Doing Good Together – New York City is excited to announce the addition of a new section of our monthly listing, specifically dedicated to families living in Brooklyn! See below for several hand-picked family-friendly volunteer opportunities taking place in Brooklyn in November. Welcome to our new volunteer, Kathy Park Price, who will curate Brooklyn opportunities for Doing Good Together.
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Fall Civic Sweep: Clean Up, Tree Care, Document Shredding, and E-Recycling Event!
Park Slope Civic Council
Date/Time: Saturday, November 6 from 10am - 2pm
Location: 227 7th Ave, Brooklyn, in front of the John Jay Educational Campus (7th Avenue between 4th and 5th Streets).
Ages: Everyone can participate
Time Commitment: Varies
Volunteers are needed to pick up litter, care for street trees, and give away daffodil bulbs. For the first time, the Council will be sponsoring free document shredding during the event. Bring your personal documents to the Sweep for safe and secure destruction by Time Shred, a locally owned document destruction company. Your documents will be destroyed on-site on a mobile shredding truck, equipped with an internal camera that allows you to watch your papers being destroyed. The Lower East Side Ecology Center will also be on hand to collect unwanted electronics such as computers, monitors, network devices, peripherals, printers, TVs, cell phones, and A-V equipment. Volunteers will receive a sticker saying, "I Made Park Slope Cleaner Today”, and Community Service Vouchers will be available for those who need them. The Park Slope Civic Council will serve refreshments and provide all tools and supplies.
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Supply Drive to Support Recently Arrived Refugees
Repair the World Brooklyn
Date/Time(s): Through Wednesday, November 17. See specific delivery dates below:
- Monday, November 1, 8 or 15; 10:30am – 4pm
- Wednesday, November 3 or 17, 10:30am – 1pm
Location: Repair the World, 808 Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn
Ages: Everyone can help
Time Commitment: Varies
Join Repair the World in a drive to support Ruth’s Refuge, a local nonprofit that provides home furnishings and essentials to refugees, asylees, and asylum seekers in NYC. We will collect new bathroom and cleaning supplies to help newly arrived families and individuals move into their new homes with comfort and dignity. Sign up to receive the wish list.
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Park Slope Winter Coat Drive
Roots Cafe, The Old Stone House, Park Slope Parents, Park Slope Civic Council, and Trinity Grace Church
Date/Time: Now through November 19. Check below for drop-off times at each location.
Location(s): Drop items off at any of these Park Slope locations:
- Slope Vintage, 71 5th Avenue between St Mark’s and Prospect Place – 11am to 7pm, everyday
- Live Brooklyn, 140 5th Avenue between Douglas and Degraw – 10am to 6pm, everyday
- The Old Stone House, 330 5th Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets – Noon to 4pm, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday only.
- Compass – 514 2nd St between 7th and 8th Avenues – 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday
- Trinity Grace Church (in MS51), 350 5th Ave between 4th and 5th Streets – 10am to 1pm, Sunday only
- Camp Friendship, 339 8th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues – 9am to 1:30pm, Saturday only
- Roots Cafe, 639 5th Avenue between 18th and 19th Streets – 8am to 4pm, everyday
Ages: Everyone can participate
Time Commitment: Varies
Your family can help with the Park Slope Winter Coat Drive this year. You can help by donating coats, sorting coats, or helping to deliver coats. We want to honor coat recipients by only giving clean, super high-quality items. New or gently used coats for women and children are needed as well as new hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves.
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Street Tree Care Volunteer Event
Red Hook Conservancy
Date/Time: Saturday, November 20, 10am to 1pm
Location: Rear of Red Hook Recreation, (Lorraine Street b/n Clinton and Henry Streets)
Ages: Families with children of all ages are welcome to participate. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Time Commitment: At least one hour
Come spend the morning with us caring for street trees in Red Hook. Help weed, loosen compacted soil, and spread mulch around tree beds in Red Hook! You'll learn how to be a New York City tree steward along the way.
Contact: hello@redhookconservancy.org. Note: cancellations can occur because of inclement weather and volunteers will be notified if that occurs.
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Family Farming at East New York Farms
Repair the World Brooklyn
Date/Time: Saturday, November 20, 10am - noon
Location: East New York Farms
Ages: Families with children ages five and older
Time Commitment: Two hours
Bring your kids to join Repair the World at East New York Farms to learn about food security and help get the farm ready for the winter season!
