Volunteer

Please sign up in advance for the activity you’d like to join so we know how many people to expect. Getting started is simple:

1. Create a free volunteer account at theservicecollective.org/login (signing up takes less than 2 minutes!)
2. Browse our volunteer opportunities at theservicecollective.org/#volunteer-section
3. Choose the activity (or activities) you’d like to take part in. You can register for yourself and as many kids or family members you’d like.

Once you sign up, you’ll receive two emails: a registration confirmation, and a request to fill out your profile and sign a first-time volunteering waiver. Volunteers will receive further information and instructions two days before the event, and a reminder email one day before.

Please note: some of our partners are hosting multiple volunteer activities, so please double check which activity you have signed up for before the day of the event.

Age requirements: Ages 6+ with guardian

Location: Red Hook Farms (Columbia St), 5-60 Columbia Street, Brooklyn 11231

Suggested donation of $25/volunteer to help cover costs of Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day.

Volunteer to pitch in and clean up around Red Hook. Living in a clean environment makes life healthier, less stressful, and more pleasant. It can improve the self-image of residents and everyone in the community. It’s amazing what a few short hours of clean up can do to transform a neighborhood!

Volunteers will meet at the Columbia Street farm and each group will be a assigned a block to clean. We’ll have all the supplies, just show up ready to work!

SIGN UP HERE

About Red Hook Initiative

We are Red Hook Initiative, a community based nonprofit impacting the lives of over 6,500 residents of Red Hook, Brooklyn. Together, we can create change from within.

Age requirements: Ages 13+ with guardian, 14+ without guardian

Location: Red Hook Farms (Columbia St), 5-60 Columbia Street, Brooklyn 11231

Suggested donation of $25/volunteer to help cover costs of Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day.

Volunteer at Red Hook Farms! You will work alongside Red Hook Farm staff to cultivate a variety of organic vegetables on one of our two urban farm sites. Tasks may include composting, weeding, harvesting, planting, mulching, site maintenance, beautification and many other farm duties. The farm work often includes moving objects around the site and working close to ground for extended periods of time.

These are just some components of typical activities you would get involved in during either shift, but there are many other farm duties you can get involved in during your time at Red Hook Farms!

SIGN UP HERE

About Red Hook Farms

Red Hook Farms is a youth-centered urban agriculture and food justice program operating one of Brooklyn’s largest farms. Formerly a concrete baseball field, the Columbia Street Farm was founded in 2001 and is now a thriving 2.75 acre produce production, compost site and outdoor classroom that supplies our farms stands and CSA. We harvest over 15,000 pounds of produce each year, welcome hundreds of volunteers and host community events throughout the growing season.

Age requirements: Ages 12+ with guardian, 16+ without guardian. No volunteers under 12 years old.

Location: Mixteca, 245 23rd St, Brooklyn 11215

Suggested donation of $25/volunteer to help cover costs of Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day.

Assist Brooklyn Org with Mixteca’s weekly food distribution, Mercadito Solidario. Mercadito Solidario provides the Mixteca community with fresh nutritious foods such as: fruits and vegetables, including jalapeños, tomatillos, tortillas, plants and herbs, that oftentimes are only found in our communities home countries.

Volunteers will be tasked to distribute fresh fruits and vegetables to our community members. Skills would include: customer service, lifting boxes, setting up the market (setting up tables, small tents, setting up food boxes), cleaning up (assisting with trash, recycling), breaking down after the market is over.

Bilingual English/Spanish speakers are strongly encouraged to join this event, but not required.

SIGN UP HERE

About Mixteca

Mixteca’s mission is to address critical needs in health, education, social and legal issues facing the burgeoning Mexican and Latin American immigrant community in Brooklyn.

Age requirements: 14+

Location: Brownsville Community Culinary Center, 69 Belmont Ave, Brooklyn 11212

Suggested donation of $25/volunteer to help cover costs of Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day.

Help support Brownsville Community Culinary Center with a deep clean of their kitchen! Volunteers will scrub, mop, and organize the kitchen to gift the BCCC community with a sparkling space to continue thier mission. At the end of your two hour shift you’ll be treated to a lunch from the BCCC chefs.

