gently-used donations separately and labeling the bags accordingly. We also ask that you use smaller-sized bags, such as brown paper grocery bags or unscented kitchen-sized trash bags, so all our volunteers and staff can lift the bags safely and comfortably.

For our full donation guidelines, please click here.

Treat Cupcake Bar is Supporting Circle of Hope this January!

This month, Treat Cupcake Bar in Needham is supporting Circle of Hope through their "Treat Others Well" campaign! Stop by for one of these adorable polar bear cupcakes and support families experiencing homelessness. Treat is also collecting clothing donations this month, so bring your new or gently used donations when you stop in for your cupcakes! Get directions to Treat.

UNIQLO Hosts COH Youth Partner Shopping Trip

Earlier this month, UNIQLO hosted a shopping trip for 15 students from a Circle of Hope youth partner program. Each student was invited to select a top, bottom, and jacket from the Natick UNIQLO store. We are deeply grateful to UNIQLO for organizing such a thoughtful and impactful opportunity for the teens we serve.

Our partner program coordinator said: "Circle of Hope has been nothing short of awesome, supporting all our students' needs from clothing to hygiene to starter bedding kits for college and new parents. Some of these students have seen the absolute worst of humanity, but for them to see the best of it through this generous gesture by UNIQLO...gave them so much faith in their new country and in themselves."

NBC10 Boston Volunteers at COH

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!

Updates on the MA Homelessness Crisis

The family shelter system in Massachusetts is beyond capacity. For the first time in the 40 years since MA became a "right to shelter" state for families, Gov. Healey capped the family shelter system at 7,500 families; beyond that, families would not be guaranteed shelter. The state surpassed that number on November 9.

Thousands more families urgently need emergency shelter but do not qualify under the state's "ludicrously low" income requirements. Some are staying in motels until their money runs out. Others are doubling up in the apartments of family or friends, squeezing multiple families into one-bedroom homes. Migrants entering Massachusetts are not legally able to work right away, leaving them stranded without income for months. And families who can work risk losing their shelter placement if their income exceeds the state's threshold. 

Circle of Hope's partner programs are reporting an increase in need across the board. According to our partners, more heavily pregnant women and older women are seeking shelter and services than ever before. Parents are struggling to get their children to school safely without winter coats or clothing. And families are choosing between buying food or daily essentials for health and dignity, like shampoo, soap, and menstrual products - which are not covered by SNAP benefits.

At Circle of Hope, we are working diligently to keep pace with this crisis and provide exactly what families need for physical and mental health. We're proud to be part of the network of wonderful organizations providing resources and services to families experiencing homelessness and the additional traumas that brings.

Please follow us on social media for continued updates on this crisis.

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.

Help Circle of Hope respond to the humanitarian crisis in MA

Dear Friends,

The day after Circle of Hope's first delivery to the Mary Eliza Mahoney House, we received a frantic call from the shelter director. A new family, including a brand new baby girl, had arrived in shelter overnight after fleeing violence in Haiti.

Your generosity helped give this family the coats, clothing, and infant essentials they needed to face their first New England winter.

For many people in crisis, a single pair of clean pants or a warm coat is the first critical step on a journey to recovery, stability, and wellbeing. As thousands of people seek asylum in Greater Boston and homelessness surges statewide, we need your help to meet the growing need for clothing and hygiene essentials.

Please give a gift to our annual campaign by December 31, 2023 to help more than 22,000 people experiencing homelessness in Boston and MetroWest keep themselves and their children safe this year.

Thank you for your incredible generosity, compassion, and support. We truly could not do this life-saving work without you.

With my deepest gratitude,

Ari Barbanell, Executive Director

Circle of Hope, Inc.

Appointments No Longer Required for Donation Drop-Offs

Effective 11/6/23, appointments will no longer be required for donation drop-offs at Circle of Hope!

Starting Nov. 6, you can drop off your new and gently used donations at 1329 Highland Ave. Suite 3, Needham, MA from 10am - 12pm Mondays through Thursdays. Please continue to bag your new and gently used items separately and use smaller sized bags so all our volunteers can lift them safely. We ask you to continue limiting your gently used donations to about 3 bags per drop-off to keep sorting manageable for our volunteers.

Thank you very much for helping us provide clothing and hygiene essentials to more than 22,000 people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity this year!