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Food Pantry Coordination
Recovery House of Worship
Date/Time: Saturday, November 13, 20, and 27 from 8 to 10am
Location: 360 Schermerhorn St., Recovery House is easily accessible by 2,3,4,5 Subways to Nevins St., and B,Q,D,N,R to Atlantic Ave/Barclays Center.
Ages: Families with ages six and older are welcome to participate. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Time Commitment: Two hours
Volunteers are needed to help sort, organize and assemble donated food items, including canned goods, frozen meat, and produce. Volunteers will also assist Brooklyn neighbors with their “shopping” as they pick and pack desired groceries.
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Sort Infant and Toddler Donations for Families In Need
Little Essentials
Date/Time: Saturday, November 6, 10am - noon
Location: Brooklyn Navy Yard (full directions provided upon sign up)
Ages: Families with children ages 10 and older are welcome to participate
Time Commitment: Two hours
Little Essentials offers at-risk families living in poverty urgently needed children’s supplies and parenting education to promote the health, well-being and safety of their children under five years of age. Volunteers are needed to help us sort donations, bundle clothing, organize diapers, clean toys, and more!
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Donate Halloween Candy for Care Packages for our Troops
Operation Gratitude
Date/Time: At your convenience, after Halloween
Location: Candy donations should be shipped no later than November 13 to:
OG Candy Processing Center
ATTN: Halloween Candy
8967 Oso Ave - Building D
Chatsworth, CA 91311
Ages: Everyone can participate
Time Commitment: Varies
Operation Gratitude's mission is to lift the spirits and meet the evolving needs of our First Responder, U.S. Military Active Duty, Veteran, and Wounded Hero communities. We also seek to provide volunteer opportunities for all Americans to express their appreciation for these deserving Heroes through hands-on volunteerism, such as collection drives, letter-writing campaigns, handcrafted "Made with Love" projects, and care package assembly events. The Operation Gratitude Halloween Candy Give-Back Program has been connecting communities with Military and First Responder Heroes each fall since 2007. While Halloween may look a little different this year, Operation Gratitude and our incredible volunteers are committed to continuing to give back in meaningful ways. You and your family can help by collecting and donating candy. Consider asking your children to write a letter or draw a picture to include with your donation, as Operation Gratitude strives to include these personal notes in every care package they send. Click here for more information about Candy Give-Back donation guidelines.
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Serve a Hot Meal to the Homeless
Manhattan Church of Christ
Date/Time: Saturday, November 11 and 27, 9am – noon
Location: Manhattan Church of Christ, 48 East 80th Street
Ages: All ages, families are encouraged to volunteer together.
Time Commitment: Varies
The Saturday Lunch Program provides hot meals to the homeless with dignity and compassion. All shifts are family-friendly. 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 and wipe down policies. Unfortunately, due to high demand, only 8 volunteers will be allowed to register for each time slot. We are also writing holiday cards and letters of encouragement to go inside gift bags. Families may create these items at home and drop them off with Reverend Carl.
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A Special Collection!
Manhattan Church of Christ
Location: Manhattan Church of Christ, 48 East 80th Street
Ages: Everyone is welcome to participate
Time Commitment: Varies
The Manhattan Church of Christ is collecting the following items for community members who live marginally or are homeless. These items will be distributed at their holiday party in December. All items can be dropped off at the church:
- New socks, hats, scarves
- Small toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash
- Deodorant, small soaps, small shampoos, small lotions, hand sanitizers
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Meal Delivery
Citymeals on Wheels
Date/Time: Various dates in November
Location: Various
Ages: All ages, youth 17 years old and younger require adult supervision
Time Commitment: Three hours
Volunteers assisting with delivering nutritious meals to frail homebound elderly New Yorkers. All volunteers must either be vaccinated or show proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours prior to volunteering.
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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 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 1800 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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Package and Deliver Thanksgiving Meals or Host a Virtual Fundraiser
Feeding NYC
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 23 – several shifts between 6am – 3pm
Location: Pier 60/Chelsea Piers – 23rd Street and West Side Highway
Ages: All ages are welcome. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by adult and have a signed waiver.
