Community Service Opportunities
Places to Volunteer
Are you eager to fulfill BUA’s community service requirement but not sure where to start? Well, look no further! The following is a list of various volunteer opportunities in the greater Boston area. The first half is the organization listed by category, followed by that same list organized by town. The final list includes virtual opportunities. Happy volunteering!
-The Community Service Club, 2016
Check out the below options for external community service opportunities. Click on each organization for more information about what they do and how to get involved! You can also search for more through the Just Serve Organization..
In-Person Volunteer Opportunities
Check out this calendar of Boston local options you can sign up for today!
Animals
- Black Feather Horse Rescue: Located near Plymouth, Massachusetts, this horse farm aims to rescue and nurture abused and neglected animals. Although it is a horse farm, a variety of animals are rescued, including chickens, llamas, donkeys, and goats. Volunteers help with many tasks, including clearing stalls and cleaning barns. More information can be found at org
- Buddy Dog Humane Society: A no-kill dog and cat shelter in Sudbury. All volunteers must be 15 years old and above. Duties include walking dogs, socializing animals, and cleaning cages. http://www.buddydoghs.com/#!volunteer/pifhx
- Milton Animal League: An animal shelter in Milton. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old to work with the dogs, and at least 15 years old for all other tasks, which include general cleaning, office work, and restocking supplies. http://www.miltonanimalleague.org/#!donate-time/c1dd1
- MSPCA-Angell: An animal shelter with locations in Jamaica Plain, Methuen, and Centreville. Volunteers must be 16 and older. https://www.mspca.org/get-involved/volunteer/
- Second Chance Shelter for Cats: A no-kill cat shelter in Jamaica Plain. Volunteer duties include cleaning, feeding, and hanging out with a bunch of cute cats. com/shelters/MA77.html
BUA
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- BUAMUN: Every year in late January, BUA hosts a middle-school Model United Nations conference. Volunteer duties involve running committees and doing administrative work.
- Robotics
- Weekend events (FLL): Weekend robotics events for younger students hosted by the BUA robotics club during the school year. Volunteer activities include refereeing, MC-ing, and helping sell concessions. Contact Mr. Garber for details.
- U-Design: A science and engineering summer camp run by BU that BUA students typically help with. Students help run classes in lego robotics, aeronautical engineering, and electronics. Contact Mr. Garber for details. http://www.bu.edu/eng/u-design/
- Lego Engineering Workshop: An engineering summer camp run by BUA. Students help run classes in lego engineering. Contact Mr. Garber for details.
- Admissions Events
- Open House: BUA hosts two open houses every fall. Students in any grade can talk to prospective families about life as a BUA student and answer questions at the student panel. Students will receive sign-up emails from the Admissions Office in the fall.
- Admitted Student Reception: BUA hosts an admitted student reception in early April each year. Volunteering entails speaking on the student panel, performing, and speaking with admitted students. Students will receive a sign-up email from the Admissions Office in the spring.
- Peer Tutoring: If you are proficient in a certain subject, you can use your skills to help a student who struggles in that subject and earn community service hours for it. Contact Dr. White for more details.
- Community Service Club Outings: Each month, Community Service Club sponsors an outing to a local charity. Each outing lasts 2-4 hours. Contact the Community Service Club for details.
- Other: write letters to public officials (make a copy for hours credit), attend a march/walk, tend to a community garden (picture evidence or parent vouching for credit), organize an ASM speaker or fundraiser at school.
Cultural Institutions
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- Museum of Science: Located in Boston, volunteer duties involve either guiding visitors through exhibits or helping behind the scenes. Open to ages 14-18. Volunteers must commit to either a shift a week for 6 months or a more intensive summer program. http://www.mos.org/volunteer-opportunities
- New England Aquarium: Teen interns who live outside of Boston and Cambridge and are between the ages of 14-18 can volunteer in many different Aquarium departments such as their summer camp, community programs, visitor education, and visitor services. (Those who live in Boston or Cambridge can be paid for their participation.) Teens can also participate in a school-year volunteer program, Live Blue Ambassadors, in which volunteers serve the Aquarium’s mission of protecting the ocean in a more active way. Volunteer activities include habitat clean-up and restoration, public education, and outreach and citizen science. http://www.neaq.org/learn/for-families-teens/teen-programs/
- Franklin Park Zoo: Projects include helping with special events, grounds keeping and special projects. Volunteers must be 14+ and be with an adult if under 18. See more at: http://www.zoonewengland.org/jobs-volunteering/volunteers#volunteer
- Arlington Public Library: Volunteer activities range from tech support to assistance with book sales. http://robbinslibraryteen.blogspot.com/p/community-service.html
- Newton Free Library: This public library is looking for volunteers to help with administration and groundskeeping, among other things. Interviews required. http://www.newtonfreelibrary.net/
Events
- Charles River Cleanup: The Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup brings together over 3,000 volunteers each year to pick up litter, remove invasive species and assist with park maintenance. It takes place around Earth Day in April each year. http://www.crwa.org/charles-river-cleanup
- MEDA (Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association): Volunteers can help out at the fundraising events of this Newton-based organization, which strives to help people struggling with eating disorders recover. http://www.medainc.org/
- Global Days of Service at BU: Held in the middle of April, Global Day Service (GDS) takes students across the Greater Boston Area to complete a single day of service with classmates and alumni from the Boston University community.
