Community Supported Friendship Project
What is the Community Supported Friendship Project?
The Community Supported Friendship (CSF) project was created in response to the unique challenge of prolonged physical isolation that all of us have experienced as a result of the ongoing pandemic. Through the sharing of creative gifts & storytelling, the CSF project aims to:
Provide a physical point of connection, based on shared interests, to our Compeer participants in the form of a CSF friendship bag delivered to their door each month.
Promote community-wide creativity and self care practices through this unique volunteer opportunity.
How Does it Work?
The CSF project aims to connect the broader community to isolated individuals through the sharing of creative gift bags that come along with a story of connection.
Each month volunteers deliver a CSF friendship bag to the doorstep of our adult and senior Compeer participants. The friendship bag is tailored to the individual’s interests and personality. Each item in the bag comes along with a story explaining how the item was crafted, its connection to the broader community, or simply why it was important to the individual or group who contributed it.
What Types of Contributions Are Needed?
Creative gifts can be as diverse and unique as the Compeer participants who will receive them! We truly encourage you to allow self-care and creativity to be your guides. Identify the thing you love to do - that activity that brings you joy and presence - and do it!
Individuals - Please complete the linked CSF Contribution From to help us share the story of your gift with the recipient.
Group Sponsors - Sponsors work with their group or organization to provide a featured gift for a particular month’s set of “friendship bags.” We will be serving 10 - 15 recipients throughout the year. If your group is interested in becoming a CSF sponsor for a particular month in 2024, complete the linked Group Sponsor Form. MHA will be in touch to help orient your group.
Please Note: At this time we are seeking shelf-stable items only. We hope to incorporate perishable food items in the future.
Examples of gifts:
If you love to paint, consider painting a small canvas to be shared.
If you love to knit, consider knitting a scarf or dish rag to be shared.
If you love to write, consider writing a poem or sharing a beloved book.
If you love to garden, consider growing storage crops, like potatoes or pumpkins, to share.
How to Make a Contribution:
MHA staff are very happy to arrange pick up at alternative locations throughout the county. Please complete a CSF Contribution Form to initiate the process. The Compeer Coordinator will contact you to arrange pickup.
Other Ways to Help
If you’re looking for other ways to help support the CSF Project, we currently have three different opportunities to do so.
Become a CSF Delivery Driver. If you would like to deliver friendship boxes throughout the county, a full application/screening/training process is required.
Assist with packing. Groups and individuals are always welcome to assist Compeer staff in packing monthly friendship bags. We typically pack bags the last week of the month. The application and training process are not required for this role. To get started, simply complete this interest form.
If You Have Additional Questions or Ideas…
Contact the Compeer Coordinator, Stacey Costner:
980-429-4037 or scostner@clevelandcountymha.org.
