A Different Donation: What Do Our Guests Really Need?

Working at a nonprofit automatically makes you the go-to contact for friends who want to give back. As a volunteer coordinator, I bet you can guess my first answer when someone asks how to help. But when time isn’t available, the next thing people want to give is goods.

“What’s your most needed item right now?”
“I’m cleaning out my house — anything your guests could use?”
“My office is hosting a supply drive, what do you need?”

The problem is, we often assume what people need. We Google “most needed items for people living outside” instead of asking someone directly, “What is it you need right now?” And sometimes, the answer might surprise you. Some guests will say they need a meal or a jacket, but the truth is, most already know where to find those items for free.

In fact, it’s more often that a fellow guest can answer someone’s question faster than I can. Sometimes a guest will ask me where to find a jacket or dog food while I’m working the food truck window, and someone behind them will list off two or three places within walking distance that are giving away those items. Once, while talking to guests at the P.E.E.R. Center, a man listed out every place he knew where you could get a free meal throughout the week.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s important that shelters and healthcare organizations receive those items, because people still need them. But with funding becoming limited, it’s important that we as a community work hard to eliminate duplicated services.

And when I get asked what our guests need the most, my answer is simple: people. Our guests need someone to listen to them, someone who is willing to help solve problems, and, most importantly, access to services rather than just tangible items.

What Do Our Guests Need?

Expungement Services
At our April and August Pop-Ups, 30% of guests told us a criminal record was holding them back from getting housing or a job. Clearing those records can be the first step toward stability.

Accessible Employment
Our guests need employers who understand trauma and can offer support that meets people where they are, not where the system assumes they should be.

Stable Housing
Sobriety, recovery, and stability are difficult (sometimes impossible) without a safe place to sleep. Our guests need housing options that are affordable, low-barrier, and paired with supportive services.

Navigation Through the System
Even when resources exist, they can be hard to access. Our guests need advocates to help them fill out forms, make phone calls, and follow up so they don’t get lost in the process.

Basic Dignity Services
Haircuts, showers, laundry, and ID replacement may seem small, but these services remove barriers to jobs, housing, and self-confidence.

Community and Connection
Isolation is one of the biggest challenges our guests face. They need spaces where they feel welcome, seen, and part of something; spaces that build trust and belonging.

Make-A-Day holds a unique place in our community by working to solve problems and remove barriers for those who don’t fit the “typical” path the system of care was designed for. Our team is here to listen, to connect people to the right resources, and to walk alongside them as they navigate whatever comes next.

What do our guests need most? They need people and services that open doors.

You can be that connection.

🫂 Volunteer with us and offer your time, your skills, and your listening ear.
🤝 Fuel a day of outreach or Pop-Up Care Village by becoming Changemaker today.