Our Story The Daymaker Journal Our Team In the News

Columbus' mobile front door to stability.

Since 2018, Make-A-Day has been Columbus' mobile front door to stability. We meet people experiencing homelessness and economic instability where they are, with food, essentials, and trust, and walk with them through the systems, barriers, and next steps that lead to housing, employment, and long-term belonging.

Our work is not just about providing services. It is about removing the specific barriers that keep people stuck: a missing ID, an old warrant, a criminal record, the absence of someone who will show up and help you navigate. We stabilize. We restore. We help people advance.

Thousands served. Hundreds housed. Countless barriers removed.

Volunteer
100 Investors in Hope
Give
The Daymaker Journal
It Felt Like Coming Home: How Make-A-Day's Dignity Market Became a Pop-Up Staple
It Felt Like Coming Home: How Make-A-Day's Dignity Market Became a Pop-Up Staple

Mike and Lisa founded Make-A-Day’s volunteer operated Dignity Market after nearly a decade of serving guests in the Short North. A completely free shop stocked with donated clothing and hygiene items at each one of our Pop-Up Care Villages. For them, the work has always been personal, “I just love seeing people transition into housing. That’s not really our part in it, but I think people need to see people like us caring. I think that’s important.”

Read More →
Care Without Conditions: A Recap of Our April 13 Community Wellness Pop-Up Care Village
Care Without Conditions: A Recap of Our April 13 Community Wellness Pop-Up Care Village

Milo-Grogan has a long memory. It is a neighborhood that has weathered disinvestment, displacement, and decades of being promised resources that did not always arrive. It is also a neighborhood with deep roots, good neighbors, and organizations like Cultivate CDC that have stayed and built something lasting. Minority Health Month felt like the right time to show up here, with services, for our neighbors, in a community that has been overlooked more than it has been served.

Read More →
We're Recruiting: AmeriCorps VISTA Peer Access Navigator
We're Recruiting: AmeriCorps VISTA Peer Access Navigator

The Peer Access Navigator VISTA member will build the foundation for a sustainable peer navigation model at Make-A-Day. During their term, the VISTA member will map existing referral pathways, formalize partnerships with primary care, mental health, and substance use providers, and develop the training materials, workflows, and data systems that will allow Peer Navigators with lived experience to do this work long-term.

Read More →
Upcoming Events
Street Outreach at THREE - Women’s Respite Center
Apr 27
Street Outreach at THREE - Women’s Respite Center

We meet you where you are, with care, support, and help for what’s next.

Grab a free meal, connect with local resource organizations, and talk with a Make-A-Day team member; we’re here to listen and help.

Outreach with Franklinton Farms
Apr 28
Outreach with Franklinton Farms

We meet you where you are, with care, support, and help for what’s next.

Grab a free meal, connect with local resource organizations, and talk with a Make-A-Day team member; we’re here to listen and help.

Stronger Minds, Stronger Communities: A Mental Health Focused Pop-Up
May 4
Stronger Minds, Stronger Communities: A Mental Health Focused Pop-Up

Join Make-A-Day and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department to learn more about resources available for maintaining strong mental health.

PRIVATE EVENT Mini Pop-Up with Starhouse and the Junior League of Columbus
May 11
PRIVATE EVENT Mini Pop-Up with Starhouse and the Junior League of Columbus

Join us as we partner with Starhouse and Junior League of Columbus for an event all about bringing resources to youth experiencing homelessness.

PRIVATE EVENT for Starhouse residents only

Outreach with Franklinton Farms
May 12
Outreach with Franklinton Farms

We meet you where you are, with care, support, and help for what’s next.

Grab a free meal, connect with local resource organizations, and talk with a Make-A-Day team member; we’re here to listen and help.

Outreach at NSI Food Pantry
May 18
Outreach at NSI Food Pantry

We meet you where you are, with care, support, and help for what’s next.

Grab a free meal, connect with local resource organizations, and talk with a Make-A-Day team member; we’re here to listen and help.

Outreach with Franklin County Tap in Center
May 19
Outreach with Franklin County Tap in Center

The Tap In Center assists residents who have a non-violent misdemeanor warrant holding them back by assisting with the recall and rescheduling of their case.

Outreach at Columbus Metropolitan Library Driving Park Branch
May 26
Outreach at Columbus Metropolitan Library Driving Park Branch

We meet you where you are, with care, support, and help for what’s next.

Grab a free meal, connect with local resource organizations, and talk with a Make-A-Day team member; we’re here to listen and help.

Street Outreach with Clintonville Beechwold Community Resources Center
Jun 1
Street Outreach with Clintonville Beechwold Community Resources Center

We meet you where you are, with care, support, and help for what’s next.

Grab a free meal, connect with local resource organizations, and talk with a Make-A-Day team member; we’re here to listen and help.

Rooted Pop-Up Care Village with Franklinton Farms
Jun 15
Rooted Pop-Up Care Village with Franklinton Farms

We meet you where you are, with care, support, and help for what’s next.

Grab a free meal, connect with local resource organizations, and talk with a Make-A-Day team member; we’re here to listen and help.

Tee up for impact

Join us Friday, August 14 at 1 PM at Champions Golf Course as we bring together supporters, partners, and community members for a fun and meaningful day that directly supports our work. Whether you’re a seasoned golfer or just in it for the experience, there’s a place for you.

Learn more

Get stories of change and ways to help, delivered once a month.