SIGN UP HERE

About Brownsville Community Culinary Center

The Brownsville Community Culinary Center provides free, world-class culinary vocational training to Brownsville residents through our culinary training program. We work with our numerous site partners to offer a safe, comfortable space where neighbors can access fresh, healthy, affordable, culturally relevant foods, prepared by training program participants apprenticing alongside industry professionals. The BCCC is available to community groups seeking to organize and address issues affecting the neighborhood, and to celebrate, relax, learn, train and enjoy each other’s company.

Age requirements: Ages 8+ with guardian, 14+ without guardian

Location: Brownsville Community Culinary Center, 69 Belmont Ave, Brooklyn 11212

Suggested donation of $25/volunteer to help cover costs of Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day.

Help support Brownsville Community Culinary Center by sprucing up their dining room and decorating it for Spring. This shift will kick off with an amazing lunch provided by the BCCC chefs. Then, volunteers will help clean up and wipe down the space before create spring-themed bulletin boards and other decor for patrons to enjoy.

SIGN UP HERE

About Brownsville Community Culinary Center

The Brownsville Community Culinary Center provides free, world-class culinary vocational training to Brownsville residents through our culinary training program. We work with our numerous site partners to offer a safe, comfortable space where neighbors can access fresh, healthy, affordable, culturally relevant foods, prepared by training program participants apprenticing alongside industry professionals. The BCCC is available to community groups seeking to organize and address issues affecting the neighborhood, and to celebrate, relax, learn, train and enjoy each other’s company.

Age requirements: All Ages

Location: Leif Ericson Park, 66th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11220

Suggested donation of $25/volunteer to help cover costs of Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day.

In PCR’s Park Cleanup event, volunteers are responsible for maintaining the appearance, health, and safety of landscapes and features in public parks. Volunteers will work to beautify the park grounds by keeping lawns green, raking the leaves and litter-free, planting and tending the flowers and shrubs, and removing the weeds. In an effort to keep the park safe, volunteers will maintain and make any repairs to park debris as needed. Participants will work hard to ensure the park is attractive and clean for community members. Through this event, the community will understand the importance of maintaining a clean environment for their neighborhood.

SIGN UP HERE

About Parent-Child Relationship Association

Parent-Child Relationship Association (PCR) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that aims to strengthen family relationships and promote parent-child bonding. PCR has been a pillar of the Brooklyn immigrant community by providing services, programs, and resources to the families and engaging them with volunteer activities. We help immigrant families develop a sense of belonging, increase civil engagements, take responsibility, and give back to society, creating a more harmonious community environment.

Age requirements: Ages 14+ without guardian

Location: TechFIN Headquarters, 68 34th Street, Suite B517 (Industry City), Brooklyn 11232

Suggested donation of $25/volunteer to help cover costs of Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day.

Join TechFin and help ready computers to be shipped to families in need. You’ll learn about their mission and get a sense of what it takes to take on this important need for our community.

SIGN UP HERE

About TechFIN

TechFIN helps narrow the digital divide by addressing a major hurdle to computer hardware ownership: its cost. By collecting used PC-based laptops and desktop computers, TechFin is able to revitalize these machines and distribute them to low-income households at no cost to them.

Age requirements: Ages 14+ with guardian

Location: TechFIN Headquarters, 68 34th Street, Suite B517 (Industry City), Brooklyn 11232

Suggested donation of $25/volunteer to help cover costs of Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day.

TechFin will become an e-waste recycling center for Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day! Volunteer to help collect e-waste from the community, sort through it, and pack up to be recycled. It’s illegal for New Yorkers to dispose of certain electronic devices in the trash or regular recycling bins. Pitch in to help all in the community recycle responsibly.

SIGN UP HERE

About TechFIN

TechFIN helps narrow the digital divide by addressing a major hurdle to computer hardware ownership: its cost. By collecting used PC-based laptops and desktop computers, TechFin is able to revitalize these machines and distribute them to low-income households at no cost to them.

Age requirements: 16+

Location: CHiPS Soup Kitchen, 200 4th Avenue, Brooklyn 11217

Suggested donation of $25/volunteer to help cover costs of Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day.

