Volunteer New York! Official Homepage

Every holiday season we scour our community to find you the most meaningful ways to volunteer and support local nonprofits. The opportunities listed below are updated regularly throughout the months of November and December. If you're a local nonprofit with a holiday opportunity, please reach out to info@volunteernewyork.org to find out how to have it featured on this page.

This has been a long year, but it's not over. Giving back in whatever way we can helps strengthen the bonds of our community while providing much-needed compassion and resources to those in need.

Let's show 2021 what type of a resilient community we are by sticking the landing on 2020 and going out strong—volunteering safely together to make a positive impact on the world no matter how big or small.

Seasonal Donation Drives

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New Socks and Underwear Drive for Children in Need

Underwear and socks are a basic necessity, yet for many children in Westchester, it is a luxury their families struggle to provide. Over 60,000 Westchester children live in low-income homes, with 36% of public school children qualifying for free or reduced price lunch. For these children, new underwear and new socks are often financially out of reach. Volunteers are needed to help The Sharing Shelf provide these clothing essentials to some of the 3,000 children and teens it serves each year. This is a great holiday opportunity for families, friends, neighbors, community groups, or work colleagues! To donate: Express interest below to record this opportunity in your Volunteer New York! profile MANDATORY: Click here to select which items to purchase and visit this Target wishlist to order the items. Volunteers who do not complete this step will not be registered

Port Chester, NY

Through 2/28/21

Donate Essential Cleaning Supplies and Masks

The Women's Residence at the YWCA White Plains & Central Westchester is in need of essential cleaning supplies in order to keep both its tenants and staff safe. Supplies that are the most in-demand are: Hand sanitizer Antibacterial Wipes (for both surfaces and hands) Aerosol spray (such as Lysol) Surgical masks To volunteer: Express interest below to record this opportunity in your Volunteer New York! profile. This is a self-directed project; you may ignore any automated emails instructing you to wait for a volunteer coordinator to reach you. Drop off items to be donated between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. with front desk staff at: YWCA Residence 69 North Broadway White Plains, NY 10601

White Plains, NY

Through 9/14/21

Food Pantry Donations

The United Community Center of Westchester is seeking donations of non-perishable food for its emergency food pantry. Donations can be dropped off Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. #remotevolunteer #donatefood

New Rochelle, NY

Through 4/4/21

Soap Donation Project

Our neighbors who are serving time in prison are often overlooked. However, these community members still deserve to be cared for and kept safe. Interfaith Prison Partnership is looking for volunteers to collect sealed, alcohol-free, regular-sized bars of soap (no hotel size please) for individuals in prison. New York State issues a lye-based soap that can be very harsh on the skin, especially with the frequent hand washing protocols required during COVID-19. Acceptable brands include (but are not limited to): Ivory Irish Spring Dove Dial Cetaphil Lever Olay To volunteer: Express interest below to record this opportunity in your Volunteer New York! profile. If volunteering as part of a family, team, or group project, please choose "Express Interest with a Family, Group, or Team" to create your team name first and account for all team volunteers Collect sealed, alcohol-free soap following the instructions above and drop off or mail to: The Church House Katonah Presbyterian Church 31 Bedford Avenue Katonah, NY 10536

Virtual (Virtual)

Through 3/31/21

DIY Projects

Volunteer From Home • Virtual and Remote

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Volunteers to Create Blizzard Boxes

It's that time of the year again! Meals on Wheels is looking for volunteers to create Blizzard Boxes that will then be delivered to hungry families during emergencies. A Blizzard Box is an assortment of donated non-perishable food items packed into shoeboxes. The shoeboxes are delivered to the recipients of Meals on Wheels' Home Delivered Meals Program in case normal food deliveries are halted due to weather-related or other emergencies. These shoeboxes are delivered by Meals on Wheels Volunteer Drivers. There is no deadline, as this is a year-round project! Students and volunteers who must fulfill community service hours can receive 1 hour per completed box. To volunteer: Express interest to record this opportunity in your Volunteer New York! profile MANDATORY: Click here and carefully follow the instructions provided MANDATORY: Deliver your completed boxes to the address below, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Meals on Wheels of Rockland 121 West Nyack Road Nanuet, NY 10954

Nanuet, NY

Through 11/20/22

Miles of Smiles Volunteers

Help brighten a smile for a senior—literally!—by creating Miles of Smiles bags. This is a great opportunity for students who need to fulfill community service hours (three bags equal one hour of volunteer service). Here's how it works: Fill a quart-sized Ziploc bag with all the products a senior needs for a healthy smile. Be sure to include a soft bristle toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash, and A Miles of Smiles Flyer (Miles of Smiles will provide this). Refer to the Miles of Smiles Instructions for more details. Drop off your Miles of Smiles bags at Meals on Wheels' Nanuet location (provided after you express interest below). It's that easy to help a senior in need!

