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What Does Giving Back Mean for NYC Families and Kids?

New York City has some incredible, tight-knit communities, and volunteering as a family is a great way to give back. For NYC families, giving back is about more than just donating time or money to those in need, though there's certainly that aspect to it. Giving back through family volunteer activities in NYC contributes to a thriving city and helps volunteers establish a sense of community pride, too.

Volunteering with kids in NYC can show them that there are many ways to help their community. Whether you spend an afternoon packing food for the hungry or you do a small act of kindness for a neighbor, every gesture can have a positive impact on someone's day. It can help kids be more confident and kind, as their role in the world shifts from consumers and bystanders to contributors and active participants.

Help build literacy among NYC kids by volunteering with the Brooklyn Book Bodega, or simply donating your gently used books. Photo courtesy of the Brooklyn Book Bodega

Where Can NYC Families Volunteer with Young Children?

Brooklyn Book Bodega – Brooklyn Navy Yard

The Brooklyn Book Bodega is a nonprofit dedicated to getting more books into more NYC homes. Since 2019, the foundation has helped distribute more than half a million books to homes with kids ages 0-18, and you can help it donate even more. You can stop by for a family volunteer day or make a monetary donation through its link.

Age guidelines: The Brooklyn Book Bodega hosts monthly family volunteer days, where kids ages 10 and older can help out with an adult. Families work together to stamp and sort books to get them ready for their new homes.

When to volunteer: Be on the lookout for monthly volunteer sessions all year long.

USPS Operation Santa – Citywide

Operation Santa is a seasonal volunteer activity offered by the United States Postal Service, with an annual goal to answer the 500,000 letters from children who have written Santa asking for presents. This program has been running since 1912, allowing the public to read kids' hopeful letters and fulfill their wishes. This year's program can be found online, where families can "adopt" letters and shop directly on the website to make some child's holiday wishes come true.

Age guidelines: While an adult must register, purchase, and mail the gift, there's no age restriction on helping with this one, so the whole family can get involved.

When to volunteer: Letter adoptions generally open in mid-November, with shipping dates following one month later to ensure arrival by Christmas.

GreenThumb Community Gardens – Citywide

Throughout NYC, you can find these hidden little community gardens, maintained entirely by volunteers. You can see every official GreenThumb community garden in an interactive map on the NYC Parks website, and stop by to offer your help when they're open.

Age guidelines: Every community garden has its own age rules, but many welcome families and children. Some gardens are particularly kid-friendly, including the Children’s Magical Garden in Lower Manhattan and the Frank White Memorial Garden in Harlem.

When to volunteer: Though the warmer months are busier, there are things to do year-round to maintain the gardens.

Kids as young as 10 can help sort bulk goods into family-sized packages at City Harvest. Photo courtesy of City Harvest

City Harvest Food Drives – Citywide

City Harvest rescues perfectly good food from going to waste and distributes it to New Yorkers in need, food pantries, and soup kitchens. The organization is dedicated to ending hunger by accepting excess food from farms, grocers, restaurants, and more—and getting it into the hands of those who need it. City Harvest also hosts its own food drives and empowers volunteers with the knowledge to run their own drives.

Age guidelines: Kids ages 10 and up can volunteer at City Harvest, helping to repackage food from large containers into family-sized bags for distribution. Kids can also give back by organizing food drives, hosting fundraisers with City Harvest as the beneficiary, creating artwork to help spread the word about City Harvest, or mailing thank yous to City Harvest drivers.

When to volunteer: City Harvest holds events throughout the year. See what's coming up in your neighborhood on its volunteer calendar.

New York Cares – Citywide

New York Cares sponsors a variety of volunteer opportunities. During its annual Winter Wishes program, the org matches generous volunteers with children in need of gifts over the holiday season. Volunteers can register as a "Wish Granter" to be matched with a child or teenager through a local agency. Once a match is made, volunteers get a digital letter sharing the child's dream gift; there's a $40 maximum per letter.

Other opportunities to volunteer with your kids through NY Cares include delivering holiday meals, organizing a coat drive, reading to children while their parents take English classes, playing bingo with seniors, and many others. You can search its project calendar to find volunteer opportunities near you and sort by family-friendly options to find those where kids can help.

Age guidelines: Age requirements vary by volunteer activity, and we love that you can get kids of all ages involved!

When to volunteer: Volunteer opportunities occur year-round; visit the website for current options and deadlines to get involved.

Citymeals on Wheels – Citywide

The Citymeals on Wheels organization helps distribute meals to older New Yorkers, providing them with food and companionship. Every meal delivery is a chance to feed someone who is unable to purchase or make a meal, plus it's also a chance to connect with someone who might otherwise spend much of their time alone.

Age guidelines: Volunteer opportunities (except for Social Calls) are open to all ages, as long as kids under 18 are accompanied by an adult. The organization also has card templates that younger kids can decorate and send out to deliver some good vibes.

When to volunteer: Citymeals on Wheels welcomes volunteers year-round, though they're especially in need around various holidays.

