News
Give a Hoot! Comedy Shows Benefitting Stepping Stones, January 27th and January 28th
Give a Hoot! Comedy presents “Comedy for the Community” benefitting Stepping Stones on Friday January 27th or January 28th. The comedy night will feature comedian John Knight, as seen on Drybar Comedy, Showtime, A&E and more! Tickets are $20 in advance, and the show is located inside LaMexicana Restaurant, 16143 Shady Grove Road, Gaithersburg. Purchase tickets at www.giveahootcomedy.com or scan the QR code below. Hope to see you there!

Our Clothes Closet Has Re-opened!
We are delighted to once again be able to accept gently-used clothing. We ask that clothing arrives clean and in good condition as well as follows the guidelines below. Since we have limited storage space, we can only accept fall and winter clothing.
Thank you in advance! Adhering to our guidelines allows us to spend less time sorting through donations and more time doing the important work of moving families forward. Also, please keep in mind, all donations should be in dignity condition (as if you were giving to a family member or friend).
Specifically, we are accepting donations in the following categories:
Clothing for young boys and male teenagers:
New or lightly used tee-shirts, long sleeve tee-shirts, sweatshirts, graphic hoodies, sweatpants, athletic pants, jeans, pajamas and robes.
Clothing for young girls and female teenagers:
New or gently-used leggings, athletic wear, sweatpants, sweatshirts, trendy tops, comfortable tops, jeans, sweaters, pajamas and robes. Accessories including crossbody bags, necklaces, bracelets etc.
Babies and toddlers: New or lightly used onesies, casual clothing, and outerwear.
Young women’s clothing ages 25-40: *Please keep in mind the age range of our mothers at Stepping Stones while making a clothing donation - thanks!*
New or gently-used basic blue, black, and khaki pants for young women to wear to work, leggings, pajamas, robes, tee-shirts, sweatpants, sweatshirts, comfortable tops, sweaters and any other casual wear. We are not accepting professional suits.
Young men's clothing for ages 25-40: *Please keep in mind the age range of our fathers at Stepping Stones while making a clothing donation- thanks!*
New or gently-used khaki or black pants, polo shirts, and casual collared shirts for men to wear work. In addition, long sleeve tee-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, athletic pants, jeans, pajamas and robes.
Shoes:
New or gently-used comfortable men's and women’s work shoes including black soled shoes, flats, restaurant shoes, and low-heeled basic boots; sneakers for all genders and ages; winter boots for all genders and ages; and slippers, flip flops and cozy house shoes for all genders and ages.
Underwear: new underwear for girls, boys, teenagers, women and men (all sizes)
Socks: new socks for girls, boys, teenagers, women and men (all sizes)
You Can Still Help!
Make a Financial Contribution. Click here to provide a meaningful donation of any amount.
Donate Urgent Need Items. Click here for our most recent list of urgent needs. Or, if you’d prefer, check out our latest “Urgent Needs Wish List” on Amazon.com for fast and easy ordering delivered straight to the shelter.
All donations can be dropped off at the shelter preferably weekdays between 9:00 – 5:00. Upon arrival call the shelter (301) 251-0567 or ring the bell and a staff will accept your donation in a non-contact, socially distant manner. Please ask for a tax receipt if you’d like one.
Youth Volunteers & SSL Hours
3 SSL hours can be earned by a youth volunteer for providing a meal (lunch or dinner). You must sign up to provide a meal and fulfill the request as described in the sign up below. You will need to provide a completed SSL/Community Service form to Helen Domenici at Helen@steppingstonesshelter.org. It can take up to 5 days for the form to be signed and returned. Sign up below to make dinner or lunch.
Dinner: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044fa5ae29a4fa7-dinner
All other off-site activities that a youth volunteer seeks to gain SSL hours must be pre-approved in advance by Helen Domenici, Director of Community Engagement at Helen@steppingstonesshelter.org. Examples of off-site activities that require pre-approval include donation drives, baking, and knitting, etc.
Students age 15 years or older can also earn SSL hours by providing in-shelter tutoring, child care, or playtime with the kids.
Paint & Sip
Our Paint & Sip was a great success! Many thanks to our wonderful local art teacher Lorin Burden, and the participants who got creative for a good cause! Plus, a major shout out to The Bottle Shop in Potomac for supplying the wine.

Stepping Up With Laughter Was a Great Success!
Thank you to those who joined us for some laughter and fun and to our generous sponsors who made the event possible. Check out this video to see all the things that attendees and sponsors are making possible at Stepping Stones:
We had the honor of working with our past families to create this educational video on homelessness in Montgomery County sponsored by Montgomery County Media.