Focus Areas
We provide year-round volunteer opportunities for New Yorkers like you! Projects take place across NYC 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
We address issues deeply rooted in racial and economic injustice. Our values—equity, humanity, trust—drive our work.
Our programs have evolved over decades of on-the-ground experience. Our college access program is one example: volunteers help run the city's largest free SAT prep program. They also lead financial aid workshops, take students on college tours, and help them with their applications.
Though we're known for our iconic winter Coat Drive, it's just one program of many. Some volunteers do the same project every week, while others switch it up to get a taste for everything we offer. There are endless ways to get involved.
Pilot Programs
We develop new programs together with our community partners. Some of our current pilots include:
- Bilingual volunteering
- Parent and caregiver engagement at our partner schools
- Social-Emotional Learning for students.
- Supporting English Language Learners.
Pilots allow us to test and improve new programs based on results and feedback from our partners. Innovation drives us.
Community Focus
A community-focused model is central to our plans for the future, especially with the spread of COVID-19 in NYC. Many of the hardest-hit neighborhoods have faced structural barriers for decades. We build on existing community resources and expertise while building stronger relationships with partners in Central Queens, East Brooklyn, and the South Bronx.
For example, we expanded our hunger programs during the pandemic, adding 63 new partners. Our volunteers helped with food distribution to public housing residences in Brooklyn and The Bronx and supported a community food hub in Corona, Queens. We remain committed to uplifting these neighborhoods in the coming years.
