A person resting on a city bench

Everyone notices a
lost cat sign.

What if we used that attention to help lost people?

When you scan, you can donate to provide gift cards for neighbors experiencing desperation — turning empathy into action.

Chalk drawing of a house on a wall behind a person resting on a mattress

Our 2026 goal

$0

raised for our neighbors

The Process

How it works.

Three simple steps from art to impact.

01

Scan & Donate

Scan the QR code. Donate securely in under 60 seconds with Apple Pay, Google Pay, or credit card.

02

We Buy Gift Cards

Your donation helps us purchase and distribute $25 gift cards for groceries, gas, and essentials.

03

Direct Distribution

Gift cards are distributed with dignity to neighbors experiencing homelessness. People choose what they need, when they need it.

Why gift cards

A dignified approach to real help.

Dignity

People choose what they need — groceries, gas, hygiene products. Not what we think they need.

Safety

No cash handling. Secure digital donations. Traceable, transparent impact.

Practical

Kroger, Meijer, Speedway, CVS — stores people already use. Real needs, real solutions.

Direct

No middlemen. No overhead in our pilot phase. Your $25 becomes a $25 gift card. Simple.

The art

Local artists creating signs that start conversations.

Each Lost Cats sign is a unique piece of art created by local artists. The "lost cat (or dog)" aesthetic is universal — everyone stops, everyone looks. But these signs point to a different kind of lost: our neighbors experiencing desperation or homelessness.

Art has the power to make us pause, to make us feel, to make us act. That's what Lost Cats Collective is about — using creativity to channel empathy into tangible help.