Bideawee – Chelsea

The Bidaewee animal shelter is one of the only locations that accepts young volunteers as a "shadow" team. (Note that the NYC ACC also technically lists youth volunteer opportunities on its website, I've never seen the applications actually open!) At Bidaewee, young volunteers act as a "shadow" to their adult companions, learning how to care for and clean up after the rescued animals, and help out with events.

Age guidelines: Kids ages 10 through 15 can volunteer with an accompanying adult. At 16, they can start to volunteer on their own.

When to volunteer: Applications to volunteer only open sporadically, so check the website for updates. At the time of this writing, the next round of volunteer recruitment takes place in January 2026.

Families can help keep NYC's green spaces looking clean and beautiful through year-round volunteer projects. Photo courtesy of NYC Parks

City Parks Volunteering – Citywide

No matter the season, NYC Parks can use volunteers' helping hands to keep parks beautiful, trash-free, and functioning. Help with composting, planting trees, picking up trash, and maintaining park trails.

Age guidelines: Most NYC Parks Department volunteer opportunities are family-friendly and open to all ages, though a waiver and parent supervision is required for minors.

When to volunteer: Opportunities run year-round and in all five boroughs. Join the NYC Urban Park Rangers for the year-round "It's My Park" volunteering or drop in to help with other projects throughout the year.

Little Free Pantry – Citywide

The Little Free Pantry is a nationwide program that provides ordinary people with the tools to give back to their community. The website has resources and information for how to create your own neighborhood pantry, where neighbors can leave non-perishable food, so those who need it can pick it up. Setting up a pantry can be a rewarding experience to share with kids. If you don't feel like you're able to commit to setting up your own pantry, the website has a searchable database of Little Free Pantries, so you can find one nearby to donate.

Age guidelines: There are no age restrictions for this one!

When to volunteer: Volunteer any time you're able to.

Sean Casey Animal Rescue – Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn

Most volunteer opportunities involving animals require volunteers to be at least 13 or 16 years old. The Sean Casey Animal Rescue invites volunteers as young as 4 to get involved with its animals. Simply show up and ask to take one of their dogs out for a walk! No reservations are required. All you need is an ID for the rescue to hold until your return, and you can give one of its dogs some much-needed outside and socializing time. It's also a great way to see if you and a dog are compatible before you decide to adopt.

Age guidelines: Kids are welcome to come along, but they must be accompanied by an adult at all times, and can only hold the leash if they're over 16.

When to volunteer: Dog walking is available all year long. Keep in mind that walks must be a minimum of 15 minutes and a maximum of 45 minutes, and all dogs must be back at the shelter by 6pm.

At-Home Volunteer Activities in NYC

In addition to volunteering in person, children can easily get involved in giving back and helping others right from home.

Clean Up and Donate

I think it's great to clean out the kids' toy cache before the holidays or birthdays to make room for the incoming gifts. Most kids would, however, disagree with this opinion. Turn this chore into an opportunity to help other children by giving those gently used toys and games that haven't come out of the closet in a year to charity. Hopefully, knowing they are helping another child will encourage kids to be generous. Bye, bye baby things. We've compiled this list of second-hand stores that accept donations, and the New York City Council website has a long list of locations and shelters that accept clothing and other goods that someone less fortunate may need.

DIY Gift Giving

Not everyone can give a monetary or edible donation, but that doesn't mean you can't volunteer in other ways. Sometimes, a simple gesture of kindness is all someone needs for the holidays. Several programs give kids the opportunity to create and share goodwill, from making homemade holiday cards for kids in the hospital (via Cards for Hospitalized Kids) to crocheting and knitting hats and clothes for babies (via The Preemie Project).

If you're not handy, you can also put together a Jared Box. These are shoebox-sized containers full of toys, books, art supplies, and other small gifts that can be donated to a hospital for distribution to children staying there. The website currently lists 32 hospitals and locations that accept Jared Boxes!

Most animal shelters around NYC also accept donations like toys, food, pet supplies, and more. The 311 website has a list of suitable items that many locations accept, as well as useful links to the Animal Care and Control website. You can also stop by a local shelter and ask what types of items they accept as donations.

Let Kids Take the Lead

Rather than hosting a traditional fundraising drive, last year our school principal encouraged kids to come up with their own ideas for raising money. Ideas ranged from individual bake sales to asking neighbors for donations or cleaning out their piggy banks. The best part was just seeing them think about how they could help, taking the lead, and doing the work themselves. Plus, they were so proud of their contributions.

Where Can I Track Upcoming Family-Friendly Volunteer Opportunities in NYC?

For even more volunteer opportunities, you can head to these resources:

• Doing Good Together compiles a monthly list of family volunteer opportunities around NYC.
• The Service Collective is a Brooklyn-based volunteer organization that organizes kids, teens, and families to help in their neighborhoods.
• The Department of Youth & Community Development has a list of ways families and kids can help out in cultural and wellness institutions around the boroughs.
• New York Cares, mentioned above, has a searchable database of more than 1,000 volunteer projects around NYC.

READ NEXT: Thanksgiving Volunteer Activities for Families in NYC

Originally published in 2008.