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Center for Values and Community Service:
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| The SWFS Community | Hungry and Homeless | Abuse Victims | ||
| Children | Elderly | Disabled People | ||
| Environment and Public Spaces | ||||
SWFS Community
SWFS Caring CommunityThe SWFS Caring Community provides assistance to members in times of need and celebrates with them in times of joy.
Click here for more information.
Shiva Visitor/Minyan Leader
Provide support to a member who recently lost a loved one by visiting their home during the period of mourning and/or leading a minyan in their home.
Holiday Packages
Help to pack and/or deliver holiday packages to members who could use some extra cheer at holiday times.
Friendly Phone Calls or Visits
Make a connection with a member who is recently home from surgery, has trouble getting around, or who could simply use someone to talk to.
Hungry and Homeless
Emergency Food Program
Every Saturday morning, SWFS volunteers prepare hot chocolate, and add fresh fruit and whole grain bread to our prepared non-perishable food packages and give them to anyone in need. Our guests represent a wide range of ethnic, racial, age, and gender categories.
Volunteer Roles: Help to prepare and distribute food packages to guests in need.
Times Available: Saturday mornings 8:00-9:15am
Time Commitment: As often as you would like
Location: SWFS lobby
Click here for more information.
Next Step! Men’s Shelter
The SWFS Homeless Shelter provides shelter for ten men, four nights a week, nine months of the year. Our goal is to provide a warm, caring, and safe environment for these men who are in a transitional period in their lives.
Volunteer Roles: Help to set up and cook for the men; sleep at the shelter; or provide training in resume writing or computer skills.
Times Available: Monday through Thursday evenings. Set up and cooking 6-8pm; Sleepover volunteers 8pm-6:30am; Other programs vary.
Location: SWFS Berns Lounge
Click here for more information.
City Harvest
In an attempt to end hunger in communities throughout New York City, City Harvest rescues and distributes food, educates the public, and seeks other practical, innovative solutions.
Volunteer Roles: Visit the market to collect excess food from farmers and load it onto City Harvest trucks, which deliver the food directly to community programs in the five boroughs; Help with SWFS High Holiday Food Drive to benefit City Harvest.
Times Available: 5:30-7pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday evenings between April and January.
Time Commitment: As often as you would like.
Location: Union Square Greenmarket; SWFS
FoodChange
FoodChange provides emergency meals and nutritional education to New York City’s hungry children and adults.
Volunteer Roles: Help prepare food in kitchen, stock pantry shelves, or deliver meals on foot to homebound elderly.
Times Available: 9:00am-6:30pm Mondays through Fridays
Time Commitment: As often as you would like
Location: 252 West 116th Street
Requirements: Volunteers must be 14 or older.
West End Intergenerational Residence
West End Serves young homeless mothers age 18-24 with one or two children age 0-7 and single low-income adults age 55 years and older.
Volunteer Roles: Volunteers are needed to assist with child care for the children of single homeless mothers.
Times Available: Weekdays 9-11am and 2-6pm and 6-8pm Monday and Tuesday evenings.
Time Commitment: Any time you can give would help.
Location: 483 West End Ave (at 83rd Street)
Abuse Victims, Sick and Terminally Ill
Gina Gibney Dance Company
The company's groundbreaking community initiatives use the transforming power of movement to assist survivors of violence, youth-at-risk, and individuals affected by HIV/AIDS to heal, find their voice and build new lives.
Volunteer Roles: Assist at open studios and performances by setting up, ushering, working in the box office, or helping in other ways as needed.
Times and Location: Varies.
Time Commitment: Come one time or many.
Children
Partners for Literacy
Help a child who is struggling to read and make a difference in that young person’s life.
Volunteer Role: Be an early bird reader, lunch hour book club leader, after school tutor or homework helper, an evening bedtime story reader or an anytime reading buddy.
Times Available: Various times available 7:30am to 8:00pm
Time Commitment: 1 to 1.5 hours per week for the school year
Location: Local schools.
Requirements: Volunteers must be 12 or older.
I Have a Dream Foundation
The "I Have A Dream" Foundation empowers children in low-income communities to achieve higher education by providing them with guaranteed tuition support and equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and habits they need to gain entry to higher education and succeed in college and beyond.
Volunteer Role: Tutor or mentor children ages 9-13; assist with skits, games or sports.
Times Available: 3-6pm Monday through Friday; infrequent weekend programs.
Time Commitment: Any time you can give is helpful.
Location: 201 W. 93rd St, Ground floor, between Broadway and Amsterdam
Requirements: Volunteers must be at least 15 years old.
The Star Learning Center
By matching low-income children with a volunteer mentor, The Star Learning Center helps each child by improving his/her academic skills, meeting their educational potential, and fostering positive attitudes towards school.
Volunteer Role: Mentor and tutor one child each week for a school year or summer.
Times Available: Mondays/Wednesdays 3-7pm; Tuesdays-Friday 3-6pm during the school year; times vary in the summer
Time Commitment: 2 hours/week for the school year and/or summer
Location: 26 West 84th Street
Requirements: Volunteers must be high school age or older.
