I first became acquainted the New York Cares when I worked for a corporation that was a member. I helped to paint park benches and plant flowers and trees in upper Manhattan on a spring morning. In... More

I first became acquainted the New York Cares when I worked for a corporation that was a member. I helped to paint park benches and plant flowers and trees in upper Manhattan on a spring morning. In addition, every December, they run a huge coat drive in Grand Central Station and you can drop off unwanted but wearable coats that are then distributed to needy individuals. A good thing. This group supports about 850 organizations of every type (schools, non-profits, charitable agencies) with the able bodied assistance of more than 27,000 volunteers. You can help a child learn to read (or keep reading, for that matter), pitch in and help prepare/deliver meals to the elderly or shut-ins, clean up parks and help beautify the city (all the boroughs benefit). Their website www.nycares.org allows you to put in your criteria for volunteering, in terms of hours, time of day, setting, etc. This helps them match you up with what's available and needed. Don't have time, if you can spare some cash, they can't certainly make good use of it.
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