Programs
Rapid Response Program
On an ongoing basis, we provide essential clothing, shoes, and winter weather gear to those in crisis through our network of 33 community partnerships. All of our deliveries also include Dignity Bags, filled with basic hygiene essentials like soap, shampoo, and socks to support health and uplift personal dignity. Emergency supplies are delivered within 24-48 hours for those facing acute crises such as house fires, domestic violence, or extreme weather; other rapid response items are delivered at least monthly, if not more frequently.
You Can Help.
Join our Go-To Crew to receive email alerts about our urgent donation needs. Or assemble Emergency Clothing Kits to give families the essentials they need for health and dignity within 24-48 hours of a crisis. View our Collection Drive Guide for details on how to make kits.
Welcome Baby Program
Circle of Hope provides brand new porta-cribs and fully-stocked diaper bags to newborns who are homeless, helping them get a strong and healthy start in life. The bags include items essential to caring for an infant, from wipes and diaper cream to onesies and sleepers. We also support the health and wellbeing of new moms experiencing homelessness by providing them with clothing and postpartum care essentials.
Support Newborns in shelter.
Assemble Welcome Baby Bags. Collect the contents and assemble the diaper bags with your colleagues, family, or friends. Each bag includes onesies, bibs, bottles, wipes, face cloths, receiving blankets, and more. When you are finished assembling your Welcome Baby Bags, drop them off at Circle of Hope from 10-12 Mondays - Thursdays and Saturdays (Sept - June) at 1329 Highland Ave. Needham, MA. View our Collection Drive Guide for more info on how to assemble Welcome Baby Bags.
Donate to The Newborn Fund at Circle of Hope. Your gift will help vulnerable newborns get a strong start and stay healthy.
Get Set
In a given year, 1 in 10 youth (ages 18-25) will experience homelessness nationwide. In Massachusetts, 17% of public college students report experiencing homelessness. At Circle of Hope, we believe all young people deserve equitable access to the essentials they need for health and opportunity, whether they’re heading off to college or diving into a career.
In 2019, Circle of Hope launched Get Set to provide clothing, hygiene items, bedding, and dorm essentials to college students experiencing homelessness at Framingham State University. We now provide Get Set items college and career bound students through eight of our 33 partner programs, including the University of Massachusetts Boston’s U-Access Program, the Kaszanek House in Malden, Breaktime, Framingham High School, Nativity Preparatory School, Boston Police Department, and the Bowdoin-Geneva Teen Center. In 2024, we supported health and helped create pathways to opportunity for more than 4,000 young adults.
You can help support college students experiencing homelessness by donating Get Set packages to Circle of Hope. View our Collection Drive Guide to learn more about assembling Get Set packages.
“Thank you to Circle of Hope for the support that they have given to the FSU community. As a result of their donations, members of our community are warmer because they have the correct clothing and bedding for the winter months, and feeling better about themselves because they have access to toiletries and towels to help take care of themselves and their families.”
With our partner Rev. Richard Conway's help, we provide Get Set packages to students at Cristo Rey Boston, a Dorchester high school for students with limited resources.
Boston Police officers give COH Get Set packages to dozens of high school graduates in Jamaica Plain every spring, including students aging out of DCF custody and preparing for college in the fall.
“The attitude is actually positive when coming to school…it’s actually a joy because they come here and actually get their needs met. So they can really focus on being a student and having a social life.” -Student Employee at UMass Boston’s U-Access Program
