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March 2021 - NYC
Neighborhood “Meet up to Clean up” 

ONE BLOCK (UWS) 

Date/Time: You can clean your block or join our group events that are usually held Saturday or Sunday mornings

Location: Upper West Side locations

Ages: Families with children of all ages are welcome. Children under 14 should be accompanied by an adult.

Time Commitment: One to three hours. Do what you can! 

One Block UWS has recruited 1,500 local members who help in a variety of ways. You can clean the debris/ garbage on your street a couple days a week, join our group events usually held Saturday or Sunday mornings, or put together your own group and we can help! We also desperately need help fundraising or donations to support our three employees (who were formerly homeless) who are paid to do the tough job of keeping Amsterdam, Broadway and Columbus Ave. clean. We also have a few special projects for teens who need community service hours

Contact: Join our Facebook page at ONE BLOCK UWS to learn about our events, send us your email at oneblockuws@gmail.com to sign up for the weekly newsletter and follow us on Instagram @Oneblockuws 
Starshine Connection

Stars of Hope

Date/Time: At your convenience

Location: Virtual

Ages: Everyone can participate

Time Commitment: Under one hour

Stars of HOPE developed the Starshine Connection to connect children with seniors to bring HOPE in the time of COVID-19. The child will hand-decorate their digital star, personalizing it to “their” senior, and then take a picture of themselves holding the star. We will forward the star to the senior, and whenever possible share a photo with a senior back to the child.

Contact: info@starsofhopeusa.org. You can sign up your child to create a star for a senior, and/or you can also sign up a senior you know who needs a smile.
Host a Safe Sleep Drive

Room to Grow

Date/Time: The month of March

Location: Your own location

Ages: Everyone can help

Time Commitment: Varies

Room to Grow is recruiting hosts for a Safe Sleep Drive in March, in honor of Sleep Awareness Month! This virtual drive will focus on pajamas, pack n’ plays, sleep sacks, and more! Sign up to receive guidance and resources for how to host a safe and socially-distanced collection drive in your community.

Contact: Victoria Town, Victoria.town@roomtogrow.org 
Package Hygiene Kits: Family-Friendly

Repair the World

Date/Time: Sunday, March 14, two shifts. 11:30am -12:30pm or 1 – 2pm

Location: Outside Picnic House, Prospect Park

Ages: This event is open to all ages. Children under 15 must be accompanied at all times and parents assume responsibility for COVID Compliance.

Time Commitment: One hour

Bring your children to pack hygiene kits in Prospect Park with Repair the World for VOCAL- NY! We will be supporting this grassroots organization that builds power to end AIDS, the drug war, mass incarceration, and homelessness in NY. Program will be cancelled in the case of rain.

Contact: Registration is available online
Provide Grab & Go Meals for the Homeless

Manhattan Church of Christ

Date/Time: Saturday, March 13, 20, 27, 9am - noon 

Location: Manhattan Church of Christ, 48 East 80th Street

Ages: Everyone can participate

Time Commitment: Varies

The Saturday Lunch Program provides meals to the homeless with dignity and compassion. All shifts are family-friendly. Volunteers help prepare meals, place meals in to go containers, place to go containers in bags, and distribute meals to guests, as well as distribute coffee, tea & bottled water, while observing safety protocols. Volunteers must wear masks and gloves, and adhere to social distancing and wipe down policies

Contact: Please contact Reverend Carl Garrison to sign up at carl@manhattanchurch.org
Caring Cards

DOROT

Date/Time: Ongoing project

Location: Send completed cards to the following address along with your Cardmaking Project Volunteer Information Form to:
DOROT
171 West 85th Street
New York, NY 10024
Attn: Caring Cards

Ages: Everyone can participate

Time Commitment: Varies

Now that we are all still keeping our distance from one another to protect against COVID-19, a Caring Card is a wonderful way to reach out to a DOROT older adult. Here are some guidelines with suggested messages and other tips to ensure that your card will bring smiles during this challenging time.

Donate Items

Little Essentials

Date/Time: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10am – noon. Donations are accepted by appointment only. Click here to make an appointment. 

Location: Brooklyn Navy Yard, 63 Flushing Avenue, Building 131, Suite 205, Brooklyn

Ages: Everyone can help

Time Commitment: Varies

Little Essentials is a New York City non-profit providing assistance to children living in poverty. Thank you for donating your new and gently used items for children (ages newborn to 5 years old). Because of people like you, Little Essentials has provided urgently needed items to over 42,000 children in New York City. Little Essentials has moved to the Brooklyn Navy Yard and is prepared to accept your gently-loved donations!

Accepted Items: 

Diapers (open packs accepted) 
Clothing & Shoes (size newborn to 5 years)
Wipes, Diaper Cream, Baby Body Wash (unopened) 
Pack ‘n Plays & Bassinets
Car seats - infant, toddler, booster (Click here to review waiver)
Baby Carriers & Slings
Strollers - single and double (no jogging strollers)
Books- appropriate for ages newborn to 5 years
Toys - appropriate for ages newborn to 5 years (up to one bag ONLY, no stuffed animals, no large items, fresh batteries please)

Items That Are Not Accepted:

Jogging strollers
Stuffed animals or large toys (e.g. bicycles, play kitchens)
Nursing Pillows & Cover-Ups
Baby Formula & Food
Breast Pumps 
High Chairs & Booster Chairs
Bottles & Bibs
Cribs, Crib Bedding, Mattresses & Mobiles
Exersaucers, Swings & Walkers
Maternity Clothing
Furniture

Contact: info@littleessentials.org, 646.850.3611
Host a DIY Pajama and Book Drive

The Pajama Program

Date/Time: Ongoing

Location: Your home or community

Ages: Everyone can help

Time Commitment: Varies

The Pajama Program is a non-profit that provides new pajamas and new books to children in need through a nationwide network of service agencies. Snuggling up in cozy, new pajamas with their very own new book, gives these children a secure and nurturing "good night" at bedtime. We can never have enough pajamas and books! Your family can help by starting your own Pajama and Book Drive. Remember to be safe! Create a contactless drop-off area, and communicate with your donors via phone or email. Invite everyone to purchase pajamas and books online and have them delivered to you for collection or identify places in your community where people can safely drop-off or mail the new pajamas and books. Here are our pajama and book donation guidelines:

  • Pajamas: Must be new and unused and a complete set; sizes through adult XXXL are welcome
  • Books: Must be new; click here for details about the types of books we accept.