Nanuet, NY

Through 6/30/21

Create Period Kits for Teen Girls

SNAP benefits, commonly known as food stamps, do not cover the cost of tampons or pads, forcing financially struggling families to buy these monthly essentials. The Sharing Shelf is committed to providing each teen girl it serves with a supply of pads or tampons. Volunteers are needed to organize drives or purchase supplies for a Period Kit for Teen Girls. Each kit should contain 20 maxi-pads or 20 tampons (regular sized preferred) with 20 panty-liners in a sealed, zip-close plastic bag. Full-size boxes or packages of all feminine hygiene products are greatly appreciated! This is a great opportunity for schools, church groups, employee teams, and youth groups. The Sharing Shelf is Westchester's clothing bank for children founded to combat clothing insecurity among low-income children and families in the community. It collects new and gently used clothing for infants, children, and teens. That clothing, sorted first by quality, is distributed to local, low-income children at no cost through nonprofits, schools, hospitals, and community groups in Westchester County. Each child or teen receives a week's worth of seasonally appropriate clothing matched to their sizing needs. To volunteer: Express interest to record this opportunity in your Volunteer New York! profile MANDATORY: purchase the items requested and package them according to the instructions above. Deliver items to: Sharing Shelf Warehouse 47 Purdy Avenue Port Chester, NY 10573

Virtual (Virtual)

Through 1/1/22

Make a Healthy Hygiene Kit for a Young Child

Did you know that SNAP benefits (commonly referred to as food stamps) do not cover basic hygiene products such as soap and shampoo? Thousands of cash-strapped families are struggling right now to provide food and shelter, and hygiene products have become a luxury they cannot afford. Help address this basic human need and reduce a stress on local families. Volunteers are needed to create hygiene kits for young children containing the items listed below. Donations should be packaged in a large zip-close bag or a cellophane bag. Be creative! Include a personalized card or note to the child who will receive the donation or draw a picture. (Please keep messages generic—no holiday wishes—in order to be mindful of all beliefs.) Child-size toothbrush Full-size toothpaste Bar of soap (in packaging) Full-size shampoo Full-size conditioner To volunteer: Express interest below to record this opportunity in your Volunteer New York! profile MANDATORY: purchase the items above and package them according to the instructions. Include your note, card, or drawing. Deliver items to: Sharing Shelf Warehouse 47 Purdy Avenue Port Chester, NY 10573

Virtual (Virtual)

Through 1/31/21

52 Acts of Kindness Project

Join the 52 Acts of Kindness Project and do 52 good deeds to help others. Acts of kindness do not need to be big; even the smallest act can help brighten a person's day and create positivity, gratitude, and connectedness. Volunteers of all ages are needed to do 52 acts of kindness. One can choose to do the same act 52 times, 52 different acts, or a combination. The possibilities are endless! Examples of acts of kindness include: Writing a letter to deployed military personnel Returning a shopping cart to the cart area Making a piece of artwork for a neighbor Shoveling snow from a neighbor's driveway Picking up trash in your community Holding the door open for someone Tell a friend why they are special Donate a toy to a toy drive Clean up toys without being asked Need ideas? Over 100 acts of kindness can be found here. To volunteer: Express interest below Decide what act(s) of kindness to do Do the acts of kindness Share your acts of kindness with Volunteer New York! by emailing Katie Pfeifer at info@volunteernewyork.org. Feel free to share your story, photographs, videos, and how this project made you feel!

Virtual (Virtual)

Through 1/31/21

Seasonal Nonprofit

Support Opportunities

Volunteer Locally

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Food Pantry Volunteers

Volunteers are needed to help sort, package, and distribute donated food at the New Rochelle Community Action Partnership. Bilingual (Spanish-English) volunteers are strongly encouraged to sign up! Volunteers must wear masks at all times and practice social distancing wherever possible.

New Rochelle, NY

2/2/21 10:00 AM + more

Deliver Wellness Meals to Homes in Westchester County

Volunteers are needed to pick up boxes of frozen meals from the Meals on Wheels van at Volunteer New York!'s parking lot and deliver them to the homes of individuals living with cancer. Although the recipients live throughout Westchester, Meals on Wheels does its best to assign routes that are close to volunteers' homes. These meals are made possible through the "Magnolia Meals at Home" program for individuals currently in cancer treatment. This meal delivery program aims to provide a nutritious foundation for patients during their treatment. Volunteers must have their own transportation.

