The Best Places to Volunteer in New York on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a great time of year to give back to your community and help others who may be less fortunate than you. There are countless opportunities for you to volunteer this Thanksgiving, especially if you happen to live in or around New York City. New York is full of non-profit organizations whose missions are to provide help to those in need. These organizations are in constant need of volunteers. The work is not difficult, and you can help as often or as little as you like. Here are a few great volunteer opportunities in New York City that you can consider giving back to this Thanksgiving.
God’s Love We Deliver
God’s Love We Deliver, GLWD, is a great organization that delivers freshly prepared, nutritious meals to those who are too sick to cook for themselves. They work a lot with men, women, and families who have members suffering from HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other illnesses. Generally, these people are too ill to properly cook meals for themselves and the risk of malnutrition or hunger only worsens their conditions. Every day, GLWD delivers meals that are illness-specific and as the Thanksgiving season comes around, they can use a lot of help completing their mission.
You can help out in any capacity possible. There is often assistance needed putting together the meals and properly packaging them up for each individual household. All the cooking is done in the downtown location, and there is flexibility as to when you are able to go to help. You can also volunteer as a driver to help deliver the meals. GLWD has cars available, or you can use your own. GLWD can be found at 166 Avenue of Americas at Thompson Street.
Jan Hus Presbyterian Church
The Jan Hus Presbyterian Church offers a great environment for those who may be hungry this Thanksgiving season. Every Tuesday throughout the year, they offer a restaurant style dinner from 5:45 to 7pm. To help with this event, they ask volunteers to help serve food as well as sit down and interact with the visitors. On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, they have a particularly large gathering that requires as much help as possible. Also, if you happen to play piano, they appreciate some light music playing during this Thanksgiving meal to set the mood. The church is located at 351 E. 74th Street on 1st Avenue.
Bowery Mission
The Bowery Mission is probably the most visited soup kitchen in New York City, and they can use a lot of help, particularly on Thanksgiving Day. There are several ways in which you can help, from assisting with keeping the food line organized to actually serving the meal. This is a great organization that relies on outside support to function. To volunteer here, you need to register beforehand by filling out an application on their website. Bowery Mission is located at 227 Bowery between Prince and Spring Street.
