Pack the Produce: Bag groceries for New Yorkers in Need

Muslim Volunteers of New York

Date/Time: Saturday, May 3, from 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

Location: New York Common Pantry, 8 East 109th Street.

Ages: Families with children ten years old and older are welcome and all children must be accompanied by an adult.

Time Commitment: Up to four hours.

Come to pack bags of fresh produce and shelf-stable food for distribution to food-insecure New Yorkers at the New York Common Pantry (NYCP). This project is open to children 10 years and above. Community service letters are available upon request.

Contact: muslimvolunteers4ny@gmail.com. Register online here by May 1.

https://mv4ny.org/

Family Volunteering at Brooklyn Book Bodega

Brooklyn Book Bodega

Date/Time: Sunday, May 11, 10 a.m–noon.

Location: Brooklyn Book Bodega,141 Flushing Avenue, Suite 407, Brooklyn.

Ages: Families with children ten years old and older are welcome to volunteer. We cannot accommodate anyone younger than ten years old in this space.

Time Commitment: Two-hour shift.

The mission of Brooklyn Book Bodega is to increase the number of 100+ book homes for kids 0–18 years old in NYC. During the volunteer shift, family members will work together to stamp and sort books that have been donated to Brooklyn Book Bodega for distribution in the community.

Contact: Cecilia, cecilia@brooklynbookbodega.org. Registration is available online.

https://www.brooklynbookbodega.org/

Family Volunteer Day

Central Park Conservancy

Date/Time: Saturday, May 17, 10 a.m.

Location: Details will be emailed to registrants one week before the event.

Ages: Families with children four years old and older are welcome. Children must be accompanied by parent or guardian

Time Commitment: 90 minutes.

Central Park Conservancy volunteer days are a great way for families with youth to spend quality time together outdoors. Help us care for the Park with tasks that vary by season. Tasks generally include raking, weeding, or mulching.

Space is limited and advance registration is required. Sign-ups open approximately four weeks in advance. Details on your meeting location are shared via email approximately one week before the project. Participants in our Family Volunteer Days must:

• Show a valid form of government ID upon arrival.
• Complete waivers for both adults and children participating in the projects.

Contact: https://www.centralparknyc.org/volunteer/family-volunteer-days

https://www.centralparknyc.org/

MV4NY Environmental Stewardship and Park Beautification Day

Muslim Volunteers of New York

Date/Time: Saturday, May 17 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. The rain date is Sunday, May 18.

Location: Ruppert Park, (91st Street and 2nd Avenue).

Ages: Everyone is welcome.

Time Commitment: This is a drop in opportunity– stay as long as you’d like

Please join us with your family and friends to plant, paint, clean and beautify Ruppert Park. This is a free, family-friendly event with Park Rangers, eco-friendly arts & crafts, complimentary refreshments and giveaways and live or recorded music. Community service letters are available upon request.

Muslim Volunteers for New York, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. MV4NY is community-based organization engaged in charitable and volunteer-based initiatives in support of the Greater New York area. Its areas of focus are education; alleviation of hunger and poverty; environmental stewardship and health, wellness and community. Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MV4NY 

Contact: muslimvolunteers4ny@gmail.com, 646.267.9410 or 347.224.6232. Register online at this link by May 10.

https://mv4ny.org/

Serve a Hot Meal to the Homeless

Manhattan Church of Christ

Date/Time: Saturdays, May 10, 17, 24, and 31, from 9 a.m. until noon.

Location: Manhattan Church of Christ, 48 East 80th Street.

Ages: Everyone can participate. 

Time Commitment: Varies.

The Saturday Lunch Program provides hot meals to people experiencing homelessness with dignity and compassion. All shifts are family-friendly. Volunteers help set up, prepare, and serve meals, then break down and clean up. The Manhattan Church of Christ is also collecting clothing for migrant families. Contact Rev. Carl for more information.

Contact: Reverend Carl Garrison at carl@manhattanchurch.org.

https://www.manhattanchurch.org/coh

Group Warehouse Repacks

Food Bank for New York City

Date/Time: Tuesday–Friday, 9:30 a.m.–noon or 1:30–4 p.m. Groups can volunteer by appointment only.

Location: 355 Food Center Dr, Bronx.

Ages: Volunteers must be 11 years old or older.

Time Commitment: Two and a half hours.

