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Center for Values and Community Service:
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| The SWFS Community | Hungry, Homeless and Unemployed | Abuse Victims | ||
| Sick and Terminally Ill | Children, Teens and Young Adults | Elderly | ||
| Disabled People | Environment and Public Spaces | Animals | ||
| Other Opportunities |
SWFS Community
SWFS Caring CommunityThe SWFS Caring Community provides assistance to members in times of need and celebrates with them in times of joy.
Volunteer Roles: Friendly phone calls or visits; assistance driving members to and from synagogue or appointments; attend or lead shiva minyan; assemble or deliver holiday packages.
Times, Commitment, and Location: Varies.
Click here for more information.
Hungry, Homeless and Unemployed
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, Five 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: Sunday 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
Community Lunch Soup Kitchen
Part of Columbia University’s Community Impact Program, Community Lunch serves disadvantaged people in the Morningside Heights, Harlem, and Washington Heights communities.
Volunteer Roles: Help prepare and/or serve a 3 course meal.
Times Available: Fri 10am-1pm (1 or 2 hour shift)
Time Commitment: Come one time or many!
Location: 114th and Broadway
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.
Goddard Riverside Community Center
Goddard Riverside Community Center is a nonprofit organization that provides housing, meals, social services, affordable childcare, educational counseling and vocational training for New Yorkers in need.
Volunteer Roles: Help set up for or work at annual book sale or serve holiday meals to their clients.
Times and Commitment: Varies.
Location: 593 Columbus Avenue (88th Street)
Requirements: Volunteers under 16 should be accompanied by an adult.
Housing Works
Housing Works strives to ensure that homeless and low-income people living with HIV/AIDS and their families have adequate housing, food, social support, drug treatment, health care, and employment.
Volunteer Role: Help sort and organize donations.
Times Available: Varies.
Time Commitment: Any time you can give is helpful.
Location: 157 E 23rd St.
Upwardly Global
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Housing Works
Housing Works strives to ensure that homeless and low-income people living with HIV/AIDS and their families have adequate housing, food, social support, drug treatment, health care, and employment.
Volunteer Role: Help sort and organize donations.
Times Available: Varies.
Time Commitment: Any time you can give is helpful.
Location: 157 E 23rd St.
Upwardly Global Resume Review
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Upwardly Global helps highly-skilled immigrants, refugees and asylees reclaim their careers here in the United States and helps American employers discover and understand this hidden talent pool.
Volunteer Roles: Help an immigrant fine-tune his/her resume or practice for a job interview.
Time Commitment: Come one time or many for resume review or mock interviews.
Times and Location: Varies.
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
Sanctuary for Families
Sanctuary for Families is dedicated to the safety, healing, and self-sufficiency of battered women and their children, offering a broad range of high-quality services including shelter, legal assistance, and counseling.
Volunteer Roles: Help set up for or work during events, translate documents, or help sort through donations and set up the "boutique" for the clients.
Time Commitment: Any time you can give is helpful.
Times and Location: Varies.
Free Arts NYC
Arts NYC provides creative arts programs directly to abused and neglected children and families in group homes, shelters, schools, hospitals and community centers.
Volunteer Roles: Mentor a child during an arts program.
Times Available: 10am-3pm Saturdays from Sept-June (2 events per month).
Time Commitment: Volunteer as your schedule allows.
Location: Partner agencies in Manhattan
Requirements: No experience in the arts or working with youth necessary.
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.
Sick and Terminally Ill
The Family Center
The Family Center works to create a more secure present and future for children whose parents have a life-threatening illness by providing comprehensive legal and social services, education and research.
Volunteer Roles: Help supervise children while their parents are with the Family Center staff, be a friendly visitor for a caregiver, or help at special events.
Time, Commitment, and Location: As little as an hour or two or as much as you would like.
Only Make Believe
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 for their performances. People of all levels are invited.
Times Available: First Wednesday of every other month from 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Time Commitment: Come one time or many!
Location: 410 West 40th Street at 9th Ave
Make-A-Wish Foundation
Make-A-Wish Foundation enriches the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through its wish-granting work.
Volunteer Roles: Volunteers serve as wish granters, fundraisers, special events assistants and in numerous other capacities. Phone Greeters call children who come to visit NYC as part of their wish to welcome them to the city. Other volunteers are needed to help at special events and other programs.
Time and Location: Varies depending on volunteer role.
Marty Lyons Foundation
The Marty Lyons Foundation was established in 1982 to fulfill the special wishes of children ages three to seventeen, who have been diagnosed as having a terminal or life threatening illness by providing and arranging special wish requests.
Volunteer Roles: Assist with special events.
Times, 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.
Children, Teens and Young Adults
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.
CITYarts
CITYarts empowers children and youth by bringing them together to create public art that addresses civic and social issues, impacts their lives, and transforms their communities.
Volunteer Roles: Help students create public art by assisting in a mural project or help behind the scenes preparing for special events.
Time and Location: Varies depending on need.
