“Whatever community organization, whether it’s a women’s organization, or fighting for racial justice…you will get satisfaction out of doing something to give back to the community that you never get in any other way.” Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg's insight on volunteering is especially relevant this week, with One Boston Day right around the corner and both National Volunteer Week and National Volunteer Month in full swing.
All of these holidays celebrate the positive impact of volunteer service, and One Boston Day — established after the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 — encourages Bostonians to commit random acts of kindness, both big and small, and to take a moment to appreciate our city's unique community. In the spirit of these holidays and to celebrate One Boston Day, we've created a one-stop shop for volunteer opportunities at impactful organizations across the city. Whether you're passionate about the environment, have a soft spot for animals, or love working with kids, check out the roundup below for 100 ways you can give back on One Boston Day and beyond.
Animals
| Animal Rescue League Boston Multiple Locations Feed and train shelter animals, provide care to community cats, staff special events, provide general office support, and more |
MSPCA Brookline Clean, feed animals, provide animal behavior enrichment, educate and interact with visitors, help with adoptions, and more |
| New England Aquarium Downtown Boston Prepare food for the animals, feed the animals in the Giant Ocean Tank, educate and interact with visitors, make ice toys for the seals, and more |
Zoo New England Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Stoneham Educate guests, maintain park grounds, prepare food for animals, assist keepers, care for the animals in the Petting Zoo, and more |
Arts
| American Repertory Theater Cambridge Distribute programs, provide information about shows, scan tickets, clean up after performances, and more |
Artists for Humanity South Boston Promote the artwork, work on special projects, provide 1:1 tutoring to teens, and more |
| BAMS Festival Dorchester Set up and tear down the festival, manage or assist with festival activities, oversee the parking area, sell merchandise, staff the information booth, and more |
Boston Center for the Arts South End Help usher for productions in the Plaza and Black Box Theatres or act as a gallery attendant in the Mills Gallery |
| Cambridge Arts Council Cambridge Set up and tear down the festival, sell merchandise, assist with children's activities, run supplies between venues, and more |
Cambridge Symphony Orchestra Cambridge Play the string bass, contrabassoon, trumpet, harp, or percussion |
| Community Music Center of Boston South End Volunteer with specific programs or help with administrative support, fundraising, marketing, or special events |
José Mateo Ballet Theatre Cambridge Help with performances, marketing, the Dance for World Community Festival, fundraising tours, community engagement programming, and more |
Children and Families
| Cambridge Family & Children's Service Cambridge Help with the 5k races that benefit CFCS, organize gifts during the holiday gift drive, and prepare for the Circle of Friends gala and auction |
Children's Services of Roxbury Roxbury Work at a daycare program or adult shelter and transition house, work on a special event or project, become a parent mentor, or assist with administrative duties |
| Christopher’s Haven West End Host a child's birthday party, cook a family meal, host a day of arts and crafts for children, and more |
Jeremiah Program Roxbury Help care for children, guide women through planned curriculum, help prepare and store meals, or tutor a mother in a subject area of your strength |
Civic Engagement
| Boston Public Library Multiple Locations Act as an art and architecture tour guide, work with small groups of ESL learners, facilitate large groups who are looking to improve their conversational English, and more |
City of Boston Greater Boston Apply for mini-grants for neighborhood improvement projects in local neighborhoods, tend to community gardens and plots, and more |
| Friends of the Cambridge Public Library Cambridge Help with website design, software, clerical and office, and social media duties |
SomerServe Somerville Sign up to receive a monthly newsletter detailing volunteer opportunities with city departments, community events, and local non-profits |
| Somerville Public Library Somerville Help at special library events or in various library departments, including children's, teen room, reference, cataloging, and technology |
Community and Multi-Service Agencies
| American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay Food Pantry Roxbury Help with administrative support, blood services, disaster services, food and nutrition, international services, youth programs, and more |
Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center Chinatown Tutor children after school, translate, assist with marketing and media, organize the library and curriculum materials, assist in organizing special events, and more |
| Boston Living Center South End Set up the dining room, prepare and serve food, wash dishes, monitor coat check, help with office work, monitor the computer room, and more |
Cambridge Community Center Cambridge Tutor children, lead workshops, set up and clean up The Coast Kitchen, help with indoor and outdoor maintenance work, and more |
| Cambridge YMCA Cambridge Read stories, assist children in art or cooking projects, instruct classes about subjects of your interest, join children in the gym for large motor activities, and more |
Community Dispute Settlement Center Cambridge Mediate or help with marketing and communication, event planning, fundraising and development, program evaluation, or technology and social media |
| De Novo Cambridge Utilize your experience as an attorney, paralegal, or law student in the legal program, or utilize your experience as a psychologist, social worker, or therapist in the counseling program |
East End House Cambridge Assist with administration, community programs, youth mentoring, the school age program, child care, the emergency food program, the middle school program, special projects, and more |
| Goodwill Massachusetts Greater Boston Participate in annual holiday events, mentor youth, sort donated goods, host mock interviews, host a clothing or toy drive, and more |
New England Center and Home for Veterans Downtown Boston Serve meals, sort and prepare supplies for veterans, coach and teach at the Veterans Training School, participate in projects, and more |
| Somerville YMCA Somerville Provide clerical or office support, assist in planning and executing events, help with YMCA programs, keep the facility clean and safe, and more |
Tech Goes Home Back Bay Assist TGH trainers, work directly with families and participants, help with events, assist participants, set up and clean up, and more |
Education
| Boston Tax Help Coalition Multiple Locations Prepare and file taxes face-to-face with eligible taxpayers, provide a comprehensive tax site intake experience for taxpayers, interpret and translate, and more |
Career Collaborative Downtown Boston Conduct practice phone interviews with clients, work one-on-one with a job-seeking participant, facilitate job search support groups, speak to groups of job seekers, and more |
| Harvard Museums of Science & Culture Cambridge Facilitate hands-on educational and craft activities, welcome visitors to the Glass Flowers exhibit, read children's storybooks, invite people to draw in the galleries, and more |
Museum of Science Cambridge Help with the Discovery Center, Eye Opener, Butterfly Garden, Exhibit Hall Interpreter, Hall of Human Life Exploration Hub, or Informal Engineer and Computer Science Learning programs |
| Prison Book Program Quincy Fulfill a prisoner's request for books, prepare books for mailing, process book donations, and more |
WGBH Allston Assist as a community ambassador, docent or tour guide, TV pledge, event support, or office support |
| X-Cel Education Jamaica Plain Work with aspiring health care professionals, criminal investigators, engineers, accountants, and more who are preparing for the Massachusetts high school equivalency test |
Environment
| Appalachian Mountain Club Multiple Locations Volunteer as a trail maintainer, trip leader, naturalist, committee chair, facility manager, web master, editor, treasurer, volunteer trainer, event planner, presenter, and more |
Bikes Not Bombs Jamaica Plain Process donated bikes for use in their program, assist with the yearly Bike-A-Thon, load shipping containers with bikes, teach young people to rebuild and earn a bike, and more |
| Boston Nature Center Multiple Locations Help with trail maintenance, visitor services, gardening, marketing, and beyond at locations around Massachusetts |
Charles River Conservancy Cambridge Remove invasive plants, paint benches and picnic tables, plant and maintain garden beds, plant fall bulbs, rake leaves, remove litter and debris, and more |
| Emerald Necklace Conservancy The Fenway Educate the public about the conservancy's mission, present the conservancy at local events, participate in the annual clean-up along the Muddy River, prune roses, and more |
Fresh Pond Reservation Cambridge Help curb non-native plants to make way for plants that help Massachusetts animals eat, hide, build, and live |
| Groundwork Somerville Somerville Help with Somerville Spring Clean Up and Comcast Cares Day, school gardens, the South Street farm, monthly "Cleaning and Greening" events, and more |
Mount Auburn Cemetery Cambridge Help with various departments, tend experimental gardens, assist with greenhouse operations, process archival materials with curators, and more |
| Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy Downtown Boston Engage with visitors about the contemporary public art program, work on common gardening tasks, maintain gardens, assist with plant records or special projects, and more |
Health
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Longwood Volunteer with the cardiology, emergency, endocrinology, gastroenterology, oncology, neurology, nursing, OB/GYN, outpatient surgery, radiology, rehabilitation, social work, surgery, and other departments |
Boston Children's Hospital Longwood Play with children during wait times, help families find their way in the halls, complete non-medical tasks, provide comfortable accommodations to families, and more |
| Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program Greater Boston Provide administrative support, engage directly with patients, serve on-site in clinics, organize donation drives, and more |
Boston Medical Center South End Talk and read to patients, provide a comforting presence during end-of-life, assist with the food pantry, welcome patients and visitors, and more |
| Boston Public Health Commission Greater Boston Serve at non-emergency related events like the Boston Marathon, Walk for Hunger, seasonal flu clinics, drills and exercises, and community outreach days |
Brigham and Women's Hospital Longwood Work with patients, support hospital staff, assist in research labs, provide health care services in other states through the Indian Health Service, and more |
| Massachusetts General Hospital West End Help patients and families navigate the hospital, assist with patient discharges and escorts, cheer patients with pet therapy visits, serve lunches, provide administrative support, and more |
Planned Parenthood Allston Advocate for reproductive rights, help with administrative tasks, assist in health centers, provide direct service to clients, and more |
| Tufts Medical Center Downtown Boston Visit with adult patients and their families, assist in the emergency room, provide wayfinding assistance, escort patients, assist with discharge, and more |
VA Hospital Brockton, Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury Provide many important functions throughout the medical center, help make patients' stay more enjoyable, and more |
Homelessness
| Friends of Boston's Homeless Jamaica Plain Hold a drive for critically-needed items, create housewarming baskets, serve a meal and host a recreational activity, teach a class or life skill, and more |
Harvard Square Homeless Shelter Cambridge Prepare and serve dinner, go on a food salvage trip, prepare plates of food to hand out at the door, prepare breakfast, clean the shelter, and more |
| Pine Street Inn South End Serve breakfast or dinner, act as a clinic receptionist, help the team deliver prepared foods to locations across the city, and more |
Rosie's Place South End Teach adult women learning English for Speakers of Other Languages, prepare and serve meals, lead an arts workshop, assist guests shopping in the food pantry, and more |
| St. Francis House Downtown Boston Assist with meal preparation, sort donations, restock shelves, work one-on-one with guests to meet their clothing needs, work alongside counselors, and more |
Hunger
| Community Servings Jamaica Plain Prepare and package meals for clients, deliver meals to homebound clients, help with the Pie in the Sky and LifeSavor fundraising events, and more |
Daily Table Dorchester Sort and prepare produce for sale or kitchen use, label and package prepared foods, help cooks in the kitchen, stock retail shelves, interact with customers, and more |
| Friday Night Supper Back Bay Set up the hall, prepare meals, serve guests, sorting through clothing, breaking down and cleaning the hall, and more |
Greater Boston Food Bank South End Inspect and sort products, check and label boxes, help in the warehouse, packing food and grocery products, and more |
| Haley House Downtown Boston, South End Prepare food, cook, bake, serve food, eat with guests, clean up, distribute food, help with data entry, and more |
Harvest Food Pantry Cambridge Set up, help new patrons, staff the registration desk, distribute food to patrons, help in the stock room, and more |
| Women's Lunch Place Back Bay Prepare and cook meals, serve meals to guests, supervise the resource center, work on major fundraising events, welcome guests to the shelter, and more |
Immigrants
| Boston Center for Refugee Health & Human Rights South End Help new patients understand and navigate the American healthcare system, assist with data management, provide resume reviews and practice interviews, and more |
Cambridge Public Library Literacy Project Cambridge Serve as a teacher, tutor or classroom assistant |
| Enroot Cambridge Mentor a mentee weekly for one academic year or tutor a student weekly |
