Finding yourself wanting to give back? Do you want to be more involved in the community? There are plenty opportunities to volunteer at Tufts and the surrounding areas. At Tufts, The Leonard Carmichael Society oversees the majority of volunteer work; they have opportunities ranging from Big Brothers Big Sisters to Habitat for Humanity. Recently, I have had the opportunity to volunteer at the Boston Rescue Mission, located on Kingston Street in downtown Boston. I spent three and a half hours on a Saturday afternoon preparing the kitchen for dinner, serving meals to the residents and people who are experiencing homelessness, and cleaning up after. Being isolated on the Tufts campus for most of the week, I often feel disconnected from reality and begin to take things such as a place to sleep and food to eat for granted. My experience at the Boston Rescue Mission helped to remind me of the important things in life and to always be grateful for every opportunity I have been given.
Along with The Leonard Carmichael Society and Boston Rescue Mission, there are many opportunities to get involved in this area. Here are a few more opportunities if you are looking to volunteer and make a difference in our community:
1. Y2Y: Y2Y, located in Harvard Square, is a student-run overnight shelter that uses a youth-to-youth model to create a safe and affirming environment for young adults who are experiencing homelessness.
2. Friday Cafe: The Friday Cafe, located at First Church in Cambridge, offers a welcoming space where people who are experiencing homelessness and housed neighbors can meet and get to know each other over food and coffee. It also offers rest and resources to people living on the margins. There are two volunteer shifts, the prep and closing, but both of these allow the volunteers to meet and talk with all of the individuals present.
3. Project Hope: Project Hope provides homeless and low-income women with children access to education, jobs, housing, and emergency services. Volunteers do work ranging from tutoring adult learners in English language, math, reading, or writing to being a Playspace Activity Leader for the children, based on their experience.
4. Back On My Feet: Back On My Feet is an organization that takes people who are experiencing homelessness on runs three times a week in the early morning. If a participant has at least 90 percent attendance after 30 days, they earn the opportunity to move into the second phase of the program, Next Steps, which provides education, employment, and housing opportunities. Volunteers are needed to run between one and five miles with the members on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.
5. St. Francis House: The St. Francis House provides guests with nutritious meals, clothing, access to medical care, counseling, vocational rehabilitation, and housing. There are multiple opportunities to get involved with this organization, including Food Services, Fresh Threads Clothing Program, Guest Services, Moving Ahead Program, Women’s Center, and Housing Resource Center.
Sources: http://www.brm.org, http://y2yharvardsquare.org, http://www.backonmyfeet.org, http://www.firstchurchcambridge.org/friday-cafe, http://www.prohope.org, https://stfrancishouse.org