Creative Arts Workshop
The Creative Arts Workshop utilizes visual and performing arts to empower youth from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to improve their leadership and public speaking skills, build self confidence, and deepen the relationship between art and community.
Volunteer Role: Mentor students ages 5-11 as they work on an art project.
Times Available: Saturdays 11:00am - 3:00pm
Time Commitment: Come one time or many!
Location: 120th Street between 1st and 2nd
The Family Center
The Family Center works to create a more secure present and future for children whose parents have a life-threatening illness by providing comprehensive legal and social services, education and research.
Volunteer Roles: Help supervise children while their parents are with the Family Center staff, be a friendly visitor for a caregiver, or help at special events.
Time, Commitment, and Location: As little as an hour or two or as much as you would like.
Little Baby Face Foundation
The Little Baby Face Foundation transforms the lives and faces of children born with facial deformities through corrective surgery.
Volunteer Roles: Spend time with a child in NYC for surgery and bring them to a park, museum, or other child-friendly location.
Times and Locations: Varies.
Requirements: Volunteers must be 18 or older, but children are welcome to participate with an adult.
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.
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
Musical Mitzvah
The SWFS choir performs for residents in local nursing homes, people in hospitals, and others who could use extra song in their day.
Volunteer Roles: Use your musical talents to bring a smile to someone’s face.
Times, Commitment, and Location: Varies. Additional rehearsal may or may not be required.
DOROT
DOROT enhances the lives of Jewish and other elderly in the greater New York metropolitan area through a dynamic partnership of volunteers, professionals, and elders, fosters mutually beneficial interaction between the generations, and provides education, guidance, and leadership in developing volunteer-based programs for the elderly, nationally and internationally.
Volunteer Roles: Friendly visits and/or holiday package delivery.
Time Commitment: One time package delivery or weekly visits to one senior.
Location: Upper West Side or Upper East Side depending on your preference.
The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty
The Met Council is the voice of the Jewish poor, fighting poverty through comprehensive social services designed to treat every individual with dignity and respect.
Volunteer Roles: Become a phone pal, help seniors get to an evening event, or make cards for isolated seniors.
Times, Commitment, and Location: Varies.
Disabled
SWFS Young Adventurers
SWFS provides programs to enrich the lives of challenged adults.
Volunteer Roles: Make a difference in the lives of these friends of the synagogue by spending time with them at a program or service.
Times and Location: Varies.
Achilles Track Club
Achilles Track Club trains athletes with various disabilities for road races.
Volunteer Roles: Set up, register athletes, help along course, present awards, and/or clean-up on race days.
Times and Location: Various NYC locations. Many races take place in Central Park.
Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN)
KEEN provides recreational opportunities for children and young adults (ages 5-18) with mental and physical disabilities at no cost to their families and caregivers.
Volunteer Roles: Supervise one or two athletes as they enjoy a variety of sports.
Times Available: Saturdays 2:00-3:00pm.
Time Commitment: Come one time or many!
Location: 348 East 54th Street
Requirements: Volunteers must be 18 or older.
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
Central Park Conservancy
The Central Park Conservancy's mission is to restore, manage, and preserve Central Park, in partnership with the public, for the enjoyment of present and future generations.
Volunteer Roles: Work with a group of volunteers to complete large-scale horticulture and maintenance projects throughout the Park.
Times Available: 10:00am-1:00pm Every other Saturday - year round.
Time Commitment: Attendance at 4 meetings each year requested.
Location: Various locations in Central Park.
CITYarts
CITYarts empowers children and youth by bringing them together to create public art that addresses civic and social issues, impacts their lives, and transforms their communities. CITY arts’ projects frequently foster community revitalization by galvanizing businesses, schools, and community organizations in to developing youth programs and constructing playgrounds, green gardens and pocket parks.
Volunteer Roles: Help students create public art by assisting in a mural project or help behind the scenes preparing for special events.
Time and Location: Varies depending on need.
Office of Recycling Outreach and Education (OROE)
OROE educates New Yorkers so they understand what, when and how to recycle, and works with residential buildings to help them create their own recycling plans.
Volunteer Roles: Help at events in various capacities to spread the word and educate the public about recycling.
Times Available: Varies.
Time Commitment: Any time is helpful.
Location: Varies.
Requirements: Volunteers must be 18 or older.
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.
Animals
Uptown Cats
Uptown Cats rescues, socializes, and puts cats up for adoption.
Volunteer Role: Help find good homes for these cats by assisting at the adoption stand.
Times Available: Thursday through Saturday 2:00-8:00pm
Time Commitment: Any time you can give is helpful.
Location: 82nd Street and Broadway.
Requirements: Volunteers must be 18 or older.
Other Opportunities
HeadCount
HeadCount was created by a group of artists, music industry professionals and fans determined to make sure the live music community is well-represented at the polls.
Volunteer Role: Proactively register voters at concert venues at a designated HeadCount table.
Time Commitment: One night or many.
Times and Location: Varies.
Requirements: Volunteers must be at least 18 and must be enthusiastic, good communicators and reliable.
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
- How Teens Can Help
- 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.