Pitch in in the CHiPS kitchen! From preparing food to portioning, packing, and serving meals—and even cleaning up—volunteers support the entire food service process. Every day volunteers prepare hundreds of bagels and sandwiches, work in the kitchen alongside our chef chopping vegetables and packing hot lunches, help to sort and repack food donations, and, most importantly, serve the food to the hundreds of neighbors who rely on meals from CHiPS everyday.

SIGN UP HERE

About CHiPS

Based in the Park Slope/Gowanus community of Brooklyn, the mission of CHiPS is two fold: to eliminate food insecurity and homelessness in New York City.

Age requirements: Ages 9+ with guardian, Ages 12-15 without guardian

Location: CHiPS Soup Kitchen, 200 4th Avenue, Brooklyn 11217

Suggested donation of $25/volunteer to help cover costs of Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day.

Join us at the TSC Treat Stand! Lunch guests at the CHiPS soup kitchen on 4th Avenue love to get a little extra snack and some coffee with their meal, especially the warm greetings and smiles from our youth and families. Volunteers may bring snacks or home baked treats to share with the guests.

Spanish speakers are strongly encouraged to sign up (however, it is not required to be bilingual to participate).

SIGN UP HERE

About CHiPS

Based in the Park Slope/Gowanus community of Brooklyn, the mission of CHiPS is two fold: to eliminate food insecurity and homelessness in New York City.

Age requirements: Ages 7+ with guardian, 14+ without

Location: Sure We Can, 219 McKibbin St., Brooklyn 11206

Suggested donation of $25/volunteer to help cover costs of Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day.

Join Brooklyn Org to learn from Sure We Can staff and community members about the day-to-day work of bottle and can collecting and sorting. Volunteers will participate in sorting materials that will then be directly recycled! No particular special skills are required, just a willingness to get a little dirty and to help us dig through the valuable materials that others throw away!

SIGN UP HERE

About Sure We Can

Founded in 2007 to provide canners–people who collect cans and bottles from the streets–a welcoming place to redeem and connect with others engaged in the same work. Swc is the only non-profit directly serving canners in New York.

Age requirements: 16+

Location: Good Call East NY Neighborhood Canvas, 3319 Fulton St., Brooklyn 11208

Suggested donation of $25/volunteer to help cover costs of Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day.

Volunteers will help Good Call launch a poster and decal campaign across key neighborhoods in Brooklyn, including East New York. By partnering with local businesses, Good Call aims to increase awareness and accessibility to critical legal counsel in areas most impacted by the justice system. Volunteers will get a short training to learn about Good Call and will be provided with a canvas radius to go door to door with posters and decals for local businesses to display in their windows and counters.

These businesses, trusted by their communities, act as credible messengers. This grassroots effort is a vital part of our mission to ensure that Brooklyn residents know their rights and have immediate access to support during legal emergencies.

SIGN UP HERE

About Good Call

Good Call’s mission is to empower marginalized communities and create systemic transformation by using technology and community organizing to provide immediate access to legal support. By providing access to immediate legal representation, individuals are given a chance to prevent lifelong consequences for wrongful charges. By transforming the arrest process, Good Call advocates to make early legal intervention a standard in NYC and beyond.

Age requirements: 16+

Location: Good Call Brownsville Neighborhood Canvas, 453 Mother Gaston Blvd, Brooklyn 11212

Suggested donation of $25/volunteer to help cover costs of Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day.

Volunteers will help Good Call launch a poster and decal campaign across key neighborhoods in Brooklyn, including Brownsville. By partnering with local businesses, Good Call aims to increase awareness and accessibility to critical legal counsel in areas most impacted by the justice system. Volunteers will get a short training to learn about Good Call and will be provided with a canvas radius to go door to door with posters and decals for local businesses to display in their windows and counters.

These businesses, trusted by their communities, act as credible messengers. This grassroots effort is a vital part of our mission to ensure that Brooklyn residents know their rights and have immediate access to support during legal emergencies.

