The Eliot Day Center is a hub where our unhoused neighbors can access spiritual care, person-centered support, and tangible resources for obtaining and maintaining safe and stable housing.
- Hub means that multiple partners converge at Eliot Day Center to provide services to our guests.
- Spiritual care means we facilitate a welcoming environment of rest, peace, creativity, and community for all our guests, regardless of their faith tradition.
- Person-centered support means that we build relationships with our guests, empower them to identify and use their unique gifts, and respond to the needs they identify for themselves.
- Tangible resources means the physical things we provide like: daytime shelter, meals, clothing, food, ID documents, and referrals to other partners.
Services
Hours
The Day Center is open Monday through Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. After 2:30, guests may remain in the building as St. Paul’s Kitchen comes in to prepare and serve supper.
Resources
We offer coffee, continental breakfast, a clean restroom, wi-fi, electricity for phone charging, clothing, and personal hygiene items.
Housing Readiness
Our Director of Client Services helps people take steps to stabilize their lives and connects them with community partners who can provide health care, substance abuse treatment, and more. Our Case Manager assists people with documents for housing readiness, including birth certificates, IDs, and housing applications.
Spiritual Care
We offer a Christian worship service on Wednesday mornings for all who would like to participate.
Opportunities to Donate and Volunteer
Financial Support
If you would like to make a donation to support the work of the Day Center, visit the Presbyterian Foundation by clicking here and select “Day Center Fund” for your gift.
Donations in kind
The Day Center is always in need of paper goods, coffee and food items, and clothing for our guests. Here are the things we need most:
For coffee:
• Ground coffee for automatic drip
• 10-oz paper cups for hot drinks
• Sugar packets
• Powdered coffee creamer
For breakfast:
• Instant oatmeal packets
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Granola bars
• Cold cereal
• Plastic forks and spoons
• Paper bowls for hot food
• Small paper plates
• Rolls of paper towels
Clothing:
• Rain ponchos
• T-shirts for men and women, medium to extra-large
• Socks for men and women
• Underwear for men and women (underwear must be new)
• Men’s shoes sizes 7-13
• Women’s shoes sizes 6-10
• Sweatpants for men and women, medium through extra-large
• Sweatshirts/hoodies for men and women, medium through extra-large
• Hats and gloves
Personal hygiene:
• Deodorant
• Toothbrushes
• Toothpaste
You can bring any of the above items to the church (at 273 Summer St. in Lowell) when the Day Center is open, Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. When you come, ask for Charly, who can receive the supplies or tell you where to place them. You may also bring the items to church on Sunday morning and place them on or near the tables at the back of the sanctuary.
If you have something else you’d like to donate, please contact Charly first by email to DayCenter@eliotlowell.org to make sure we can put the items to use.
Volunteering
The Day Center needs volunteers to help clean up around the building, prepare and serve food, sort donated clothing and hygiene items, and engage in conversation with our guests, or you may have another skill you’d like to offer. To volunteer, send an email to DayCenter@eliotlowell.org and Charly will respond to let you know the best time to come.
Donors
The Day Center is funded in part by a grant from Cummings Foundation’s $30 Million Grant Program. Learn more about Cummings Foundation here.
The Day Center is grateful for a Safety Net grant
from The Boston Foundation, awarded in 2025
Theodore Edson Parker Foundation
from the Greater Lowell Health Alliance in past years.
Eliot Church is grateful to the City of Lowell for ESG, CDBG, and ARPA funding.