Annual Coat Drive
New York Cares
Date/Time: Ongoing
Location: Donate online, or if you would like to donate coats, click here for our drop-off map to find partners near you accepting donations, the kinds of coats they need, and their contact information.
Ages: Everyone is welcome to participate
Time Commitment: Varies
Now more than ever, New Yorkers are counting on acts of warmth from their neighbors to make it through the holiday season. Not since the Great Depression have so many people experienced hunger, unemployment, and illness. Basic needs like food and warm clothing compete with one another as families and individuals face cruel choices.
At New York Cares, we believe:
• No one should have to skip a meal to buy a winter coat.
• No parent should be forced to choose between buying school supplies and staying warm.
• No essential worker should commute without a warm coat on their back.
Because of your generosity, we are partnering with community organizations in Central Queens, East Brooklyn, and the South Bronx. We’ll deliver new, high-quality coats to residents of areas most impacted by COVID-19 and the resulting economic instability. For answers to frequently asked questions and to access our virtual coat collector toolkit, visit our resources page.
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Serve a Hot Meal to the Homeless
Manhattan Church of Christ
Date/Time: Saturday, January 8, 15, 22 and 29, 9am – noon. There will be a special meal service on Monday, January 17, 9 am - noon, for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
Location: Manhattan Church of Christ, 48 East 80th Street
Ages: Families with children of all ages are welcome to participate
Time Commitment: Varies
The Saturday Lunch Program provides hot meals to the homeless with dignity and compassion. All shifts are family-friendly and involve a set-up team to set tables and decorate, a service team to run trays of food back and forth to the guests, and a breakdown & clean up team. Volunteers help prepare meals, place meals in to-go containers, place to-go containers in bags, and distribute meals to guests, as well as distribute coffee, tea & bottled water, while observing safety protocols. Volunteers must wear masks and gloves, and adhere to social distancing policies. Due to demand we are limiting the number of volunteers to 12.
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Martin Luther King Day of Service (Brooklyn)
Seeds in the Middle
Date/Time: Monday, January 17, 9am – 4pm.
Location: PS-IS 178, 2163 Dean Street. Other locations may be added, including Charity Baptist Church, 142 Watkins
Ages: Families with children of all ages are welcome to participate
Time Commitment: Two hour minimum
Seeds in the Middle empowers students, schools, and their communities to create healthier places to live and learn. We'll be operating a farm stand and cafe for food-insecure neighborhoods, plus delivery, possibly painting banners, distributing flyers and postcards to publicize our markets, reading buddies, plus potentially building a hoop house or garden beds.
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Neighborhood Meet Up/Clean Up
ONE BLOCK (UWS)
Date/Time: Various - you can clean your block at any time or join our group events which are usually held on Saturday or Sunday morning.
Location: Upper West Side
Ages: Everyone can help. Kids under 14 should be accompanied by an adult.
Time Commitment: One to three hours; do what you can!
ONE BLOCK is a nonprofit with over 1,800 local members who help in a variety of ways. You can bag trash on your street a couple of days a week, join our Saturday or Sunday morning group events, clean graffiti or put together your own group, and we can help facilitate a cleanup for you. We also desperately need help fundraising or donations to support our three employees (who were formally homeless) who are paid to do the tough job of keeping Amsterdam, Broadway and Columbus Ave clean. We also have a few special projects for teens who need community service hours.
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MLK Weekend of Service: Package Hygiene Kits at JCC Harlem
Repair the World
Date/Time: Sunday, January 16:
- 9:30 - 11am
- 11:15am - 12:45pm
- 1:45 - 3:15pm
- 3:30 - 5pm
Location: JCC Harlem
Ages: Families with children of all ages are welcome to participate
Time Commitment: One and one-half hours
Join Repair the World to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s enduring legacy and lifelong commitment to equity. Serve in solidarity with your community and help provide for those with immediate needs. Bring your kids to package hygiene kits to be donated to the Community Kitchen & Pantry of West Harlem.
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MLK Weekend of Service: Package Art Kits on the Upper West Side
Repair the World
Date/Time: Sunday, January 16:
- 9:30 - 11am
- 11:15am - 12:45pm
Location: Marlene Meyerson JCC, 334 Amsterdam Ave
Ages: Families with children of all ages are welcome to participate
Time Commitment: One and one-half hours
Join Repair the World to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s enduring legacy and lifelong commitment to equity. Serve in solidarity with your community and help provide for those with immediate needs. Bring your kids to package art kits to be donated to East Harlem Tutorial Program.
