Bowery Mission
227 Bowery, nr. Rivington; 212-674-3456
Have hands? Want to help the Bowery Mission prepare and serve 9,000 meals this Thanksgiving season? Register here to prep, cook, or serve. If it fills up (and slots usually go fast), you can also donate foodstuffs (like turkey, ham, stuffing, or potatoes) or personal-size hygiene items.
The Race to Deliver
Meet at the Bethesda Fountain, Central Park West and 72nd St.; to contact Race to Deliver, 212- 294-8119; to contact New York Road Runners, 212-860-4455; [email protected]
On November 18, thwarted New York Marathon runners can scratch their itch with this annual four-mile charity run-walk. As always, there’s a kids run, and if you’re more interested in spreading cheer and/or Gatorade, New York Road Runners has volunteer spots open. Register here.
Feeding NYC
Address sent upon registration
Feeding NYC—along with Women in Need, the Jewish Federation, Catholic Charities, and City Harvest—is looking for volunteers to assist with preparation and delivery of Thanksgiving meals. No need to have a vehicle: FlatRate Moving is providing trucks and drivers. You can also donate cash: An entire family can be fed for $35. Register here.
St. John’s Bread & Life
795 Lexington Ave., nr. Malcom X. Blvd., Bedford-Stuyvesant; 718-574-0058
A pre-Thanksgiving feast on Wednesday, November 21, is in need of volunteers who are handy in the kitchen on November 17 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., to do everything from cutting up turkey to making salad. If you’re better with a ladle, they also need folks on the day of, starting at 9 a.m. and going till the last person is served.
New York Cares Coat Drive 2012
Various Locations
It’s already snowed weeks before Thanksgiving, so we can just imagine how brutal the coming months will be. New York Cares is running its annual coat drive, collecting and delivering warm outerwear to those in need. From November through January volunteers can host a collection or help sort. If you’re short on time, donations are always accepted. More infomation here.
Gobble Gobble Give NYC
550 W. 155th St., at Broadway
The New York nonprofit Gobble Gobble Give will be serving Thanksgiving meals in Harlem’s Church of The Intercession. Keep an eye on their website for updates on services and items needed.
Boxes of Love
Here’s Life NYC; 9-11 44th Dr., at Vernon Blvd., Long Island City; 718-391-4500
Are you good at packing? Boxes of Love is need of volunteers on November 17 to put together 4,000 Thanksgiving packages to be delivered to families in need. Groups and children welcome; sign up here.
City Meals on Wheels
Various Locations
If you’ve got a car, put it to use delivering meals. No vehicle? No problem. They also need folks to prepare and serve, throughout the week of Thanksgiving. Apply on the website or contact [email protected] for one of the many, many opportunities available.
The Church of the Heavenly Rest
2 East 90th St., at Fifth Avenue; 212-289-3400
Baker bees are needed beginning at 10 a.m. on November 23 at the Church of Heavenly Rest, for preparation of 600 corn muffins and 75 pumpkin pies (feel free to donate if you’ve got a spare pie or two at home). On Thanksgiving Day volunteers are needed to clean up after meal service, from 2 to 4 p.m.
Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition (BARC)
253 Wythe Ave., at N. 1st St., Williamsburg; 718-486-7489
Doggies deserve some Thanksgiving love too. At this no-kill shelter in Williamsburg, volunteers are needed to walk the residents (they’re known for bigger breeds) from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. Must be 21 or older and love fuzzy droolers.
God’s Love We Deliver
166 Sixth Ave., at Spring St., 212-294-8100
The organization is looking for folks to drop off nutritious meals and hand-decorated baskets to more than 2,000 homebound New Yorkers on Thanksgiving Day. You’ll need a vehicle, a partner, and map skills. (But really, let’s be honest, a GPS.) E-mail [email protected].
No time to donate? Here are some places accepting money or foodstuffs:
• New York City Rescue Mission
• Food Bank NYC
• Feeding NYC
• New York City Coalition Against Hunger
• City Harvest
• Yorkville Common Pantry
• Nourishing NYC
• Homeless Alliance of New York
• Coalition for the Homeless
•El Museo del Barrio
• Robin Hood