Volunteer Opportunities
Do you have extra time on your hands? Are you looking for a positive way to contribute to your community or give back to the City you love? Click this Link to view a comprehensive NYC VOLUNTEER GUIDE, listing many excellent organizations in and around New York City seeking volunteers. Details and contact information is provided for each organization in this handy guide created by Assemblymember Jim Brennan’s office.
MLK Day Volunteer Opportunities – Are you looking for a way to volunteer and give back to the community on Martin Luther King Day in New York City? Click here to view a list of activities that you can volunteer for in all five boroughs.
Volunteer at the World Science Festival – NYC’s World Science Festival (May-June 2020) gathers great minds in science and the arts to produce live and digital content that allows a broad general audience to engage with scientific discoveries. Through interactive explorations, musical performances, intimate salons, and major outdoor experiences; the Festival takes science out of the laboratory and into the streets, parks, museums, and premier performing arts venues of New York City. Volunteers will get a t-shirt, snacks and a pizza party and will have the opportunity to network and experience all the festival has to offer. For more information, click here or email volunteers@worldsciencefestival.com.
Volunteer at Masbia’s Kitchen & Food Pantry – Masbia of Flatbush (1372 Coney Island Avenue) is seeking volunteers to help feed the hungry in the Cafe and hand out staple foods at the Food Pantry. Cafe volunteer hours are available Sunday-Wednesday evenings until 9 PM and on Thursdays from 6 AM until 8:30 PM. Click here to see Volunteer Flyer with more information. To sign up as a volunteer, please call Volunteer Coordinator Laura Allen at 718-972-4446 x. 209.
Volunteer at Prospect Park – Volunteer with the Prospect Park Alliance and become part of the driving force that keeps Prospect Park green and vibrant. The Alliance offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities for individuals, groups and youth. Opportunities include tending park landscapes, assisting at seasonal events and greeting park visitors. For more information and the schedule of volunteer opportunities, click here to view flyer or call 718-287-3400 or email volunteer@prospectpark.org.
Volunteer Opportunities in Midwood & NYC! Rescuing Leftover Cuisine is an organization dedicated to feeding the hungry and reducing food waste. To connect food providers to the hungry of New York City, we need all the help we can get in transporting leftover food. Rescuers help bring food from our partners to a local homeless shelter. It takes less than an hour and you can set your own schedule, whether you want to help out daily, weekly, or sporadically. Our events at Rescuing Leftover Cuisine typically last 30 minutes (some events are longer, some are shorter). On each event, we rescue an average of 50 pounds of food, which feeds about 40 people. It only takes 30 minutes to help feed over 40 people! Currently, we have a high need for Lead volunteers in Midwood! If you are interested in volunteering, please email Amani Beauzile at amani@rescuingleftovercuisine.org. For more information, visit the website at www.rescuingleftovercuisine.org.
Volunteer with Troop 6000, a Girl Scouts of Greater New York troop specially created for girls experiencing homelessness and living in the shelter system. Please take a look at the flyer and watch this quick video to get an idea of our vision. Our goal is to expand Troop 6000 to 15 shelters citywide over the next year. The girls are ready to earn their badges, go on camping trips, and participate in other Girl Scout programs! We need your help to secure volunteer troop leaders who will be their cheerleader, guide, and mentor, helping girls develop essential life skills and confidence that will last a lifetime! The first Troop 6000 volunteer training is on Saturday, September 30th. We need troop leaders to volunteer! Troop leaders will be trained to volunteer at shelters across Brooklyn. We are so excited to lead this ground-breaking program and hope we can count on you to help us bring the community together to support Troop 6000’s expansion throughout the New York City shelter system! To be contacted with more information, interested volunteers can click here and we will be in touch soon. For more information contact Troop 6000 Director Heidi Schmidt at hschmidt@girlscoutsnyc.org or Tel: (212) 645-4000 x307.
Volunteer at It’s My Park! Day at Prospect Park on Saturday, Oct 21, 2017 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM – Join Prospect Park volunteers on It’s My Park! Day to participate in a citywide effort to care for our green spaces with brooms, shovels, rakes, and trash grabbers. Prospect Park volunteers will be working primarily on Lookout Hill doing cleaning, path maintenance and woodland restoration. Meet at the 16th Street Entrance at 10 AM. Please RSVP to Matt Ojala of the Prospect Park Alliance at mojala@prospectpark.org if you plan to attend.
Volunteer at a Community Garden – You can help us grow a better New York. It’s summertime, and our urban farms are in full bloom! They bring fresh food, therapeutic farming, and employment opportunities to over 300 people every year. Volunteers keep our farms thriving and beautiful. And summer is the perfect time to lend a hand (and a shovel). Volunteer on your own or with friends and colleagues! Click here to learn how you can get involved. Excited to get started right away? We are currently looking for volunteers to help build a new garden at our newest supported housing site in Brooklyn at 8 Rockaway Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. To sign up and for more information, contact volunteer@sus.org.