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MLK Weekend of Service: Package Hygiene Kits in Brooklyn Heights (Brooklyn)
Repair the World
Date/Time: Sunday, January 16 and Sunday, January 17:
- 9:30 - 11am
- 11:15am - 12:45pm
- 1:45 - 3:15pm
Location: St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, 157 Montague St, Brooklyn
Ages: Families with children of all ages are welcome to participate
Time Commitment: One and one-half hours
Join Repair the World to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s enduring legacy and lifelong commitment to equity. Serve in solidarity with your community and help provide for those with immediate needs. Bring your kids to package hygiene kits for Brooklyn Community Services. BCS provides vital access to essentials & comprehensive support for neighbors in need across Brooklyn.
Contact: [email protected]. Registration is available online. If the registration links are not working, it means that the project has reached capacity.
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MLK Weekend of Service: Package Baby Care Essentials in Central Brooklyn (Brooklyn)
Repair the World
Date/Time: Monday, January 17, 1:45 - 3:15pm
Location: Old First Reformed Church, 729 Carroll St., Brooklyn
Ages: Families with children of all ages are welcome to participate
Time Commitment: One and one-half hours
Join Repair the World to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s enduring legacy and lifelong commitment to equity. Serve in solidarity with your community and help provide for those with immediate needs. Bring your kids to package diapers & baby essentials for St. John’s Bread & Life.
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Volunteer to Color
Color A Smile
Date/Time: Ongoing
Location: Mail your drawings to:
Color A Smile
PO Box 1516
Morristown, NJ
07962-1516
Ages: Everyone is welcome to participate
Time Commitment: Varies
Color A Smile is a nonprofit organization that distributes cheerful drawings to senior citizens, our troops overseas, and anyone in need of a smile. Every month Color A Smile mails out thousands of cheerful drawings. Over the last 25 years, Color A Smile has given out over 1 million drawings. Their goal is to put smiles on people's faces and remind them that someone is thinking of them. Pick up your crayons and help to spread smiles! Click here for coloring templates and instructions.
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Help Feed Our Neighbors! (Brooklyn)
Camp Friendship
Date/Time: Ongoing
Location: Park Slope area. Our Camp Friendship clubhouse is at 339 8th Street (corner of 6th Avenue)
Ages: Families with children of all ages are welcome to help
Time Commitment: Varies
Located in Park Slope, Camp Friendship always need volunteers to help package, deliver, and distribute meals as well as to staff community donation tables outside on weekends. Right now, due to safety precautions, we are strictly limiting the number of volunteers inside. Click here to learn more about our Food Pantry program.
Contact: Sign up to volunteer and in the next several weeks, you will be contacted with update with up-do-date opportunities.
http://www.campfriendshipbrooklyn.org
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Kids Serve this MLK! Package Baby Care Kits at the Brooklyn Children's Museum (Brooklyn)
Repair the World
Date/Time: Monday, January 17. The museum will be hosting a variety of activities. The Repair the World projects are from 10:30 – 11am or 2:30 – 3pm
Location: Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn
Ages: Families with Pre K- elementary school age children are welcome to attend.
Time Commitment: Join Repair the World for a 30-minute project as part of a day of activities organized by the Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Join Repair the World to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s enduring legacy and lifelong commitment to equity. Serve in solidarity with your community and help provide for those with immediate needs. Bring your kids to pack baby care kits for Little Essentials for 30 minutes while participating in many other meaningful projects at the museum all day long!
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MLK Weekend Virtual Service & Sing-Along for Families
Repair the World
Date/Time: Monday, January 16, 10 – 11am
Location: Zoom
Ages: For families with children age seven or younger, though children of all ages are welcome.
Time Commitment: One hour
Join Repair the World for a virtual learning story time, and social justice sing-along to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.
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Create Valentines for our Veterans
Soldiers' Angels
Date/Time: Cards should be delivered by February 14
Location: Mail your cards and $1 per card to:
Soldiers' Angels Valentines for Veterans
2895 NE Loop 410, Suite 107
San Antonio, TX 78218
Ages: Everyone is welcome to participate
Time Commitment: Varies
Holidays like Valentine's Day are fun to celebrate when you can share the day with your friends or loved ones. Unfortunately, our military heroes often find themselves alone or feeling homesick during holidays. The mission of Soldiers' Angels is to make sure no one who serves this country feels unloved - and that's especially true on Valentine's Day! You and your family can help by making or purchasing Valentines cards for our military and veteran heroes. Why do we ask for the $1 per card? The $1 helps cover the cost to distribute the thousands of cards we receive. Have questions? Check out our FAQ's here.
- Feel free to purchase or make your Valentines.
- Our heroes love hearing from children. Making Valentines is a good activity to do with the kids one afternoon.
- Be sure to write a note of encouragement or thanks on your cards.
