Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities is looking for volunteers (through 8/31) to mentor teens throughout NYC this summer. Once a week for 3 months, you and your assigned teen will meet virtually to talk academic and career advice and financial literacy. If you're looking to inspire the next generation, sign up here!

CITY HARVEST

As an essential service, City Harvest is continuing their work and even ramping up operations to respond to increased demand. They need volunteers to come pack food to be distributed to food pantries and through their Mobile Markets.

*Note: This is an in-person opportunity. City Harvest has adjusted volunteer policies in accordance with the latest recommendations from the CDC.

IN IT TOGETHER

Robin Hood community partner Lemontree has created a platform called In It Together to match New Yorkers with emergency food organizations in urgent need of healthy volunteers who are able to help.

*Note: This is an in-person opportunity. Partner organizations are ensuring the safety of volunteers by providing protective gear and/or keeping groups small to allow for distance between individuals.

COUNCIL OF PEOPLES ORGANIZATION

Council of Peoples Organization (COPO) Food Pantry in Brooklyn is seeking volunteers to assist with pantry operations on Thursdays and Fridays. To help out or learn more, please email Kelsey at ksimmons@copo.org.

*Note: This is an in-person opportunity. COPO has implemented safety measures to protect clients, staff and volunteers.

INVISIBLE HANDS

Invisible Hands is providing free, no-contact delivery of supplies, groceries, and other necessities for the most at-risk community members. Volunteer to deliver items. 

*Note: This is an in-person opportunity. Invisible Hands has implemented safety guidelines to minimize any potential transmission.

UPCHIEVE

With the closing of NYC public schools, many children are home without the resources and nurturing spaces that schools provide them. Born out of Robin Hood’s tech incubator Blue Ridge Labs, Upchieve is an ed-tech nonprofit that connects low-income students with live academic support (you!). You can help provide math tutoring or college counseling on your own time and from anywhere with an internet connection. Sign up to be an academic coach.

HEIGHTS AND HILLS

Social distancing is tough for everyone, but for at-risk populations, it can be particularly isolating. Organizations that work with New York’s elderly populations are asking volunteers to call seniors and perform “wellness checks,” ensuring they are okay and have everything they need. Fill out this form to volunteer with Heights and Hills.

BOWERY RESIDENTS COMMITTEE APPRECIATION

During this incredibly challenging moment in our lives, BRC staff is working 24/7 to provide support and care to their clients. Send them a note of encouragement so they know how grateful we are. Email rakin@brc.org your thanks in whatever medium you’re comfortable with — a video/photo of you saying thanks, a hand-drawn and scanned picture from your child, artwork expressing gratitude, scanned thank you notes, etc! 

BRC Meal Packing

In an effort to ensure the continued health and safety of their residents, BRC has started offering pre-packaged meal delivery. They are seeking assistance with the packaging process at their Bed-Stuy and Chelsea locations. Please email rakin@brc.org to lend a hand.

*Note: This is an in-person volunteer opportunity. For the safety of everyone, BRC requires that volunteers practice social distancing and wear PPE. 

GODDARD RIVERSIDE

Goddard Riverside is a staple forthe Upper West Side community, particularly for vulnerable populations such as seniors and homebound adults. They are continuing to support their clients through the crisis and are looking for volunteers to help. If you would like to deliver meals, write letters to older adults, to provide virtual tutoring to students, please email Laura.

HELPING HANDS

Helping Hands is a nonprofit organization dedicatedto serving those most vulnerable to COVID19: seniors, the immunocompromised, and peoplewith pre-existing medical conditions. They are seeking volunteers to deliver groceries, medicine, or other critical supplies so that at risk individuals can stay home, safe.

*Note: This is an in-person opportunity. Helping Hands has implemented safety measures to protect clients, staff and volunteers.

WOMEN IN NEED (win)

Women in Need (WIN), a family shelter that Robin Hood supports, runs 11 shelters and more than 300 supportive housing units across New York City. Their sites are looking for entertainment items for children, as well as personal hygiene products and other things to make quarantine more manageable. Check out the wish lists here.

BOWERY RESIDENTS’ COMMITTEE

In the era of social distancing, Bowery Residents’ Committee, BRC, is asking people to contribute individual entertainment items for their clients in shelter. Check out their Amazon wish list.

NEW YORK COMMON PANTRY

The number of food pantry clients has more than doubled in the past few weeks. Send shelf stable food directly to New York Common Pantry through their Amazon wish list.  

MONTEFIORE HEALTHY STEPS

Montefiore Healthy Steps is a program for new parents to ensure that parents and their babies get started on the right track. Right now, these parents are struggling to buy essential items for their children. Supplies you purchase from their Amazon wish list will be distributed to COVID-19+ mothers of newborns, as well as other extremely vulnerable families at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx.

LITTLE SISTERS OF THE ASSUMPTION

Little Sisters of the Assumption provides bilingual early-childhood development programs to isolated Mexican families in East Harlem. Send Target gift cards to Melina Gonzalez at mgonzalez@lsafhs.org

PART OF THE SOLUTION

Part of the Solution operates a soup kitchen and food pantry in the Bronx. POTS also provides social services, a benefits access site, and a men’s shelter. Send Amazon gift cards to Angela Collard at acollard@potsbronx.org  

ASSOCIATION TO BENEFIT CHILDREN

Association to Benefit Children provides preschool programs, housing, and medical services and crisis intervention to thousands of low-income families across NYC. Send Amazon gift cards to Gretchen Buchenholz at gbuchenholz@a-b-c.org 

CYPRESS HILLS

Cypress Hills combines High School Equivalency preparation with case-management services to help low-income young adults in Brooklyn enter college or full-time employment. Send Target gift cards to Maria Rodriguez at marial@cypresshills.org 

ROBIN HOOD X ROAR EMPLOYEE RELIEF FUND

Relief Opportunities for All Restaurants (ROAR) and Robin Hood are partnering with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) to provide direct cash assistance to restaurant workers in New York City facing unprecedented economic hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. NYC’s hospitality teams live to take care of us. Now it’s our turn to take care of them. Your support will make all the difference.

2020 CENSUS

Get Counted! 

The United States Constitution requires that every 10 years we count the population or conduct a “census.” The census is vitally important, as it determines each state’s proportional representation in Congress, as well as shares of federal funds for a range of programs including health care, education, housing, economic development, social services, roads, and transportation. 

New York could lose two congressional seats as a result of undercounting—and New York City has up to $5.8 billion in census-guided funding at stake, which supports the Mass Transit Authority (“MTA”), the Department of Education (“DOE”), and federal programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, and Head Start.                                                       

Since COVID-19 is threatening our collective ability to get counted, it is more crucial than ever to ensure a complete count of New Yorkers. The 2020 Census takes less than 10 minutes to fill out, but will impact the flow of federal dollars in our communities for the next 10 years. 

Over the next few months, we will share several opportunities to spread the word, but for now, take 10 minutes to fill out the census and ensure at least two friends do the same! Share with your networks and tag us @theforestnyc.

THANK YOU

This is just the beginning. Your kindness and generosity strengthen our resolve, knowing our collective impact is what will see us through to brighter days.

If you would like to learn more about how you can help communities in need during COVID-19, please contact Laura at eule@robinhood.org.