COTS

☀️ 🦟

Summer is here, and many of our residents spend their days working outdoors as they work toward financial stability and permanent housing. With the heat, sunshine, and mosquitoes in full force, we're running low on two summertime essentials:

🧴 Sunscreen
🦟 Bug Spray

These simple items help keep our residents safe, healthy, and comfortable while they're on the job.

If you'd like to help, donations can be dropped off at any COTS shelter location or purchased through our Amazon Wish List (link in the comments).

Every donation makes a difference by removing one more expense for our residents, allowing them to save their hard-earned income for housing, transportation, and other essential needs.

Thank you for helping our neighbors stay safe this summer! 💙

🐦 Sometimes, healing looks like hanging a bird feeder.

One of our residents recently took the initiative to hang this beautiful bird feeder outside our shelter. It may seem like a simple act, but it represents something much bigger.

When someone is experiencing homelessness, every day is focused on survival. There is little time or energy for hobbies, creativity, or simply enjoying life's small moments. But when people have a safe place to live and the stability to begin rebuilding their lives, something remarkable happens—they begin to dream again.

At COTS, our residents aren't defined by their circumstances. They are gardeners, artists, cooks, readers, bird lovers, and neighbors. They are real people with interests, talents, and passions that often get put on hold during times of crisis.

This bird feeder is more than a place for birds to gather. It's a symbol of hope, healing, and the simple joy that comes when someone finally has the opportunity to invest in themselves and the world around them.

Sometimes, moving forward begins with a small step or something as small as watching the birds. ❤️