http://www.bu.edu/globaldaysofservice/ - International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day- Survivor Day is a day when suicide loss survivors can gather together to find comfort and gain understanding as they share stories of healing and hope. Volunteers are needed to help with publicity and promotion, local programming, media AV, set up, registration and welcome, setup, and cleanup. It takes place every year in mid-November. http://afsp.org/find-support/ive-lost-someone/survivor-day/
Food Service
- Brookline Food Pantry: Just a 10 minute walk from BUA on Harvard Street. You can sign up for a weekly newsletter that has the link to sign up for shifts. http://brooklinefoodpantry.org
- Red Cross Food Pantry: The Red Cross Food Pantry has two locations in MA: one in Boston, and one in New Bedford. http://www.redcross.org/local/massachusetts/volunteer
- Community Servings: An organization in Jamaica Plain that provides nutritious meals to people housebound with sickness throughout MA. Volunteer duties include packaging food. http://www.servings.org/volunteer/students.cfm
- Lexington Interfaith Food Pantry: Serves needy families in Lexington, Lincoln, and Winchester. Volunteers must be of high school age and beyond. https://lexingtonfoodpantry.wordpress.com/
- Wellesley Food Pantry: The Wellesley Food Pantry has limited openings during the school year and extensive summer openings. http://www.wellesleyfoodpantry.org/
- Greater Boston Food Bank: Located in the South End, the Greater Boston Food Bank’s objective is to distribute enough food to provide at least one meal a day to those in need. Volunteer opportunities include working in the warehouse and inspecting, sorting, and packing food and grocery products. All volunteers must be 16 years of age or older, and those under 18 require an adult chaperone. http://www.gbfb.org/how-to-help/volunteer.php
- Rosie’s Place: Located in the South End, Rosie’s place provides food, shelter, advocacy, and legal advice to homeless and low-income women. Those under 18 can help out by cooking and serving breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Openings available all year. (Note: Located right next to the last stop on the BU Shuttle.) http://www.rosiesplace.org/volunteer
- Bread and Roses: A soup kitchen in Lawrence, MA. Volunteers help with preparing and serving food; volunteers under 18 can help with the evening meal if accompanied by an adult. http://breadandroseslawrence.org/volunteer.html
- Women’s Lunch Place: Volunteers must be 16 years old and above to volunteer at this organization in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, which works to fight poverty and homelessness among women. http://womenslunchplace.org/about-us/
- Student Food Rescue: Volunteers pick up donated food from local farmers markets, bakeries, restaurants, and grocery stores and drop it off at over 20 recipient sites around the Greater Boston Area. SFR also organizes other one-time opportunities and events throughout the year, including Hunger Awareness Week in the fall. http://www.bu.edu/csc/community-service-center-programs/sfr/
Health
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- American Cancer Society: The society (located in Jamaica Plain) offers a wide range of volunteer opportunities for those looking to join the fight against cancer. Volunteers can participate in a variety of events and/or programs. Events include sporting events (marathons, walks, cyclings, etc.) and galas. Programs involve fundraising, retail, patient support and services, and more. Visit org/involved/volunteer/index for more information.
