New York Cares

In 1987, a group of friends who wanted to volunteer found themselves frustrated by a fractured nonprofit landscape, making opportunities hard to find. They wanted a centralized way to organize efforts and access communities. We provide year-round and access communities. We provide year-round volunteer opportunities for New Yorkers like you. Projects take place across the city 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 Our programs have evolved over decades of on-the-ground experience. Some volunteers work on the same project every week, while others switch it up for a taste for everything we offer. The options are endless. Since then, we’ve become the largest organization of our kind—making it possible to amplify individual efforts and scale partnerships that serve communities in every borough. In 1989, we launched our inaugural annual Coat Drive – the city’s first centralized initiative to collect and distribute warm winter coats across NYC. Every year we rally a massive network of supporters to gather, sort, and match thousands of coats to nonprofits and partners in every borough. To date, these collective efforts have kept over 2.5 million New Yorkers warm in the cold winter months. In times of crisis, New York Cares volunteers step up to support their neighbors, rebuild critical infrastructure, and help the city reemerge stronger than ever. Whether distributing resources after 9/11, repairing houses in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, or delivering meals during the COVID-19 lockdown, our teams have shown up on the front lines time and time again to keep New York moving. With an outsized reach and impact, New York Cares has set the standard for nonprofit work, partnering with more than 400 schools, 150 corporations, and tens of thousands of individuals every year, inspiring organizations around the country. ...view more