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In spite of the rain, 150 people assembled on Needham Town Common on Saturday to volunteer at Circle of Hope’s third annual event, Full Circle. Throughout the morning, children and their parents visited six stations, where they completed activities meant to help homeless individuals in Greater Boston.
Full Circle’s creator, Clair Windsor, designed the event to show young children that they can make a difference in their community and help those in need. Kids packed “Dignity Bags” full of toiletries like toothpaste and soap, assembled “warm-up bundles” of winter accessories, and filled backpacks with emergency blankets and other essentials for homeless individuals. Volunteers will bring these items to Circle of Hope’s 21 partner homeless shelters and clinics in the next several weeks. Children also decorated their own donation bags and savings banks to take home with them. They were encouraged to save up money and clothing to donate on Giving Tuesday.
Children decorated flags depicting things they are grateful for at the “Appreciation Station.”
“Clair did an amazing job creating stations where children and their families can begin important conversations about homelessness and ways they can help,” Circle of Hope’s Executive Director Barbara Waterhouse said of Windsor. “The activities are fun and engaging for the kids, and they’re also highly impactful. Hundreds of homeless individuals in our partner shelters will have the items they need to stay healthy because of the efforts of these young people.”
Circle of Hope, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this month, provided clothing and necessities to 5,500 homeless infants, children, and adults last year. More than 90 volunteers sort, package, and deliver donated items to shelters and clinics like Rosie’s Place, Fenway Health, and Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.