Only Make Believe
Provides theatrical workshops free of charge to children living with chronic illnesses and disabilities.
Volunteer Role: Help build costume pieces, backdrops, and props to stuff their trunks.
Times Available: First Wednesday of every other month from 6:30pm-8:30pm
Time Commitment: Come one time or many!
Location: Metro-Baptist Church (410 West 40th St. at 9th Ave).
All Stars Project
The All Stars Project, Inc. (ASP) creates extracurricular, educational and performing arts activities for thousands of poor and minority young people.
Volunteer Role: Join the theatre team which welcomes guests, works in the box office, and staffs the Center during performances or work directly in inner city communities to help young people produce neighborhood talent shows.
Times Available: Varies.
Time Commitment: Flexible.
Location: 543 West 42nd Street
Requirements: Volunteers must be at least 15.
Wendy Hilliard Foundation
Founded in 1996 by international gold medalist Wendy Hilliard, the Wendy Hilliard Foundation offers weekly gymnastics classes, a free six-week summer gymnastics program, a competitive rhythmic gymnastics team, and an annual sports clinic for inner-city youth.
Volunteer Roles: Assist with special events; help to set up for classes and sign in students.
Times Available: Special Events and Programs vary; Classes held Saturdays 1-3pm
Time Commitment and Location: Varies.
Knit or Crochet for Children
Help bring warmth and comfort to children. Knit or crochet stuffed animals for children at St. Luke's Hospital or blanket squares for adolescents living in a residential treatment center in Westchester.
Time, Commitment, and Location: can be done anywhere at any time.
Elderly
Kateri Residence
Kateri Residence provides short-term rehabilitation, subacute and long-term care.
Volunteer Roles: Join other SWFS members as we visit the Jewish residents at the Kateri for friendly visits and programs for Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
Times Available: Once a month on Saturday afternoons (other times may be available if desired).
Time Commitment: Any time is appreciated.
Location: 87th and Riverside
PETS Project
JASA matches volunteers with elders who need help caring for their beloved pets.
Volunteer Role: Opportunities range from helping to walk a dog or to clean a litter box on a weekly basis, to escorting pets and elders to the vet, serving as an emergency contact, or providing emergency boarding for an animal.
Times, Commitment, and Location: Varies.
Disabled
Jewish Guild for the Blind
The Jewish Guild for the Blind serves persons of all ages who are visually impaired, blind and multidisabled. The Guild offers a broad range of programs that include: medical, vision, low vision, psychiatric and rehabilitative services, managed long-term care, residential services, day health programs, schools and educational training programs for independent living.
Volunteer Roles: Work one-on-one with clients reading to them, helping them sort through their mail, and/or just visiting.
Times and Commitment: Monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly commitment requested.
Location: 15 West 65th Street
Requirements: Volunteers must be 14 or older.
Project HAPPY
Project HAPPY promotes the well-being of New York City's children, youth and young adults with disabilities by providing them with individual and team sports and recreational activities.
Volunteer Roles: Assist disabled children and young adults in various sport programs or make lunch for students and volunteers.
Times Available: Saturdays 10am - 4pm
Time Commitment: Regular attendance preferred.
Location: Hunter College, 425 East 25th Street
Requirements: Volunteers must be 13 and older (15 and up to work in the pool).
Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic
Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D), produces accessible educational materials for students with disabilities such as visual impairment or dyslexia that make reading standard print difficult or impossible.
Volunteer Roles: Read for or assist with recording of educational books on tape.
Times Available: Monday through Thursday 9am-9pm; Friday 9am-5pm; Saturday 10am-2pm
Time Commitment: Regular commitment preferred (monthly, weekly, or bi-weekly).
Location: 545 5th Avenue (at 45th Street)
Requirements: Volunteers should be at least 16.
Special Olympics
An international program of year-round sports training and athletic competition for more than one million children and adults with mental retardation.
Volunteer Roles: Volunteer at a competition or special event.
Times, Commitment, and Location: Varies.
Requirements:Volunteers under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Environment and Public Spaces
Riverside Park Fund
Volunteers help to keep the parks beautiful by planting and maintaining gardens.
Volunteer Roles: Help maintain the gardens which beautify Riverside Park.
Times Available: Fridays through Sundays, times vary depending on location
Time Commitment: As often as you would like.
Location: Various locations in Riverside Park between 91st and 120th.
For more information or to volunteer for any of these programs, please contact Heather Stoltz, Community Service Coordinator, at 212-877-4050 x244 or CommunityService@swfs.org.
Also check out these other ways to help:
- SWFS Service Programs
- Upcoming Events: Volunteers Needed
- Family Friendly Volunteer Opportunities
- Volunteering on a Tight Schedule
- All Volunteer Opportunities by Type of Program
Also check out our Mitzvah of the Month and see how SWFS Members are giving back to the community in our 100 Minutes in Action Article.