Community Volunteer Opportunities

Ali Forney Center Volunteer 

Mission: Committed to saving the lives of LGBTQ+ young people, our mission is to protect them from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently.

Support Upper Manhattan's Elders at ARC XVI Fort Washington (arcseniors.org)

Mission: We connect people to the services we all need to grow older with confidence, grace, and vitality. Our team of caseworkers provides information and application assistance with Federal, State, and NYC benefits, and entitlements. 

Volunteer — Behind the Book

The Mentor Volunteer Program matches volunteers with a Behind the Book program to follow from start to finish, acting as a mentor to students and an assistant to classroom staff. After students receive a copy of the book they voted to study as a class, volunteers will support students through a range of related activities like reading, writing, art, and forging a connection with the book’s author.

The time commitment is 1 school year (October-June) excluding all school breaks and holidays

Approximately 1 hour a week, ~16 hours total broken into two 8-week blocks

Bowery Mission Volunteer - Sign up for daily opportunities  

Mission: The Bowery Mission works to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness and hunger in the New York metro area. Join them to serve a meal, tutor and mentor clients, or offer a special or professional skill. 

City Harvest Volunteer

Mission: City Harvest is New York City’s largest food rescue organization, helping to feed New Yorkers who are struggling to put meals on their tables. The organization delivers food, free of charge, to hundreds of food pantries, soup kitchens, and other community partners across the five boroughs. 

City Relief Volunteer – Sign up using the 2025 calendar to care for others on the streets of NYC and NJ.  

Mission: City Relief uses mobile resource centers to assist people dealing with poverty and homelessness. These outreaches happen eight times a week in different areas of New York City and New Jersey.   

Volunteer – Jazz Power

Mission: To transform lives through jazz arts education and performance.

La Puerta Estrecho Church | Resources (lapuertaestrecha.com)

Mission: Located at La Puerta Estrecha Church, the food pantry packages and delivers food to local residents in need. 

Volunteer to review grant applications and conduct annual site visits, fostering a stronger connection between our institutions and local partners.

Volunteer | Morris-Jumel Mansion (morrisjumel.org)

Mission: As Manhattan’s oldest surviving residence, the Morris-Jumel Mansion, built in 1765, preserves, collects, and interprets history, culture, and the arts to explore inclusive narratives that engage and inspire diverse audiences.

New York Cares - Sign up for daily volunteer opportunities across New York City.  

Projects take place across the city in the following areas: 
 
• Educating children, teens, and adults 
• Serving those impacted by hunger and homelessness 
• Health and wellness for seniors and other vulnerable groups 
• Caring for public parks, community gardens, and green spaces 

Get Involved - New York Restoration Project (nyrp.org)

Mission: Everyone deserves access to high-quality public green space. NYRP works collaboratively with residents in communities across the five boroughs to renovate gardens, restore parks, plant trees, promote urban agriculture, and build partnerships that transform the city’s landscape.

Volunteer — Nido de Esperanza (nidodeesperanzanyc.org)

Mission: We work with the most vulnerable babies and families to create a strong foundation for babies in the first 1000 days of life, through holistic family programming, helping families thrive through adversity and disrupt long-term financial poverty.

NYC Parks Volunteer - Sign up for weekly opportunities across New York City’s parks and green spaces.  

Mission: Our vision is to create and sustain a restorative and thriving park system for all. 

Our mission is to grow, maintain and program a world-class park system prioritizing equity, access, safety and nature. 

NYC Service - Sign up for daily volunteer opportunities across New York City. 

Mission: We provide meaningful access, opportunity, and resources for communities to come together and answer the call to serve NYC. 

Become a Volunteer • Operation Exodus

Mission: Operation Exodus launches NYC Latino youth to college and lives of excellence through educational opportunities and transformational relationships. Exodus’ programs include after-school programming and Saturday mentoring.

POTS Volunteer - Register to volunteer for weekly volunteer shifts.  

Mission: POTS is a loving community in the Bronx striving to serve all who come to our doors. From meeting immediate needs to offering long-term comprehensive services, we partner with each individual to empower them to reach their potential.  

https://www.rescuealliance.nyc/dontwalkby

Mission: To end homelessness in New York City and restore the well-being of our neighbors on the street. We believe life transformation occurs at the intersection of three elements of care: Compassionate Care, Collaborative Care and Comprehensive Care.

Group Volunteer Opportunities | Riverside Park Conservancy (riversideparknyc.org)

Mission: The mission of Riverside Park Conservancy is to restore, maintain, and improve Riverside Park in partnership with the City of New York for the enjoyment and benefit of all New Yorkers. We support the preservation of the park’s historic landscape, structures, and monuments, engage the community in active stewardship of the park, and provide a wide range of public programs.

Every Wednesday 9am to 12pm

Volunteering at Sakura Park

Work with Gardener Winston Johnson to weed introduced species, prune native plants, rake leaves, and other work in garden beds in Sakura Park or Claremont. 

4th Saturday 9am to 11am

Gardening at Ralph Ellison 

Support and take care of the Ralph Ellison memorial by removing weeds, woody debris, trash, and get introduced to the maintenance and landscape work needed in this area.

Salvation Army Volunteer - Apply to volunteer  

Mission: Provides community center programs and social services across the greater New York area.

Support S2 (schoolinthesquare.org)

Mission: School in the Square (S2) draws its name from the concept of the public square–a place where our students, families, and educators gather to learn from, support, and celebrate one another. 

undocuwomensfund | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree

https://upliftnyc.us

Mission: Uplift NYC is a New York State not-for-profit organization providing low-income youth and their families with access to key resources such as educational, health, cultural, and legal aid services.

Volunteer Needs: Volunteers are needed to support the Emergency Relief Fund's efforts and for food package distribution

Volunteer Days / Hours: Friday and Saturday (hours vary)

Volunteer Sign up: Please visit bit.ly/weuplift.

West Side Campaign Against Hunger Volunteer – Sign up for daily opportunities. Volunteers will need to Create a Free Account with NY Cares in order to volunteer with WSCAH. All volunteers must be 14 or older to sign up. All shifts are filled on a first come first served basis, and you may volunteer as often as you like. 

Mission: For 46 years, West Side Campaign Against Hunger (WSCAH) has worked to ensure that all New Yorkers have access with dignity to a choice of healthy food and supportive services. Serving over 100,000 people annually, WSCAH distributes more than 5 million pounds of healthy food from a 13,000-square-foot warehouse and community sites across NYC. We accommodate multiple needs: We ensure over 50% of the food we provide is fresh produce, and we help customers access essential benefits like SNAP. 

Columbia Neighbors