Time Commitment: Two to three hours, depending on shift
Since 2001, FeedingNYC has been connecting with families in need throughout New York City. As the COVID-19 virus and its variants continue to develop, we’re continuing to stay alert and make necessary changes to how FeedingNYC will proceed this year. This year we will be hosting a modified hybrid event on November 23. Our goal this year is to make sure the 8,000 families we’ve promised to feed will receive their Thanksgiving dinners with the help of smaller groups of volunteers. This has been a trying year for us all and we look forward to welcoming the festive energy and generous spirit you bring each year once again, but your health and safety is our top priority, so we’re doing our part to make it as safe, enjoyable, and effective as possible.
According to the City of New York Executive Order 226, proof of vaccination is required for all volunteers and staff with photo IDs bearing the same identifying information as the proof of vaccination. All volunteers and others present are required to wear masks while indoors. Requirements are subject to change as outlined by the State and City of New York.
While we still can’t accommodate everyone this year, we are still accepting donations and are encouraging anyone who wants to get involved and help feed our neighbors to create a team fundraising page.
Please visit our website to learn more on donating and becoming a “virtual volunteer” by creating a fundraising team. Only $35 can provide a meal for an entire family in need this year! If you wish to be considered as volunteer please fill out our online form. To complete your registration, we kindly ask for a donation of $35 per volunteer.
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Thanksgiving Turkey Drive for Families in Need
Family-to-Family
Date/Time: At your convenience, before Thanksgiving
Location: Online
Ages: All ages
Time Commitment: Minimal
Help make Thanksgiving happen for families in need. Consider making a $30 donation to purchase a turkey plus one side dish (e.g. potatoes or stuffing) for one family. Or, buy a “flock of turkeys” (you choose how many) to feed more than one family. If you currently sponsor a family through Family-to-Family, send an email at moreinfo@family-to-family.org after you donate, with your name, the name of your sponsored family and the community where they live. Family-to-Family will make sure they receive your turkey, and will let them know you’ve purchased it specifically for them. If you don’t sponsor a family, they will donate the turkey to a family that didn’t get one. If you are interested in learning more about sponsoring a family, click here https://www.family-to-family.org/help-a-hungry-family/
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Food and Toy Donation Drive
Gobble Gobble Give NYC
Date/Time: Thursday, November 25. Drop off time slots are between 8am and 12:30pm
Location(s): Two drop-off locations:
- The Church of the Intercession, 550 W 155th St, Harlem
- The Apollo Theater, 253 W 125th St, Harlem
Ages: All ages are welcome to participate
Time Commitment: Varies
Unfortunately, there is no way to safely have our large volunteer meal and donation delivery event this year. But New Yorkers need our help more than ever before. Homelessness in New York City has reached the highest levels since the Great Depression. We will have an event in 2021, but it will look very different. There will be no hot meals this year. We will only collect and distribute donations. Our primary collection focus will be TOYS!
2021 is a TOY DRIVE! Items being collected are:
- New or Gently Used Toys/Children's Books (unwrapped)
- Canned & Packaged Foods
- Toiletries: toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, soap, etc.
- Baby Items: baby food, diapers, baby wipes, etc.
- New Clothing & Shoes
- New & Gently Used Blankets
- Pandemic Supplies: masks, disposable gloves, hand sanitizer, hand soap, etc.
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Holiday Cards for New Yorkers in Need this Thanksgiving
West Side Campaign Against Hunger (WSCAH)
Date/Time: November 1 - 23
Location: Cards can be dropped at WSCAH Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm, or scanned and emailed to kgarfinkel@wscah.org
West Side Campaign Against Hunger
263 West 86th Street
NY, NY 10024
Ages: All ages are welcome to participate
Time Commitment: One hour
Thanksgiving is a time for happy gatherings with family and friends. Good company, good cheer, and, of course, a turkey dinner. But for many New Yorkers in need, the season is anything but joyful. West Side Campaign Against Hunger has been helping New Yorkers in need for over 42 years with healthy food and supportive services. Every November, WSCAH provides our customers with turkeys and holiday foods so they can enjoy a Thanksgiving meal with their families. Last year WSCAH provided over 5,000 turkeys. This year, WSCAH is aiming even higher, with a goal of 7,000! Help us make this a happy Thanksgiving for every New York family this November by writing well-wishing cards to share with our customers. Please keep all cards appropriate and in keeping with WSCAH's core values of dignity and community. You can also support WSCAH this November by donating online at www.wscah.org/turkeychallenge, or becoming a Turkey Challenge Ambassador and spreading the word about our work at www.wscah.org/myturkeychallenge. We hope you’ll join us in this effort to make the holiday special for everyone. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Thanksgiving Morning Meal Delivery
God’s Love We Deliver
Date/Time: Thursday, November 25
Location: Various delivery locations citywide
Ages: All ages are welcome with an adult
Time Commitment: Varies
Every day at God’s Love We Deliver, the organization relies on an army of dedicated volunteers to prepare and deliver meals to our homebound elderly and ailing neighbors. On Thanksgiving morning, they need even more help – and volunteers with cars are in demand. Not able to volunteer on Thanksgiving? Consider decorating holiday bags or birthday cards! God’s Love We Deliver provides a birthday cake to all clients celebrating a special day. You and your kids can create birthday cards to be included in these deliveries. You can also decorate holiday bags that are used to package Thanksgiving meals. Learn more here.
