2023-2024 Volunteering Opportunities in and Around Boston
Throughout the year, and especially during the holiday season, there are thousands of people in need throughout the Greater Boston area. Many organizations exist in and around the city that are critical to meeting these needs, and many of them are accepting volunteers.
Below is a list of organizations accepting help that you can volunteer with this holiday season and beyond.
Animal Rescue League of Boston
The Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) is an organization that is dedicated to protecting the welfare of animals across the Boston area. ARL offers both individual and group volunteer opportunities to enable animals to live safe and healthy lives in their habitats and homes. Typical volunteer opportunities through this organization include but are not limited to feeding animals, training shelter animals, general office support, and providing care to community cats in or around the organizations Animal Care and Adoption Centers. Most volunteer positions require volunteers to commit to the position for a minimum of six months, so this is a great opportunity for anyone who is willing to extend a helping hand even after the holiday season is over.
Fenway Health - AIDS Action Committee
The AIDS Action Committee, as part of Fenway Health, is New England’s largest provider of resources for people living with HIV/AIDS and populations who are at risk for infection. Volunteer opportunities with this organization include reception volunteer positions to help connect people and visitors to different available resources, along with helping at community and fundraising events to help raise money to help people living with HIV/AIDS gain access to resources they could need.
Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP)
You can volunteer at BHCHP by becoming a patient navigator escorting patients to outside appointments, assisting in the waiting room and reminding patients of their appointments, or becoming an AA/NA group assistant conducting support groups.
Learn more and apply to volunteer here.
Victory Programs
Victory Programs is a multi-divisional organization whose mission is to provide help and resources to individuals and families who are struggling with homelessness, addiction, and/or other chronic health conditions that significantly impact quality of life. Victory programs typically help people through meeting them where they are (or at one of the organization’s centers) to address obstacles individuals or families may be facing, along with helping them gain access to services, treatment, support and care that will help individuals in need of specific services. Volunteer opportunities with this organization include serving meals, teaching classes/workshops, assisting in their urban farm, building, and harm-reduction kits with the prevention center.
American Red Cross - Massachusetts
The Massachusetts division of the American Red Cross helps provide emergency services, ranging from healthcare, food, and shelter to people experiencing urgent emergency events such as those in the aftermath of natural or personal disasters. The Red Cross also provides services regarding healthcare, food/mass-feeding, shelter management, technology, and casework for those who have particular difficulty in accessing these services. They provide volunteer opportunities ranging from assisting/promoting local blood drives, assisting in free education opportunities preparing people for personal or natural disasters, assisting in administrative activities at local chapter offices, and helping connect people to resources that match their needs.
St. Francis House
St Francis House is a shelter and program in downtown Boston that provides refuge and resources for people experiencing poverty and/or homelessness. St. Francis House does its best to provide an inclusive year-round community to help provide individuals basic needs such as stable shelter, food, and clothing. They are approaching homelessness and poverty through a holistic approach through addressing behavioral health, housing, and employment needs. People can help volunteer at St. Francis House, through assisting in their kitchen, taking part in art therapy sessions with guests of the home, sort and organize clothing donations, and assist in training sessions to help prepare individuals for job interviews, computer literacy, and other life and wellness skills.
Little Brothers: Friends of the Elderly
Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly, is an organization whose mission is to relieve feelings of isolation and loneliness in elderly communities. LBFE works to help improve the lives of older adults that have limited access to transportation, experience language barriers for navigating everyday life, and those without many friends or family nearby. They collaborate with affordable/public senior housing buildings, local senior centers, and even colleges to connect young volunteers with residents to help build a community between different generations. People can get involved with LBFE by interacting with assigned older adults, participating in supply drives to help older adults gain essential supplies they may need, along with assisting them in laptop and technology literacy.
Elizabeth Peabody House
Elizabeth Peabody House operates on a mission to help support families and help them thrive through early childhood education, youth development and enrichment, and food security. This organization also encourages the construction of diverse and inclusive communities that will not only help families and children thrive, but also ameliorate staff and development growth. Volunteer opportunities at Elizabeth Peabody House include picking up and stocking food for their local food pantry, along with distributing foods to clients across Boston communities.
Friday Night Supper Program
The Friday Night Supper Program helps provide warm, healthy meals to people in need, along with a safe and dignified environment every Friday night. People can help volunteer with the organization by either helping out in their kitchen, helping set up dining areas during the day, and serving food to guests and people in need on Friday evenings.