Food Bank’s Warehouse and Food Distribution Center in the Bronx distributes food to member charity agencies throughout the five boroughs, supplying over 70 million meals per year to New Yorkers in need! Volunteers at our warehouse help our staff with our highest-impact initiative by sorting and repacking bulk-shipped food and goods for redistribution around the city. Repack shifts are primarily available for groups of 10-25 volunteers.

Contact: Reach out to volunteer@foodbanknyc.org to schedule your group.

foodbanknyc.org

Birthday, Holiday & Caring Cardmaking

DOROT

Date/Time: Ongoing project.

Location: Mail your cards and a Cardmaking Project Information Form to:

DOROT

171 West 85th Street

New York, NY 10024

Attn: Card Making Project

Ages: Everyone can participate.

Time Commitment: Varies.

DOROT is a nonprofit organization addressing the challenges of an aging population. We serve our clients with a diverse range of programs and services. We deliver those programs and services through intergenerational connections with volunteers of all ages. DOROT’s greeting card project helps bring joy and celebration to some of our frailest and most isolated seniors. DOROT always needs birthday cards, which we send to over 3,000 older adults each year. Sometimes, a card from a DOROT volunteer is the only communication an older adult receives to acknowledge their special day. We also welcome cards for Thanksgiving, Rosh Hashanah, and Passover holidays as well as Caring Cards, which we can use on a variety of occasions. Every card is designed and created by volunteers. Making a card is an easy, fun, and important way to contribute to the work that we do to decrease social isolation. Whether you’re looking for something to do on a rainy day or planning an activity for your synagogue youth group, all you need is a bit of paper, a few pens, and a little imagination. Be sure to use colored paper for the outside but white for the inside to make it easier to read. The card you create should be able to fit into a 6x9 standard envelope. This is the type DOROT uses to mail out the cards to our seniors. Write in large block (print) letters. As people get older, many have a hard time reading small print. Click here for cardmaking tips and directions.

Contact: info@dorotusa.org, 212.769.2850.

https://www.dorotusa.org/

Help Us Feed Our Neighbors

Broadway Community, Inc.

Date/Time: We have three distinct volunteer projects available:

• Community Meal Program: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Meal Preparation: Thursdays from noon to 5 p.m.
• Food Pantry: Thursdays from noon to 5 p.m.

Location: 601 West 114th Street, New York.

Ages: Children 10–14 years old may participate with adult supervision. All minors must have a signed parental release form.

Time Commitment: Approximately four to five hours, depending on the program.

For nearly 40 years, Broadway Community has been compassionately preparing warm, nutritious, and delightful multi-course meals for those in need. Broadway Community heavily relies on volunteers. Volunteers, in conjunction with our staff, carry out the majority of the needed tasks. Volunteering offers an opportunity to engage with the community and aid our organization in fulfilling its mission of serving the most vulnerable members of the community.

Community Meal Program (soup kitchen) volunteers:

Due to the dynamic nature of our Community Breakfast and Lunch Program, which serves hundreds of individuals each week, volunteer duties may vary day by day. We serve breakfast and lunch on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, providing a ready-to-go bag option for guests to dine in our cafeteria or take the meal to go. We offer a warm and welcoming atmosphere, complete with lively music, TV, and a friendly environment for everyone joining us. Volunteer responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Assisting in preparing, packing, and distributing breakfast and lunch to soup kitchen guests.
• Cleaning work areas.
• Performing other assigned duties.

Meal Preparation volunteers play a central role in creating hundreds of healthy, tasty, and balanced meals each week. Tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Assisting in washing, chopping, and preparing produce and other food for cooking.
• Collaborating with our Chef and other volunteers to prepare meals for our lunch menu.
• Cleaning dishes and other work areas.
• Performing other assigned duties.

Food Pantry:

Our food pantry is generously stocked with a wide variety of dry and liquid non-perishable food items, thanks to generous donations from local community organizations, businesses, and individuals. There are three types of volunteer opportunities in the food pantry.

1. Stock pantry: Help with stocking and organizing the food pantry to ensure easy access for staff and guests and assist in packing pantry packages for guests. 
2. Produce pantry (Tuesdays only): assist in handing out pantry packages to guests who visit Broadway Community.
3. Supermarket Pantry (Thursdays only): Aid guests during our Supermarket Pantry hours and assist in reorganizing the pantry between appointments.

All volunteers should possess empathy, patience, and compassion, the ability to remain calm in a fast-paced environment, and should be team players. Some volunteers, but not all, need to be capable of lifting 20 pounds. Food Pantry volunteers should be able to lift 30 pounds.