Tarrytown, NY

2/20/21 10:00 AM

Outdoor Workdays at Ward Acres Park

Volunteers are needed to help to control invasive vines, save heritage trees, and improve wildlife habitats in Ward Acres Park. Depending on the day, activities will include cutting and digging out invasive plants and vines, keeping trails clear and passable, and planting native saplings and shrubs. Wear weather-appropriate clothes and shoes that can get dirty, and bring water and snacks. Volunteers will meet at the Ward Acres Community Garden (near the corner of Quaker Ridge Road and Broadfield Avenue). Training and some tools and supplies will be provided, and then volunteers will move to the worksite. IMPORTANT NOTE: By registering for this project, volunteers consent to the following statement: "While every precaution will be taken to safeguard volunteers, it is understood that I release New Rochelle Parks and Recreation, City of New Rochelle, Volunteer New York! and its sponsoring agents from all responsibility, in case of accident or illness, including COVID-19 related illness while participating in this program." COVID precautions: Masks will be provided for those who don’t bring their own. Hand sanitizer will be provided. Brand new gloves will be provided to everyone Social distance guidelines recommended by the CDC will be encouraged. (However, since it’s a park clean up there will not be any demarcations of 6 feet gaps) As always, if you feel sick or have a fever do not attend. Safe distance will be enforced at the check in areas for volunteers and staff.

New Rochelle, NY

3/20/21 10:00 AM + more

Food Rescue Drivers

TOUCH (Together Our Unity Can Heal) provides healthy food and supportive services to our neighbors with chronic illnesses. TOUCH works with the partner organizations of Rockland Community Against Hunger (RCAH) to distribute food to over 30 area food pantries. In 2018, RCAH's Food Recovery Program rescued over 40,000 pounds of consumable food that would otherwise have gone into landfills—feeding those in need and benefiting the environment. Volunteers are needed to rescue food from local stores and deliver it to a participating food program. Volunteer drivers can commit to a weekly food rescue or fill in when needed. Most food rescue runs take about an hour and can be done using your own vehicle. Volunteers should be able to do some lifting. Businesses, church or worship groups, teen groups, and community organizations are always welcome to volunteer!

Congers, NY

Through 2/11/22

Food Pantry Volunteers

Volunteers are needed to help with setup, distribution, and cleanup of the food pantry.

Tarrytown, NY

Through 2/1/21

Drivers to Deliver Meals

Help bring healthy meals and a smile to seniors in the community! Meals On Wheels volunteers meet at Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital at 11 a.m. any day of the week to pick up pre-packed boxes of meals and receive the addresses of seniors where they'll deliver the meals. Meal delivery takes approximately two hours. Volunteer drivers must have valid driver's license and insurance card when filling out their applications. #VolunteerNewRochelle #JLP

New Rochelle, NY

Through 6/30/21

Hospital Gift Shop Volunteers

Volunteers are needed to assist in the hospital gift shop; activities include restocking shelves, operating the cash register, and assist with office duties such as filing, shredding, answering telephones, and computer work.

Yonkers, NY

Through 5/29/21

Grocery Delivery Driver to Homebound Chronically Ill

Volunteer drivers are needed to deliver healthy groceries weekly to the homebound chronically ill in Rockland County. Available shifts take place on Monday mornings and during the afternoon from Tuesday to Friday; shifts in Rockland County require about an hour commitment. Volunteers must: Have a valid driver's license and reliable vehicle Have the ability to lift 50 pounds Pass a background check Desire to contribute to their communities

Congers, NY

Through 6/6/21

Deliver Meals to Homebound Seniors - Rockland

Volunteer to help deliver meals to Rockland's homebound residents who are in need of food or who are too afraid to leave the house during the coronavirus pandemic. Deliveries take just one hour. IMPORTANT: If you think you may be sick or are feeling unwell, or have been in contact with someone who may have been exposed to COVID-19, please do not sign up for this opportunity. (Feel better!) In order to protect seniors during the delivery process, all volunteer drivers MUST follow these procedures: Wear gloves for the entire delivery route; gloves are provided by Meals on Wheels inside the cold cooler Place meals inside a bag (also provided in the cold cooler) to hang on the door handle upon arrival at the client's house Ring the bell and/or knock on the client's door Take a step back (at least 6 feet away) to do a visual safety check Report any change of condition or concern to Meals on Wheels caseworkers To volunteer: Express interest below to record this opportunity in your Volunteer New York! profile Click here to complete your volunteer application (mandatory)

Nanuet, NY

Through 6/30/21

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Volunteer New York! inspires, mobilizes and equips individuals, groups and organizations to take positive action to address pressing challenges, support nonprofits and strengthen the quality of life in our community.

SERVING WESTCHESTER, ROCKLAND AND PUTNAM IN THE LOWER HUDSON VALLEY

FOUNDED BY VOLUNTEERS IN 1950