Friends of Boston's Homeless
Friends of Boston’s Homeless is an organization that helps enable some transitions for people experiencing homelessness either from the streets to shelters, or from shelters to more stable housing. This organization also helps individuals in need through engaging them with services they need to live peaceful and fulfilling lives within their communities. People can volunteer through volunteering in drives for essential items, make housewarming baskets and take part in their ‘Housewarming Registry’ for people transitioning between living situations.
Haley House
Haley House is an organization in which they help individuals affected the harshest by social and economic inequality by enabling them to move towards wholeness and economic independence. They do their best to enable collaborative living and working environments through making connections across different communities and boundaries, as well as through challenging attitudes and structures that perpetuate suffering. One can volunteer at Haley House at their soup kitchen, their food pantry, as well as assisting in their “Take Back the Kitchen” cooking classes.
Community Cooks
Community Cooks is a service that prepares and delivers food/meals to individuals who are experiencing food insecurities in order to help them better thrive in both their community and personal lives.Service agents associated with Community Cooks help connect them to people in need of their services and enable communication of the specific needs of each client. Volunteers are needed as either cooks and kitchen crew.
Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston help enable youth all over Boston to have the opportunity to realize their full potential. They also offer a plethora of after-school programs and strong communities with committed staff to help youth not only further explore their interest, but also provide a safe space to explore leadership and community-building opportunities. One can volunteer at this organization through helping out in youth programs and other potential mentorship roles within the organization.
Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD)
Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) is an organization in which coordinates meaningful projects to assist low-income families across Boston in building a more stable community for these families. This program offers assistance in regards to career development, education, healthcare, housing and even energy needs if necessary. This organization offers volunteer opportunities in tutoring, career mentorship, special events, or even being a volunteer tax preparator.
Greater Boston Food Bank
The Greater Boston Food Bank has a mission to end hunger within the city of Boston through distributing nutrient-rich and healthy foods to people who struggle to have enough to eat for even one day. This organization acquires food either through food industry partners and financial donations, after which the food is then distributed to local food pantries, soup kitchen and meal programs, along with centers that serve other communities in need. Volunteer opportunities available at the food bank include helping out in food sorting projects, packing Family Meal boxes and potentially aiding in distributing food shipments to clients if needed..
Lovin' Spoonfuls
Lovin’ Spoonfuls is a food rescue organization that has a mission to prevent excess healthy, fresh food from being discarded. This acquired food will eventually be distributed to community organizations and programs that would have the greatest impact, in which the organization also plans to address health, environmental, and economic impact wasted food has had on many of Boston’s communities. People can volunteer in this organization by helping handle fresh food while adhering to federal food safety regulations to prepare them for distribution.
Pine Street Inn
Pine Street Inn is the largest unhoused service provider in New England, and they work with unhoused individuals to help move them to stable housing. This organization also assists people who were formerly unhoused individuals retain housing. Pine Street Inn also provides services such as street outreach, emergency services, supportive housing, job training and connections to employment. One can volunteer at Pine Street Inn through donating and distributing cold weather clothes to individuals who stay outside, distribute meals, take part in their gift card drive, and make decorations for any residents they are hosting at one of their centers.
Rosie's Place
Rosie’s Place is a multi-service community center that offers women emergency shelter and meals among other things. They also offer services to women in need, including but not limited to food pantry, ESOL classes, legal assistance, wellness care, one-on-one support, housing and job hunt assistance, along with community outreach. Current volunteer opportunities available at Rosie’s place range from teaching ESL, ESOL and computer literacy classes for adult women, to preparing and serving meals in the dining area. There are even opportunities to volunteer at the organization’s art workshop.
Room to Grow
Room to Grow is an organization which assists families in low-income circumstances with children from birth to age three so that children in these circumstances can have a strong foundation in life. This organization helps provide families with needed supplies essential for raising an infant and/or toddler. This organization also provides parental support resources to discuss parenting questions and connect parents in need to community resources to help enable their children’s growth and development. Volunteer opportunities for this organization include helping sort and organize baby items at their warehouses or family centers, and potentially aid in distributing the items to families in need.
Boston Rescue Mission
Boston Rescue Mission is an organization that aids in empowering individuals experiencing homelessness or at-risk of becoming unhoused, in achieving and sustaining life skills necessary to become more self-sufficient. Not only do they also provide emergency overnight shelters every year, they also provide food, resources for recovering from substance use disorder, and aid in transitioning from homelessness to independent living. Volunteer opportunities for this organization include kitchen work, street outreach, and other occasional projects. Volunteer outreach positions are also available in regards to building maintenance, drivers to help distribute food packages and donations, as well as cleaning and laundry for shelter guests.