Contact: Please contact Executive Director Isaac Adlerstein at isaac@broadwaycommunity.org. You may also click here to sign up and register for all available volunteer opportunities.

https://www.broadwaycommunity.org/

You’ve Got the Power to Fight Hunger

AmpleHarvest.org

Date/Time: Ongoing.

Location: Your own garden or find a community garden near you.

Ages: All ages can participate.

Time Commitment: Varies.

Got a Garden? You’ve Got the Power to Fight Hunger. With food banks facing supply disruptions and economic uncertainty looming, families across America are bracing for harder times. One in six children already lives in a food-insecure home—and that number could rise. But if you’ve got a garden, you’ve got a solution growing right in your backyard.

Every season, billions of pounds of fresh fruits and veggies go to waste in home and community gardens. Meanwhile, food pantries—especially in underserved communities—struggle to offer fresh, nutritious food. That’s where you come in.

By planting a little more than you need—or donating the surplus from your already bountiful harvest—you can help bridge the gap between abundance and need. Even a few tomatoes, a zucchini explosion, or a basket of greens can make a big difference in someone’s life.

This isn’t just about feeding people. It’s about fighting obesity, malnutrition, and hunger at the same time. It’s about building a stronger, healthier community—one garden at a time.

Take action today: AmpleHarvest.org helps connect gardeners with one of over 8,300 local food pantries across 5,600 communities in all 50 states—yes, even in Native American reservations—so your harvest gets to those who need it most. It’s easy. It’s local. And it works.

• Ready to grow good? Check out the Bonnie Plants “Grow More Feed More” initiative—Bonnie Plants will donate 5% of online sales to AmpleHarvest.org. 
• Need supplies? Home Depot’s “Donate Your Harvest” initiative supports AmpleHarvest.org and encourages all of its gardening customers to nourish their community.

Contact: Find your local pantry or learn more: www.AmpleHarvest.org.  

www.AmpleHarvest.org

Meal Delivery, Meal Packing, and Handmade Card Project

Citymeals on Wheels

Date/Time: Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.

Location: Manhattan.

Ages: Everyone can volunteer; youth younger than 17 years old must be accompanied by an adult. 

Time Commitment: Up to three hours.

Citymeals on Wheels provides a continuous lifeline of nourishing meals and vital companionship for homebound older adult New Yorkers. Our volunteer program provides connection and companionship to homebound older adults. 

Meal Delivery: Volunteers deliver nutritious meals to homebound older adults. The meal delivery is done on foot, within walking distance of the meal center.

Meal Packing: This volunteer activity is done on-site. Volunteers package muffins, fruit, bread, and milk/juice into Ziploc bags.

Handmade Card Project: Volunteers craft beautiful all-occasion one-of-a-kind cards for homebound aged New Yorkers. Click here for project details: www.citymeals.org/get-involved/greeting-cards.

Contact: www.citymeals.org/get-involved/volunteer-with-us.

https://www.citymeals.org

Drive the Difference: Saturday Volunteering for the Whole Family! 

Grassroots Grocery 

Date/Time: Every Saturday! We need both volunteer packers to unload, pack, and sort groceries and volunteer drivers to pick up and drop off food at community sites in their own vehicles. You can choose to be one or both! Packing and sorting runs from 9–10:30 a.m., and then drivers with cars go on to deliver produce to a community in need.

Location: The meeting point is at 1750 East Gun Hill Road, Bronx, NY in the Urban Edge shopping center parking lot. Families doing a delivery will receive a pre-assigned address in Harlem or the Bronx before the start of the event.

Ages: Everyone is welcome to volunteer.

Time Commitment: Depends on the activity you choose.

Join fellow neighbors on a Saturday to sort, pack, and deliver fresh produce to New Yorkers in need! Grass Roots Grocery rescues excess, unsold produce from the biggest produce market in the United States, and their growing volunteer task force delivers this bounty to over 25 communities in need, ensuring that fresh and healthy produce makes its way to neighbors in need that other food assistance programs don't reach. Great for families and folks of all ages, you can be the fuel that powers this neighbors-helping-neighbors hunger-fighting mission! Join fellow neighbors on a Saturday to sort, pack, and deliver fresh produce to New Yorkers in need!

Contact: dan@grassrootsgrocery.org. Registration is available online.

https://www.grassrootsgrocery.org