Volunteer Opportunity to work with Seniors – Are you interested in using your time and talents to serve as an advocate for nursing home and adult care facility residents? The New York Office of the State Long Term Care Ombudsman is looking for volunteers to serve as certified Ombudsmen to improve the quality of care and quality of life for New Yorkers who live in long term care facilities. Certified Ombudsman not only visit residents, investigate and resolve complaints, but also use their skills to advocate for the rights of residents in nursing homes and other long term care facilities. Volunteers serve as a voice for residents of nursing homes and adult care facilities. Volunteers must be at least 21 years of age, commit to volunteering 2 Hours per week for at least 1 year; attend and participate in 36 hours of basic training; have good communication and interpersonal skills in order to influence and improve the quality of care and quality of life for New York’s long term care residents. If you are interested in helping to protect New York’s most vulnerable citizens please click here to contact your Regional Ombudsman Coordinator.
The Office of the Public Advocate offers a number of volunteer opportunities. Please note that volunteer opportunities do not require college experience, however, those with work experience in law, social work, public policy, and journalism are especially welcome. Please email cover letter and resume to the Public Advocate’s volunteer coordinator, Joan Laufer at jlaufer@pubadvocate.nyc.gov.
Sing for Hope at the United Cerebral Palsy center! Sing for Hope is an arts access nonprofit organization that works with Volunteer Artists (of a wide variety of artistic disciplines) to provide year-round programming to those who don’t have regular access to the arts, including folks in nursing homes, hospitals, veterans centers, those with memory loss or disabilities, and more. (Here’s a short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erBh0h4wJIk.) Sing for Hope is currently provides arts and music programming at United Cerebral Palsy in CB14 (Elmwood Ave & Lawrence Avenue.) If you sing or know a musician that might like to volunteer locally, please help spread the word! Volunteer opportunities are only an hour long, and there is no minimum time requirement. Individuals or groups of people performing in collaborations or as soloists are all welcome! For more information, contact Sing for Hope at 212.966.5955 or visit their website at www.singforhope.org.
Opportunity for Male Mentors for Teens – October is BROtober! Nationally, women are 1.5 times more likely to volunteer than men. This is a big deal, and iMentor is here to help. This month, iMentor is asking for your help to find more men mentors, together ensuring that male students get the champions they deserve. For more informaiton, visit: bit.ly/2dYvGVB
Reading Partners is a national education nonprofit dedicated to improving students’ reading skills. Volunteers work in Title I elementary schools to support students from low-income communities who are reading 6 months to 2.5 years below grade-level. By utilizing a structured and easy-to-follow curriculum, we empower volunteer community members to help a young struggling reader to succeed. In New York City this year, we are serving twelve elementary schools throughout four of the five boroughs. Sign up to become a Reading Partner and make a difference in a child’s life: email elisabeth.hensler@readingpartners.org or sign up through our website readingpartners.org.
The ACES Project (Advocacy, Counseling, and Entitlement Services) trains and places senior volunteers (age 55 and over) in hospitals and other health and social service community organizations. ACES volunteers inform clients about public benefits and provide practical help and advocacy assistance to their clients. The volunteers receive 36 hours of training in public benefits, as well as in interviewing and advocacy skills. For more information, visit the ACES website or call Rebecca Haase, Program Director, at 212-614-5482. Become an ACES volunteer: Apply today!
Volunteer Opportunities – NYC Service targets volunteers to address New York City’s greatest needs by mobilizing the power of volunteers to impact six areas: Strengthening Communities; Education Excellence; Economic and Workforce Development; Health and Well Being; Environment; and Emergency Preparedness and Response. For information on volunteer opportunities in your area, visit www.nycservice.org/
Volunteer to Assist Local Seniors: Are you a Russian or Spanish speaker who is interested in helping older adults balance a checkbook and pay monthly bills on time? By becoming a Bill Payer volunteer, you can play a vital role in helping a senior continue to live independently at home. The NYC Department for the Aging’s Volunteer Resource Center provides many volunteer opportunities: on.nyc.gov/2aXf7EQ. Once you find something you like, complete a Volunteer Interest Form and reserve a seat at an information session. Contact the Volunteer Resource Center at (212) 602-4464 or volunteer@aging.nyc.gov, if you have questions.
Short-term Volunteer Opportunities – Looking for an opportunity to contribute your services for the good of the community, but don’t have a lot of free time? Volunteer with one of the Dept. for the Aging’s (DFTA) short-term projects. Every hour of your time and service helps. Learn more about Unique Opportunities. Volunteering with DFTA requires the following steps: Complete the DFTA Volunteer Interest Form; Attend a Volunteer Information Session; Complete a Volunteer Application; After your application review, you will be contacted regarding placement. If you would like more information, please contact the DFTA Volunteer Resource Center at volunteer@aging.nyc.gov or 212-602-4464.