- Hope Lodge: A treatment center for cancer located in Jamaica Plain. Events include sporting events (marathons, walks, cyclings, etc.) and galas. Programs involve fundraising, retail, patient support and services, and more. (see “American Cancer Society”) http://www.cancer.org/treatment/supportprogramsservices/hopelodge/boston/boston-about-our-facility
- IMEC (International Medical Equipment Collaborative): This nonprofit in North Andover donates medical supplies and equipment to developing countries. Volunteers assist with packaging and distributing these supplies. http://www.imecamerica.org/volunteer.html
- Samaritans, Inc.: A suicide prevention hotline based in downtown Boston. Volunteers answer phone calls and provide support to those calling. Extensive training is provided. Volunteers must 15 years or older. http://samaritanshope.org/
- Charles River Center: A Needham-based organization that has programs for those with developmental disabilities. Volunteers help with after-school programs, summer camps, and special events. Volunteers must be 16 years old. http://www.charlesrivercenter.org/get-involved/volunteer/
- Northeast Arc: The mission of this organization is to help people with disabilities become full participants in the community. Volunteers can help run their sports and arts programs, assist in their childcare center, and run their fundraising events. Northeast Arc is located in Danvers. http://www.ne-arc.org/get-involved/volunteer/
- The Perkins School for the Blind: This school’s mission is to prepare blind or deaf and blind children and young adults to be full participants in their communities. Volunteers must be 16 years or older. The school is located in Watertown. http://www.perkins.org/get-involved/volunteer
Get Real Teen Council: Part of Planned Parenthood, teen volunteers can learn about sexual health and then educate other teenagers on it in sexual education programs. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-massachusetts/local-training-education/peer-education
Homeless Shelters
- East End House: The East End House is a social service center in Cambridge that deals with a variety of issues. Volunteers can help with child care, administration, community programs, and more. An application is required. http://eastendhouse.org/
- Pine Street Inn: A homeless shelter in Boston. Volunteer opportunities include food service and clinic reception. http://www.pinestreetinn.org/get_involved/volunteer/opportunities_individuals#Individual
Outdoors/Environmental
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- Friends of the Blue Hills: Volunteers help with trail maintenance via monthly trail maintenance or by adopting a trail. This organization is located in Milton. http://friendsofthebluehills.org/volunteer/
- Mass Audubon: There are dozens of fun and educational volunteer opportunities around the state, from trail maintenance and visitor services to gardening and marketing and beyond. Volunteers must be accompanied by an adult if they are younger than 15. http://www.massaudubon.org/get-involved/volunteer/opportunities/(all)/1
- Waltham Fields Community Farm: Waltham Fields Community Farm promotes local agriculture and food access through farming operations and educational programs. Volunteers contribute to Waltham Fields Community Farm through field work, program assistance, event help, and general office support. Volunteers must be accompanied by an adult if they are younger than 15. http://communityfarms.org/index.php/involved/volunteer-service
- The Rose Kennedy Greenway: Volunteers can participate in horticulture projects and art projects along the Greenway, which stretches all the way from Chinatown to the North End. Volunteers can also participate in specialized projects depending on individual skills. http://www.rosekennedygreenway.org/get-involved/volunteer/individual-opportunities/
- The Esplanade Association: Volunteers participate in clean-up projects along the Charles and maintains its natural beauty. The Esplanade Association hosts group volunteering events.http://www.esplanadeassociation.org/help-the-park/volunteer/
- Higher Ground Farm: A rooftop farm in Boston’s Seaport District. Volunteer duties include seeding, planting, pest management, and other tasks unique to roof farming. Volunteers must be 16 years old older to volunteer.
http://www.highergroundrooftopfarm.com/volunteer.html
- The Food Project: This organization works with thousands of volunteers to farm 70 acres of farmland throughout eastern MA (with farm locations in Lynn, Lincoln, Beverly, and Boston) in order to distribute the food it produces to those in need. Volunteers under 17 years old must bring an adult or volunteer with a group.
http://thefoodproject.org/volunteer
- Gaining Ground: A nonprofit farm in Concord that donates its produce to eleven local organizations (e.g. Pine Street Inn and Bedford Food Pantry) that provide food to those in need. Volunteers must be 15 years or older. Duties include working on the farm in the spring, summer, and fall, and doing other projects in the winter months. http://gainingground.org/volunteer/volunteer-opportunities
- Boston Area Gleaners: A nonprofit that uses volunteer labor to rescue surplus produce from local farms and donate it to food pantries. Volunteering opportunities are available within an hour radius of their office in Waltham and consist of farm labor. Volunteers must be 13+, and must be 18+ to ride in the carpools provided by Boston Area Gleaners. http://www.bostonareagleaners.org/
Religious
- Timothy Parish: This catholic parish in Norwood provides services to the sick and homebound. http://sttim.net/
- The Outdoor Church: A Christian church in Cambridge that ministers and offers food and items to homeless Bostonians. Opportunities to help distribute food Saturday and Sundays. http://outdoorchurch.org/
Books/Clothes Sorting
- Cradles to Crayons: Cradles to Crayons (located in Brighton) provides children with essential items including school supplies and clothing. Anyone above the age of 5 can volunteer at the Giving Factory. http://www.cradlestocrayons.org/
- Room to Grow: A Boston-based organization that provides clothing, books and toys to low income families. Volunteer activities involve sorting such items. http://roomtogrow.org/get-involved.html
- Prison Book Program: An organization in Quincy that sends books to inmates. Volunteer opportunities involve sorting and packing books for inmates. Any ages welcome. http://prisonbookprogram.org/volunteer/volunteer-hours/
Travel Programs
- Rustic Pathways: Rustic Pathways offers trips to high school students all over the world during the summer and spring break. http://rusticpathways.com/
- Where There Be Dragons: Volunteer trips for high school students all over the world during the summer. https://www.wheretherebedragons.com/
- United Planet: Volunteer trips for high school students and up all over the world http://www.unitedplanet.org/teen-volunteer-abroad
Summer Programs
- Museum of Science: Ages 14-18. Either a shift a week for 6 months or a more intensive summer program. http://www.mos.org/volunteer-opportunities
- New England Aquarium: Teen interns that live outside of Boston and Cambridge and are between the ages of 14-18 can volunteer in many different Aquarium departments such as their summer camp, community programs, visitor education, and visitor services. http://www.neaq.org/get_involved/volunteering_and_internships/internships/summer_teen_internships/index.phpa
- Rosie’s Place Social Justice Institute: Ages 16-18. Rosie’s Place, located in the South End, provides homeless and low income women with meals, shelter, advocacy, and legal advice. SJI attendees complete 12 shifts serving food, attend two seminars on social justice issues, and write a short reflection.
