Chaplains on the Way (COTW)

Founded in 2008, Chaplains On The Way is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that offers spiritual support to people experiencing homelessness in Waltham, MA. We believe that no person living in homelessness should feel they have to walk alone. We live out our mission by building trusting relations with people in Waltham, MA who are experiencing homelessness and potentially struggling with mental health and/or substance use issues. We offer compassion and companionship through life’s struggles and triumphs, welcoming all into relationship and loving community.

Beginning in 2020, Chaplains on the Way partnered with First Parish in Waltham to provide home-cooked meals, a warm space to rest for a few hours, and clean bathrooms for people experiencing homelessness. This program arose to meet a critical need for unhoused people to have a warm place to go a during a time of great uncertainty. Chaplains On The Way continues with this commitment, serving over 10,000 hot meals each year with an average of providing for 50 unhoused people per day. The Breakfast Program provides shelter from the cold, a place to rest, home cooked meals (for some, their only meal of the day). The Breakfast Program also allows us to offer more chaplaincy services and more support to people seeking access to key resources.