Found in Translation Dorchester Entertain children while their moms work toward a new career, give a presentation on a job skills or financial literacy topic, or mentor program participants |
| Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition Multiple Locations Help immigrants become US citizens, register new citizens to vote, assist with marketing materials, help with data and administrative duties, and more |
PAIR Project Downtown Boston Help as an interpreter, student intern, legal fellow, attorney, medical professional, grant-writer, IT specialist, and more |
| Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center Boston, Lynn, Worcester Help with community events, provide translation assistance, accompany families on fun activities, provide transportation for clients, help clients practice speaking English, and more |
LGBTQIA+
| Boston Pride Greater Boston Boston Pride is looking for volunteers to help out at the Parade, Festival, Youth Dance, Concert, and Block Parties during Pride Week 2019 |
GLAD |
|
MassEquality |
Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth |
Seniors
| Hale House Back Bay Socialize and do a one-on-one activity with residents, lead a group activity of your own interest, meet with an elderly client to create a financial budget they can stick to, and more |
Somerville Cambridge Elder Services Cambridge, Somerville Run an errand for a senior neighbor, escort seniors to medical appointments, assist low-income elders with bill-paying and money management, and more |
Sports
| Athletes Unlimited Newton Newton Help the organization provide year-round therapeutic recreation programs to children and adults with disabilities |
Girls on the Run Greater Boston Coach small groups of girls over the course of 10 weeks, help with the Girls on the Run 5K, and more |
| Special Olympics Massachusetts Multiple Locations Coach, partake in event planning committees, fundraise, act as timekeepers and officials, and assist at local, region, and state-wide events |
Women
| Boston Area Rape Crisis Center Cambridge, Boston, Waltham Welcome and direct guests, work to increase public awareness of the issue of sexual assault, help with special events and drives, staff the phone and web chat hotline, and more |
Boston Women's Fund Downtown Boston Help with events, fundraising, outreach and communications, grantee networking, and more |
| Cambridge Women's Center Cambridge Provide emotional support in-person and on the phone, assist members with resource referrals and small projects, help with special projects, record data, and more |
Strong Women, Strong Girls Multiple Locations Act as site monitors, event volunteers, or strong leaders, and more |
| Transition House Cambridge Provide homework help and supervised playtime with children, create a multimedia exhibition to reframe public understanding about domestic violence, assist clients in budgeting their income, and more |
YWCA Cambridge Cambridge Mentor girls in 8th grade leadership program, run programs for residents in affordable housing units, and help with front desk coverage |
Youth
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay Downtown Boston Mentor a child age 7-12 to positively impact them through weekly online communication or in-person meetings |
Big Sister Association of Greater Boston Back Bay Match with a Little Sister between the age of 7-15 and enjoy low- to no-cost activities over the course of a year |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston Downtown Boston Support youth with homework, assist in program areas with daily activity, coach, help with administrative tasks, and more |
BUILD Boston Downtown Boston Support the creation and launch of real student startups, inspire students to get on the path to college, support students from under-served communities, and more |
| Casserly House Roslindale Work one-on-one with adults looking to acquire English language skills, help adults prepare for citizenship, tutor students with homework, and more |
CitySprouts Cambridge Get gardens ready for a new season of planting and growing, build garden beds, maintain gardens through summer months, press apple cider in the fall, and more |
| Cradles to Crayons Boston Brighton Sort and inspect donated items, package items for delivery to children who need them, assist with community-based events, and more |
More Than Words Boston, Waltham Join youth on their business job, tutor youth on modules, help youth with resumes and mock interviews, sort and process books with youth, and more |
| Resilient Coders Downtown Boston Attend community hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays to help students with full stack javascript |
The Elizabeth Peabody House Somerville Help in the classroom, community, food pantry, and public awareness and fundraising events |
| YearUp Downtown Boston, Quincy, Roxbury Help a young adult navigate the start of their professional career, tutor a young adult, or share your story and insights as a guest speaker |