- Cradles to Crayons Teen Leadership Corps: Ages 12-18. Cradles to Crayons provides homeless and low-income children with essential items such as clothing, books, and toys. TLC volunteers volunteer in the Cradles warehouse as well as raising money or goods in their community. Fall, Spring, and Summer sessions.
- The Bridge Center: This organization in Bridgewater, MA runs therapeutic recreation and equine-assisted therapy programs for people with disabilities. Volunteers can help care for the horses, run programs, raise funds, maintain their facilities, and so much more. Volunteers must be 15 years old and above. http://www.thebridgectr.org/volunteer.aspx
Other
- Casa Myrna: This organization fights to end domestic and dating violence. Volunteers can provide over-the-phone advocacy to those who call SafeLink (the statewide domestic violence hotline), run programs with Casa Myrna participants, and do other special projects. http://www.casamyrna.org/volunteer/
- The Women’s Center: This Cambridge-based organization works to fight discrimination against women, domestic violence, sexual abuse, social isolation, and degradation. http://www.cambridgewomenscenter.org/getinvolved/volunteer.html
- A Million Thanks: With this organization, volunteers send letters to soldiers. http://www.amillionthanks.org/send_a_letter.php#maincontent
- AdoptaPlatoon: Volunteers can send care packages and/or write letters to deployed soldiers. http://www.adoptaplatoon.org/new/pdf/question.pdf
- Beech Street Center: “More than a senior center, Beech Street Center offers a wide range of activities, resources, and information for seniors and ‘boomers’ in the Belmont area as well as staging many community-based events and programs.” Volunteers are needed for meal service Mondays through Fridays. http://www.beechstreetcenter.org
- The Second Step: Located in Newton, the Second Step is dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence by helping to provide financial security, physical and emotional healing, and housing. Volunteer opportunities include working with children, administrative support, and becoming a mentor. For more information, visit http://www.thesecondstep.org/Volunteering.aspx
- Hospice Services of Massachusetts: Volunteers assist hospice patients and their families by providing company and emotional and administrative support. Volunteers must complete orientation and training sessions. http://www.hospiceservicesofma.com/volunteers.aspx
- Bikes Not Bombs: The mission of this Jamaica Plain-based organization is to “use the bicycle as a tool to foster young people’s leadership, development, and sense of individual and collective power to transform their own lives, strengthen communities and build a just and sustainable planet.” https://bikesnotbombs.org/
- GB Stem Tutoring: Our non-profit offers the opportunity for high schoolers to teach small classes of middle and elementary school students, with provided curriculums for classes in environmental science, math, engineering, and computer science. No prior experience is necessary. Visit our website for more information and statistics! gbstem.org
Opportunities Organized by Town
Andover
- IMEC (Health)
Arlington
- Arlington Public Library (Cultural Institutions)
Belmont
- Beech Street Center (Other), Mass Audubon Sanctuary (Environmental)
Boston
- MSPCA-Angell (Animals), Second Chance Shelter for Cats (Animals), Charles River Cleanup (Outdoors/Environmental), Red Cross (Food Service), Community Servings (Food Service), Rosie’s Place (Food Service), the Greater Boston Food Bank (Food Service), Women’s Lunch Place (Food Service), Pine Street Inn (Food Service), American Cancer Society (Health), Hope Lodge (Health), Samaritans, Inc. (Health), Science Museum (Cultural Institutions), New England Aquarium (Cultural Institutions), Franklin Park Zoo (Cultural Institutions), the Rose Kennedy Greenway (Outdoors/Environmental), The Esplanade Association (Outdoors/Environmental), Higher Ground Farm (Outdoors/Environmental), The Food Project (Outdoors/Environmental), Bikes Not Bombs (Other), Cradles to Crayons (Books/Clothes Sorting), Room to Grow (Books/Clothes Sorting)
Bridgewater
- The Bridge Center (Summer Programs)
Cambridge
- The Women’s Center (Other), East End House (Food Service), The Outdoor Church (Religious)
Concord
- Gaining Ground (Outdoors/Environmental)
Danvers
- Northeast Arc (Health)
Lawrence
- Bread and Roses (Food Service)
Lexington
