About one in nine residents in the Lower Manhattan area is food insecure, according to the New York City Council. The poverty rate in Manhattan is 17.2% as of recent estimates, meaning many of our neighbors are worried about how they’ll afford to feed their families, buy winter clothing or get holiday gifts for their children. 

If you’re feeling moved to make life a little better for your fellow New Yorkers, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities and places where you can donate money, food and clothing to those in need. We’ve rounded up several organizations in the neighborhood, but you can also search for volunteer opportunities through the NYC Service Portal, Idealist and Mutual Aid NYC.

Where to Volunteer  

Trinity Church NYC

Trinity Church (89 Broadway) has a number of upcoming volunteer projects. You can volunteer at the biweekly food pantry, the daily grab-and-go meal service, to pack and distribute Thanksgiving groceries on November 17 and 18; to serve Christmas dinner on December 7; and/or to pack and distribute Christmas groceries on December 22 and 23. Trinity Church is also looking for seasonal volunteers to support the Giving Tree, an annual gift drive for children in the community. You can register for volunteer projects through the website or by contacting [email protected]. Individuals, teens, families and groups are welcome to volunteer and you do not need to be a member of the church to sign up.  

New York Cares 

New York Cares connects volunteers with projects all across the city, including in Lower Manhattan. Among other upcoming opportunities, the organization is looking for volunteers to come to the New York Cares office (39 Broadway) and make calls to past supporters to remind them about Giving Tuesday, as well as to collect donations of new and gently used winter coats at the Oculus (185 Greenwich St.) and pick up and deliver excess food from Proper Food (67 Wall St.) to local shelters and food kitchens. You can explore other projects through the New York Cares website.

StreetWise Partners 

StreetWise Partners is an organization that connects adults from underserved communities with mentoring, career coaching and job placements. The organization is currently looking for volunteers to be part of a Mock Interview Day on December 9. Volunteers will work with job seekers to review their resumes and provide interview experience. The event takes place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 7 World Trade Center.  

Catholic Charities Immigration and Refugee Services Division 

The Immigration and Refugee Services Division of the local Catholic Charities branch is putting together a holiday boutique at 80 Maiden Ln. where people in need can shop for winter essentials. Organizers are looking for volunteers to unpack donated goods, organize items, create inventory lists and decorate the boutique. Shifts are 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on December 10, December 15 and December 17. You can register and get more information about this and other volunteer projects through the website.

Rescuing Leftover Cuisine

Do your part to reduce food waste in New York City by taking excess food from businesses and distributing it to community partners. Rescuing Leftover Cuisine has opportunities all over the city, including many in Lower Manhattan. Dates and times vary, and you can find more information at the website.

Where to Donate Money, Food or Clothing

In addition to needing volunteers, all of the above organizations also accept donations. 

If you’re looking to donate to organizations that combat food insecurity, many of them prefer to receive monetary donations. They can generally purchase food from vendors in bulk and at a discount, plus they’re more aware of what foods are most needed in their service areas. They can stretch your $25 donation a lot further than you could by buying $25 worth of canned goods at your store. That said, many still do welcome and need food donations.  

Here are a few more organizations that could use donations, especially during the holiday season: 

City Harvest

This food rescue organization takes surplus food from stores and businesses and distributes it to partner food pantries, soup kitchens and through its own mobile markets. City Harvest also offers nutrition education classes and has a disaster response team that builds food distribution systems in the wake of events like the Covid-19 pandemic or Superstorm Sandy. In addition to accepting monetary donations, City Harvest also encourages people to donate food through an existing food drive or by starting their own food drive at work, school, places of worship or in the neighborhood. 

Food Bank for New York City 

Food Bank for New York City is NYC’s largest hunger relief organization. It has hundreds of community partners across the city with whom it distributes food to those in need. It also offers support for New Yorkers applying for benefits, nutrition education classes and disaster relief efforts. In addition to monetary donations, you can also support the Food Bank for NYC by learning how to advocate for hunger relief efforts, joining the junior board or shopping for apparel and home items in its online store.   

New York Common Pantry 

New York Common Pantry is another organization working to reduce food insecurity in NYC. It offers pre-packed grocery bags, hot meals, social services and nutrition education programs for New Yorkers in need. In addition to cash donations, New York Common Pantry has several upcoming food drives and accepts donations of rescued food from businesses and events. The organization’s website says it’s had increased demand recently, so any donations are helpful. 

New York Cares 

We’ve highlighted a few New York Cares projects above, but the organization also hosts a massive annual coat drive. Drop off your new or gently used coats in the neighborhood at the New York Cares office (39 Broadway) at Wogies Bar and Grill (44 Trinity Pl.), or at any other site listed here on the map. You can also start your own collection site at your school, workplace, house of worship or apartment building. New York Cares also accepts monetary donations directed towards the coat drive or other programming.  

photo: iStock