Outreach

Cookeville Community Cares operates a warming/cooling shelter on Gould Street. There is no paid staff, and the shelter could do more if workers had more volunteers assisting. There are two current needs:

• Dorm monitors in extreme weather. Currently there are only enough night monitors to open one of the two sleeping areas. More campers could be housed in extreme weather with additional volunteers. Shifts are scheduled on an as-needed basis, and you need not commit to a regular schedule. 
• Donation organizers on an ongoing basis. The center is open to campers on Friday mornings so that they can shower, have breakfast and lunch, and receive items donated by the Cookeville community. Organizers for the clothes closet, food closet, and hygiene closet would get the items shelved and ready to use and keep the Cookeville community informed about current needs. This work could also be done on an as-needed basis.

Follow the shelter on Facebook for the latest status, and comment on the group page if you can offer help.

2026 DOK Winter Community Service Project: Our own Esther Chapter of Daughters of the King invites you to support a winter project. Please bring packages of men’s and women’s socks and/or gently used or new blankets. These will be delivered to Helping Hands for distribution to the unhoused in our community. A receptacle is available in the atrium for your donations.

Helping Hands needs volunteers to cover a 9-12 or 1-4 shift on a weekday at the Helping Hands office working as interviewers. The interviewer checks basic information and screens clients for the type of assistance Helping Hands can offer such as boxes of food or help with utilities or rent. The shift schedule is prepared in advance and is flexible according to your availability. If this sounds like a good opportunity to become further involved in our community, e-mail director@helpinghandspc.com for more information. St. Michael's members Sharon Artley and Ginny Anton are interviewers and are happy to speak with you about this role in helping folks in Putnam County.

Genesis House is in need of suitcases and toiletry / personal hygiene items – shampoo, deodorant, soap, disposable razors, toothpaste, etc. There is a collection tub in the atrium, so donations may be left there. Thank you for helping these women!

Little Library - Thanks to the numerous donations to the St. Michael’s Little Library we have a generous supply of books for young children (birth to beginning readers). We are in need of books for children in third and fourth grades, books for children in middle school to high school, and current books for adult readers. Thank you in advance for donations to help build our supply of books for these readers. 

Helping Hands is in need of dry laundry detergent and shampoo and other toiletries, except toothbrushes. Small sizes of toiletry items are best. The agency also seeks donations of readers (glasses), Bibles, and new or gently used tents (4-person or smaller) for the Cookeville Community Cares shelter. Tents may be left in the atrium and the other items may be left in the Helping Hands bin. Finally, please consider donating house supplies (e.g., for cooking) for unsheltered persons trasitioning into apartments.

The Order of the Daughters of the King has taken a vow to practice a Rule of Prayer and a Rule of Service. The Order's service project this year will be collecting medicine bottles, washed and with labels removed. (No vitamin bottles, please.) A container is provided in the parish hall for this collection. The bottles will be used in a medical mission project with a contact in Mt. Juliet.