- Lexington Food Pantry (Food Service)
Methuen
- MSPCA-Angell (Animals)
Milton
- Milton Animal League (Animals), Friends of the Blue Hills (Outdoors/Environmental)
Needham
- Charles River Center (Health)
New Bedford
- Red Cross Food Pantry (Food Service)
Newton
- MEDA (Events), the Second Step (Other), Newton Free Library (Cultural Institutions)
Norwood
- St. Timothy Parish (Religious)
Virtual Volunteer Opportunities
gbstem.org
- gbstem.org. Our non-profit offers the opportunity for high schoolers to teach small classes of middle and elementary school students, with provided curriculums for classes in environmental science, math, engineering, and computer science. No prior experience is necessary. Visit our website for more information and statistics!
Project Gutenberg
- https://www.gutenberg.org/, https://www.gutenberg.org/help/, https://www.pgdp.net/c/ Recognize this website from readings for history class? Well now, you can volunteer for them by being a Distributed Proofreader. Here’s a summary of how their system works and what you would be doing: During proofreading, volunteers are presented with a scanned page image and the corresponding OCR text on a single web page. This allows the text to be easily compared to the image, proofread, and sent back to the site. A second volunteer is then presented with the first volunteer’s work and the same page image, verifies and corrects the work as necessary, and submits it back to the site. The book then similarly progresses through a third proofreading round and two formatting rounds using the same web interface.Once all the pages have completed these steps, a post-processor carefully assembles them into an e-book, optionally makes it available to interested parties for ‘smooth reading’, and submits it to the Project Gutenberg archive.
Teensgive.org
- https://teensgive.org/virtual/, https://teensgive.org/ Help students, typically between 3rd to 6th grade, in underserved communities get the education they deserve by virtually tutoring them! Volunteers can help these children with their reading, writing, and math skills, along with other special curriculums.
Knit/Crochet at Home for Boston Nonprofit Agencies
- https://www.bostoncares.org/opportunity/a0C1J00000IysSL?layoutViewMode=tablet This volunteer opportunity would be perfect for anyone with basic skills in knitting or crocheting. With Boston Cares, you can sign up to virtually meet with other volunteers while knitting and crocheting hats, scarves, or mittens to donate to Boston’s non-profit organizations, including My Brother’s Table, More Than Words, Maverick Landing Community Services, Fourth Presbyterian Church Food Pantry, and Boston Living Center.
Cradles to Crayons Boston, Giving Factory @ Home
- https://www.cradlestocrayons.org/boston/at-home-activities/ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cradles to Crayons has created an opportunity for volunteers to help out remotely. With the Giving Factory @ Home, Cradles to Crayons provides volunteers with activities that replicate their in-person volunteer stations, to provide local children with the items they need.
Smithsonian Digital Volunteers
- https://transcription.si.edu/, https://transcription.si.edu/instructions Interested in history and want to get your community service hours for the year? Becoming a Smithsonian Digital Volunteer would help Smithsonian make historical documents and biodiversity data more accessible. All you have to do is type what you see on these documents!
Translators without Borders
- https://translatorswithoutborders.org/, https://translatorswithoutborders.org/volunteer/ Fluent in more than one language? Help Translators without Borders close the language gap that hinders critican humanitarian and international development efforts worldwide!
Language Virtual Organization
- https://www.languagevirtual.org/ We recruit American high schoolers to offer free, online, one-on-one, english lessons to students around the world.Teach English to students via Zoom!
Zooniverse - Citizen Science Platform
- Zooniverse is the world’s largest and most popular platform for people-powered research. This research is made possible by volunteers — more than a million people around the world who come together to assist professional researchers. Our goal is to enable research that would not be possible, or practical, otherwise. Zooniverse research results in new discoveries, datasets useful to the wider research community, and many publications.