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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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Share Your Abundance this Thanksgiving - Organize your own Food Drive
NY Common Pantry
Date/Time: The last pick-up day will be Friday, November 12
Location: NY Common Pantry is located at 8 East 109th Street
Ages: Everyone is welcome to participate
Time Commitment: Varies
NY Common Pantry provides over 2,000 complete Thanksgiving meals each year. Consider organizing your own drive to help the Pantry collect food to be distributed to low-income New York families to ensure that everyone who relies on the NY Common Pantry will have the food that they need to have a festive and memorable holiday.
How to Plan a Food Drive:
Choose collection sites that are both highly visible and secure, and promote to neighbors and friends. Items to be collected include:
- Canned cranberry sauce
- Rice
- Gravy
- Corn Bread Mix
- Stuffing Mix
- 18 oz Oatmeal containers
- Cake/Brownie Mix
- Frosting
- Pasta
- Canned Beans
- Dry Beans
PLEASE NO GLASS JARS!
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Create Greeting Cards
DOROT
Date/Time: Ongoing project
DOROT
171 West 85th Street
New York, NY 10024
Attn: Card Making Project
Ages: Everyone can participate
Time Commitment: Varies
Spread some joy this Holiday Season and all year long. DOROT’s greeting card project helps bring joy and celebration to some of our frailest and most isolated seniors. Each month, DOROT mails over 200 birthday cards to seniors, and holiday cards are sent for Thanksgiving, Chanukah and other holidays throughout the year. Every card is designed and created by volunteers. Making a card is easy and fun! 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. Click here for cardmaking tips and directions.
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Thanksgiving Food Drive Sorting and Sing-Along
Repair the World
Date/Time: Sunday, November 14, 11am - 12:30pm
Location: JCC Harlem
Ages: Families with children ages three and older
Time Commitment: One and one-half hours
Bring your children to join Repair the World at the JCC Harlem for an interactive musical experience to learn about food security and help sort Thanksgiving food donations to benefit local NYCHA public housing residents.
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Teens! Collect Donations for Farm 2 Food Bank
Repair the World
Date/Time: Monday, November 15, 4:30 - 6pm
Location: Union Square Greenmarket
Ages: For teens age 14 and older
Time Commitment: Two hours
Join Repair the World, Food Bank For NYC and GrowNYC at the Union Square Greenmarket to help reduce food waste and ensure that New Yorkers have access to healthy food! Collect leftover produce donated by local farmers so it can be distributed at pantries to the community.
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Teens! Get Your Hands Dirty with East New York Farms
Repair the World
Date/Time: Saturday, November 20, 1 - 3pm
Location: East New York Farms - 613 New Lots Ave, Brooklyn
Ages: For teens age 14 and older
Time Commitment: Two hours
Teens! Join Repair the World at East New York Farms to dig your hands into the earth and get the farm ready for the winter season while we learn about food and environmental justice!
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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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Share kindness, and make a difference for others – right from home
DGT's Fall/Winter Kitchen Table Kindness Kit - updated for 2021 - allows you and your kids to offer fun, simple acts of generosity right from your own kitchen table! Find all you need to share gratitude with people who mean the world to you, celebrate your family kindness over the past year, have a Big-Hearted Family movie night, make a giving plan for the year ahead, read great books to inspire further generosity, and much more.
Best of all, the download is available right from your computer! Visit DGT's online store, download and print DGT's exclusive templates, then get started on generous habits – all for just $6.99. Proceeds help fund DGT's many free online resources.
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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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