SIGN UP HERE

About Good Call

Good Call’s mission is to empower marginalized communities and create systemic transformation by using technology and community organizing to provide immediate access to legal support. By providing access to immediate legal representation, individuals are given a chance to prevent lifelong consequences for wrongful charges. By transforming the arrest process, Good Call advocates to make early legal intervention a standard in NYC and beyond.

Age requirements: 16+

Location: Good Call Downtown Brooklyn Neighborhood Canvas, 81 Willoughby St., Brooklyn 11201

Suggested donation of $25/volunteer to help cover costs of Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day.

Volunteers will help Good Call launch a poster and decal campaign across key neighborhoods in Brooklyn, including Downtown Brooklyn. By partnering with local businesses, Good Call aims to increase awareness and accessibility to critical legal counsel in areas most impacted by the justice system. Volunteers will get a short training to learn about Good Call and will be provided with a canvas radius to go door to door with posters and decals for local businesses to display in their windows and counters.

These businesses, trusted by their communities, act as credible messengers. This grassroots effort is a vital part of our mission to ensure that Brooklyn residents know their rights and have immediate access to support during legal emergencies.

SIGN UP HERE

About Good Call

Good Call’s mission is to empower marginalized communities and create systemic transformation by using technology and community organizing to provide immediate access to legal support. By providing access to immediate legal representation, individuals are given a chance to prevent lifelong consequences for wrongful charges. By transforming the arrest process, Good Call advocates to make early legal intervention a standard in NYC and beyond.

Age requirements: Ages 7+ with guardian

Location: YWCA Brooklyn, 30 3rd Ave, Brooklyn 11217

Suggested donation of $25/volunteer to help cover costs of Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day.

Join us along with the floral experts from BloomAgainBklyn to bring joy and caring to deserving members of our community, the women in residence at the YWCA. Volunteers will be upcycling fresh floral blooms into beautiful arrangements and creating silk flower cards. At the end of the creative session, the volunteers’ arrangements and cards will be given to the residents of the YWCA, many of whom are survivors of trauma and homelessness.

SIGN UP HERE

About BloomAgainBklyn

BloomAgainBklyn’s mission is to bring together people of all ages and backgrounds to spark their creative agency, connect with their community, and spread joy and kindness through the healing power of flowers. Our volunteers repurpose unsold and once-used flowers for populations impacted by systemic inequities that increase social isolation and loneliness. These include those in underserved neighborhoods, survivors of gender-based violence and homelessness, older adults at home and in health care centers, food pantry recipients, new immigrants, and children at-risk.

Age requirements: Ages 13+

Location: 141 Flushing Ave Suite 407 (Brooklyn Navy Yard), Brooklyn, NY 11205

Suggested donation of $25/volunteer to help cover costs of Brooklyn Org Volunteer Day.

Pitch in to help increase literacy and the number of 100+ book homes in NYC for kids 0-18! Volunteers will work together to stamp and sort books that have been donated to Brooklyn Book Bodega for distributing in the community.

SIGN UP HERE

About Brooklyn Book Bodega

Brooklyn Book Bodega increases the number of 100+ book homes in NYC. Despite the resources and wealth in New York City—parts of our own community are classified as book deserts, areas with very few books available for sale or lending.

Book deserts affect many communities, restricting access to essential reading materials. This scarcity contributes to challenges such as health disparities, economic inequality, and educational gaps. For communities already facing numerous obstacles, limited access to books presents an additional barrier. Expanding book access is a crucial step toward fostering educational success, economic mobility, and lifelong learning for all.

Brooklyn Book Bodega views book access as a public health issue. We recognize that reading is a gateway to information and that when kids cannot access information, there is a ripple effect on many other aspects of their lives. Poor reading skills in elementary school are associated with feelings of depression and anger. A child who cannot read well is less likely to graduate high school and have career success. Literacy is tied directly to life outcomes – mental and physical health, education, and financial attainment.

Often, for children experiencing poverty, the only place where they have access to high-interest and knowledge-building books is at school or at the library. In 2023, new hardcover books for kids and teens averaged $21.85. For many New Yorkers, a new book is an unaffordable luxury. Brooklyn Book Bodega works to ensure that all children, regardless of economic circumstances, can grow up in homes filled with books.