We're Hiring: AmeriCorps VISTA Evaluation & Outcomes Coordinator
When most people think of Make-A-Day, they picture our team out in the community connecting neighbors with various supports, and the unmistakable energy of care, connection, and community.
But behind every guest interaction is an infrastructure that makes it all possible: fundraising systems, donor tracking, data reporting, and long-term planning that ensure this work can grow and last. Much of that behind-the-scenes capacity has been built by AmeriCorps VISTA members.
We’re looking for the next one.
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We're Hiring: Outreach Specialist
At Make-A-Day, dignity is not a destination. It’s a starting point.
Every day, our team is out on the streets, in encampments, and at pop-up sites across central Ohio, meeting people where they are and offering a real path forward. We run mobile outreach, justice-navigation services, pop-up care villages, and case management for people facing homelessness, poverty, and the kind of systemic barriers that most systems are not designed to remove.
We’re hiring an Outreach Specialist to join that work.
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Expanding Access: Kicking Off a New Legal Partnership Focused on Clearing Outstanding Warrants
Make-A-Day is excited to share that we are kicking off an expanded phase of our Move the Box initiative through a new partnership with Franklin County. This investment, through the county’s Targeted Community Alternatives to Prison initiative, allows us to deepen and scale the legal navigation work we began in October 2025.
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Move the Box: Expanding Access to Justice on Columbus’ South Side
In Franklin County, expungement is legally possible but often out of reach for residents facing homelessness, poverty, and systemic racial inequities. Through our Move the Box Pop-Up Care Village we brought courts, attorneys, and community partners directly into the neighborhood, helping over 200 guests access support services that move them closer to housing, employment, and long-term stability.
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A snowflake meal: Creating unique experiences starting with a meal
Yes, we’ve heard your requests that Alex and Jesse partner with Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg to release the cookbook to put all cookbooks to shame. I’ve had to turn away Martha’s agents four times just this month.
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Using AI with Intention: How Make-A-Day Is Building Capacity Without Losing Our Humanity
As AI shows up more frequently in nonprofit spaces, it raises real questions about risk, responsibility, and harm, especially for communities already impacted by inequitable systems. Make-A-Day’s AI policy prioritizes transparency, consent, and human oversight, setting clear boundaries to ensure technology never comes before dignity or trust.
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The Best Parts of 2025, Served with a Side of Fries
The new year is often a time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished and look hopefully toward the future. As Make-A-Day has grown so much in the past year bringing on new team members, expanding our outreach sites and programs, and building new relationships in the community, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on our favorite moments from 2025.
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When a Meal Becomes a Bridge: How Trust is Built at a Food Truck Window
Many of us take access to quality food for granted, trusting that what we order will be good and knowing we have other options if it’s not. For our guests, free food is often a gamble, and the choice can be between eating something subpar or not eating at all. We realize trust is built with our guests not just in big moments, but in consistently showing up and serving meals made with care.
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A Season of Warmth: When Community Becomes the Heat We All Need
This year’s Season of Warmth Pop-Up Care Village brought together neighbors, volunteers, and community partners in an unforgettable celebration of care and connection, where more than 160 guests found food, warmth, services, and human connection on a cold December afternoon. From haircuts and legal support to winter gear and shared laughter, the event reminded us that community itself can be the heat that carries us through the harshest months.
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More than Resources: The Power of Guest-to-Guest Connection
When John saw a group of men sharing a meal and laughing together at our food truck, he realized he was witnessing the kind of community he'd been missing. Check out this story about how one simple invitation helped reconnect him to a sense of belonging.
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Give Warmth this #GivingTuesday
Fuel more than just items this Giving Tuesday. Funds the moments that make our guests feel seen and encouraged to move towards stability.
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Chilltop Chili and Community: Celebrating Partnership at Hilltop Library
This past Monday, we celebrated a special moment in our ongoing partnership with the Hilltop Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. The Hilltop staff helped us choose the name for the day’s meal, and their winning pick, Chilltop Chili, captured the personality of the neighborhood. It felt creative, welcoming, and full of heart.
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A National Shift in Homelessness Policy Is Coming. Community Care Is Still Our North Star.
At Make-A-Day, we start with a simple truth: people know what they need to survive, to stabilize, and to move forward.
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A Different Donation: What Do Our Guests Really Need?
Donations aren’t just about tangible goods. Sometimes what our guests need most is someone to listen, guide them, and open doors they didn’t know existed. Meaningful support goes beyond items and touches lives in deeper ways. Read more to discover how you can make a difference in more ways than one.
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Announcing 100 Investors in Hope: Keeping Care Close to Home
As federal relief dollars fade, Make-A-Day is calling on neighbors, businesses, and partners to help keep care close to home. 100 Investors in Hope is a community-powered campaign sustaining meals, outreach, and reentry services across Columbus, one day of care at a time.
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Scaling Second Chances: Lessons from the Hilltop Move the Box Pilot
A mom homeschooling her kids at the library saw the sign that said “expungement applications” and whispered, “I need that.” Hours later, she became the first guest to walk out with her expungement process complete.
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Neighbors Saving Neighbors: Lessons from Save A Life Day
On September 25, neighbors across Franklin County gathered for Save A Life Day, a countywide effort to shift the overdose narrative from tragedy to prevention. From the packed room at Linden Fresh Market to the quiet reflection of the memorial table, the day was more than an event. It was a living demonstration of community care in action.
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A New Neighborhood, A Shared Commitment
At Make-A-Day, we believe that dignity is universal, but support must be specific. Recently, our outreach team partnered with community leaders, public health workers, and mutual aid providers to bring a street outreach event to a neighborhood outside of our usual routes. It was a chance to listen, to learn, and to serve in ways that honored the strengths already present.
We approached this event not as experts or fixers, but as neighbors. We knew we were stepping into a space with its own history, culture, and networks of support. Our goal was not to replace what was working, but to build relationships and extend our care where it was most needed.
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“It Just Didn’t Seem Right to Walk Away” — Volunteer Matthew C. King's Journey with Make-A-Day
When Matthew first encountered Make-A-Day, he was struck by the concept of free gourmet meals with no questions asked. What started as a chance encounter quickly became a commitment. Now a familiar face at our Pop-Ups, Matthew leads with quiet care, showing up to serve meals, check in on neighbors, and hand out essentials. Read how one volunteer turned compassion into consistent action.
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Love Without Borders: How a Vintage Camper Became a Rolling Advocate of Presence
Back in June, Make-A-Day hosted a community Pop-Up event in Columbus, Ohio—an afternoon filled with hospitality, dignity, and human connection. One of the most meaningful additions was a vintage camper parked quietly along the edge of the event. Inside it? Toothbrushes, clothes, diapers, snacks, soap—and so much love. That trailer belongs to Paige Johnston, founder of The Boundless Trailer, who drove 8 hours to be there. But the supplies aren’t the whole story. What’s inside that trailer—and what drives it—is something much deeper.
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