- Individually wrapped candy can be included if it is attached to the card.
- You can include the envelope if you want, but it is not necessary. If you include an envelope, do not seal it.
- Don't be afraid to sign your name! You are welcome to include your return address in the event the recipient may write back to you. However, it is also okay if you do not include any personal information.
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Volunteer to Support Older Adults (Brooklyn)
Heights and Hills
Date/Time: Ongoing
Location: Throughout Brooklyn
Ages: Families with children age 10 and older. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Time Commitment: Varies
Heights and Hills invites children accompanied by an adult to shop for and deliver groceries to older adults across 19 neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Shopping trips can take up to several hours by car or public transportation. This is a wonderful opportunity to help meet the needs of Brooklyn's older adults and keep them connected with the wider community. Adult volunteers must complete a volunteer application, criminal background check, attend a one-hour volunteer training session, submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination, and sign a consent form allowing their children to participate. Children age 10 and up must also show proof of vaccination.
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Mulchfest 2022
Prospect Park Alliance
Date/Time: Saturday, January 8 and Sunday, January 9, 10am – 2pm
Location: Prospect Park's 3rd Street + Park Circle
Ages: For teens age 14 and older
Time Commitment: There are a variety of time slots
Prospect Park Alliance offers volunteer opportunities to help during our annual Mulchfest event. Volunteers are needed to help as tree counters, tree collectors, greeters, and with mulch distribution and wreath deconstruction. Learn more here.
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MLK Weekend of Service: Teens Paint a Library at a Community Center in Harlem
Repair the World
Date/Time: Sunday, January 16, 1:30 – 3pm
Location: Emmaus House, 160 W 120th St., Harlem
Ages: For teens age 14 and older
Time Commitment: One and one-half hours
Join Repair the World to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s enduring legacy and lifelong commitment to equity. Serve in solidarity with your community and help provide for those with immediate needs. Join other teens to paint and beautify a room in Emmaus House, a Harlem-based community center for recently incarcerated neighbors, to turn it into a community library!
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Repair the World Summer Teen Service Corps
Repair the World
Date/Time(s):
Session 1: July 5 - July 21, Mondays – Thursdays, 10am – 3pm
Session 2: July 26 - August 11, Mondays – Thursdays, 10am – 3pm
Location: Brooklyn and Manhattan. There will be activities throughout the city but most will be centered in Crown Heights and Harlem.
Ages: Rising 9th - 12th graders
Time Commitment: Sessions are three weeks long. The program runs five hours per day, four days a week.
Do you know any rising 9th-12th graders in Brooklyn or Manhattan who would love to spend their summer volunteering with an amazing teen community of changemakers? In Repair the World NYC’s Summer Teen Service Corps, teens will volunteer hands-on, learn about social justice through a Jewish and interfaith lens, and travel throughout NYC to make a difference! Click here to learn more. Teens do not need to identify as Jewish to participate but should be open to learning about the relationship between faith and justice.
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Monday, January 17th is Martin Luther King Day of Service
“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve.”
Monday, January 17th is a school and bank holiday to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Instead of just making it a day OFF, make it a day ON and consider participating in a service project with your family. Many organizations provide tips, resources and hands-on opportunities to begin a conversation about social justice around the holiday.
Visit the following sites for more ideas:
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Assemble Care Kits for the Homeless |
EXPLORE our growing list of at-home projects you can do whenever you're ready, each with conversation starters, book ideas, and more! Follow along on social media as other families tackle this month's project and share their stories! Simply join our Facebook group or find us on Instagram ( @doinggoodtogether and #sharekindness). |
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Thank you for helping others through family service in 2021!
Whether you look forward to DGT's volunteer listings in your inbox every month, turn to DGT's website for at-home service projects, or rely on parenting advice found in our blog and newsletter, we know you depend on Doing Good Together for reliable resources in raising kind, caring children. Doing Good Together depends on you, too.
Kindly make a year-end donation to DGT today in support of these free resources. Your gift, in any amount, will make a difference to DGT. Thank you!
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Mailing Address:
755 Medina Rd
Wayzata, MN 55391
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This list was compiled by Doing Good Together™ (www.doinggoodtogether.org)
When calling to volunteer for any of the opportunities listed above, please let the coordinator know you found it through this listing. You are encouraged to ask any questions you may have of the sponsoring organization before committing to a project.
Disclaimer: This list is provided as a service to families. Inclusion of organizations in this listing does not imply affiliation, endorsement or quality assurance on the part of Doing Good Together.™ Doing Good Together™ bears no responsibility whatsoever for the activities and actions of the listed organizations.
© 2021 Doing Good Together™
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