Once your drive is complete, report the donation through the online form to learn where to send your donation. The Pajama Project cannot provide pickup service for donations. We will contact you within 7 days to arrange a drop-off location. You will either be connected with a local Chapter President to make the arrangements, or receive drop-off or shipping instructions from the National Office.

Contact: info@pajamaprogram.org, 212.716.9757. Click here to find out if there is a local chapter near you.
Warm Feet for Warriors

Soldiers' Angels

Date/Time: The sock collection will run from February 1 – April 30. (Don’t worry if your socks arrive a little before the 1st or a little after the 30th– we anticipate that most people will end their collections on the 30th and the socks will arrive in the 2-3 weeks following.)

Location: Please mail your collected socks to:
Soldiers Angels’ – Warm Feet for Warriors
2895 NE Loop 410, Suite 107
San Antonio, TX 78218

Ages: Everyone can participate

Time Commitment: Varies

One of the items that is most requested from service members and veterans is socks! Just think of how nice a brand-new pair of socks feel when you pull them on! Soldiers’ Angels wants to help keep our troops and veterans’ toes feeling toasty, and you can help! Start a sock collection drive and send us new socks in all colors and sizes in their original packaging. We will distribute the socks to veterans in VA Hospitals and include in our care packages to deployed service members. Our goal for 2021 is to collect 10,000 pairs of socks for our deployed service members and veterans. You can buy any adult size socks. We have service members and veterans of all sizes and genders, so as long as they are adult socks, we’ll find the right person for the sock after we have them! As you will see on our Amazon Wish List, black is preferred, but really any color is fine! These socks are not meant to be used as uniform socks by our deployed service members. The military has pretty strict regulations when it comes to military uniforms and every branch is different. These socks will be used by military for time out of uniform. For veterans in hospitals, the color doesn’t matter at all, but hospitals require that patients have non-skid socks. Check out the Soldiers Angels’ – Warm Feet for Warriors page for more information about how to participate.

Create a Project

Good Deeds Day 2021

Date/Time(s):
  • March 29, Project registration deadline
  • April 11, International Good Deeds Day

Location: Your home or community

Ages: Everyone is welcome to participate

Time Commitment: Varies, depending on your project

Good Deeds Day is a global movement of doing good. Throughout the world families, neighbors, schools, clubs, companies, and communities come together to do a good deed project. Does your family have an idea of a Good Deeds Day project for your community? Or you can browse their project ideas page for ideas. We encourage individuals to recruit colleagues, friends and family, and plan a project as a group!

DOROT Summer Teen Internship Program

DOROT

Date/Time(s):
Session 1: June 28 - July 22, Manhattan
Session 2: July 27 - August 17, Manhattan, Riverdale, Brighton Beach

Location(s):
Manhattan (171 W 85th St off Amsterdam Ave)
Riverdale, Bronx (Riverdale YM-YWHA)
Brighton Beach, Brooklyn (Shorefront YM-YWHA)

Ages: Rising 10th graders – rising 12th graders

Time Commitment: Full-time Monday – Thursday for four weeks

Rising sophomores, juniors and seniors can intern with a diverse group of socially conscious peers to bring vital social connections to older adults. Through one of Dorot’s four free summer teen internship programs, you can develop leadership skills and engage in meaningful programs with older adults. Through a variety of intergenerational activities – including discussion groups, home visits, creative arts and tech assistance – you can give back to the community this summer while earning over 112 community service hours. In light of COVID-19 and in an effort to ensure the health and safety of all participants, DOROT's Manhattan Teen Internship Program will operate onsite only if we are able to gather indoors, masked but without social distancing in June 2021. Otherwise, the program will run virtually.

Do you have a teen who is making an impact in the community?

Riley’s Way Foundation Call for Kindness

Do you know a teen who wants to make a difference in the world? Does he or she have an idea that will inspire kindness and strengthen your local or global community? Riley’s Way is here to help you bring it to life. They are looking for teens to join the 2021 Call for Kindness – an opportunity for you to pitch your big idea for the chance to win up to $3,000 to help you make it a reality! Applications close April 7.

Please visit our website at www.callforkindness.org for more information

Did you know that along with DGT's family-friendly volunteer opportunities every month, we also offer a monthly newsletter and parenting-focused blog? Find them on our website, or better yet, subscribe now to have these tools, tips, and important resources sent to your inbox. Be sure to also share your favorite posts and tips with big-hearted families you know.
Mailing Address:
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This list was compiled by Doing Good Together™ (www.doinggoodtogether.org)
When calling to volunteer for any of the opportunities listed above, please let the coordinator know you found it through this listing. You are encouraged to ask any questions you may have of the sponsoring organization before committing to a project.
Disclaimer: This list is provided as a service to families. Inclusion of organizations in this listing does not imply affiliation, endorsement or quality assurance on the part of Doing Good Together.™ Doing Good Together™ bears no responsibility whatsoever for the activities and actions of the listed organizations.

© 2021 Doing Good Together™