As Thanksgiving approaches, Brooklyn families can give back close to home: raking leaves in our parks, decorating meal bags for homebound seniors, packing pantry bags, prepping or cleaning up a Thanksgiving dinner, baking a pie, delivering meals on Thanksgiving morning, or dropping off a coat or a toy. Here are the family-friendly ways to volunteer this season, in date order.
Sunday, November 8 | 9:15-10:45am | All ages (under 12 with a guardian) | Sign up here
The Service Collective joins the Forth on Fourth Avenue Trash Group for a street cleanup followed by daffodil planting. Volunteers meet at the corner of 4th Avenue and Douglass Street. The cleanup starts at 9:15am and planting at 10am. Gloves, garbage bags, trash grabbers and gardening supplies are provided.
Sunday, November 8 & Sunday, December 6 | 2-3:30pm | Ages 7+ (7-11 with a guardian) | Sign up here
Spend an afternoon with residents of Cobble Hill Health Center (380 Henry Street) with The Service Collective. Volunteers lead seniors in Thanksgiving crafts in November and holiday crafts in December, play games and get to know the seniors. Suggested donation is $20.
Saturday, November 14 & Saturday, December 12 | 10am-1pm | Sign up here
Fort Greene Park Conservancy holds its annual Leaf No Trace raking days to collect leaves en masse. The leaves are bagged and stored in a leaf corral in the park, where they break down over the winter and early spring into leaf mould, a nutrient-rich soil amendment for the park's trees. Volunteers sign up through the Conservancy's volunteer portal.
Saturday, November 14 | 12:30-2:30pm | All ages (under 12 with a guardian) | Sign up here
The Service Collective partners with Heights and Hills to create artwork for 250+ meal bags that will be delivered with Thanksgiving meals to local homebound seniors. Each volunteer aims to design 3 to 5 bags. The project is open to all ages and takes place at St. Ann and the Holy Trinity, 147 Montague Street. Suggested donation is $30.
Saturday, November 14 | 12-2:30pm | All ages | Free
Rising Earth hosts its first It's My Park day in Sunset Park, part of the City Parks Foundation volunteer series. Volunteers help protect the park's trees by removing burdock, learn from foraging chef Zoe Yiling Yang and take part in an interactive scavenger hunt. Meet at the park (41st to 44th Streets, between 5th and 7th Avenues).
Sunday, November 15 | 1-3pm | Ages 4+ (4-13 with an adult) | Register here
Prospect Park Alliance invites families and youth groups to rake leaves and tackle litter with the Junior Volunteer Corps. Tools are provided. The November session meets at the Concert Grove Pavilion (enter at Lincoln Road and Ocean Avenue). A second session at the Bandshell is set for Saturday, December 5, 1-3pm, with registration listed as coming soon.
Thursday, November 19 | 5-6:45pm | Ages 8-16 | Sign up here
Young volunteers prepare Thanksgiving-inspired dishes for the Brooklyn Heights Community Fridge with The Service Collective. Together they cook, package and deliver meals for neighbors facing food insecurity. The session meets at St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church, 157 Montague Street. The event lists ages 8-16 without a guardian. Suggested donation is $40.
Saturday, November 21 | 10am-12pm | Ages 8+ (8-11 with a guardian) | Sign up here
The Service Collective aims to fill 300 neighbors' cupboards with nonperishables this Thanksgiving. Volunteers pack grocery bags at St. Ann and the Holy Trinity (147 Montague Street) and hand-deliver them to the Vinegar Hill Food Pantry, Arbor Inn Shelter and St. Ann's Food Pantry. Suggested donation is $50.
Monday, November 23 & Tuesday, November 24 | 5:30-8pm | Ages 11+ (11-13 with a guardian) | Sign up here
Families help Next Step Community Church (360 Schermerhorn Street) prepare a holiday meal for 100+ people on Thanksgiving Day, organized by The Service Collective. Volunteers chop, peel and do other light food prep with guidance from a professional chef, clean and organize the kitchen, and make place cards and centerpieces for the meal. Suggested donation is $30.
Monday, November 23 - Wednesday, November 25 | Drop-off hours vary by location |Heights and Hills pie sign-up here
The Service Collective is collecting pies for neighbors in need. Next Step Community Church (360 Schermerhorn Street) accepts pies Monday, November 23 and Tuesday, November 24 from 5-8pm, and Wednesday, November 25 from 3-8pm. Heights and Hills accepts baked or bought pies for its Thanksgiving meal deliveries on Wednesday, November 25, 12-4pm, at the Park Slope Center for Successful Aging; sign up for the address.
Wednesday, November 25 | Drop off 11am-7pm | Sign up here
The Service Collective is helping collect 30 cooked, carved whole turkeys for Next Step Community Church's annual Thanksgiving Day banquet and hot meal distribution for neighbors who may be experiencing food insecurity. Donors sign up in advance and drop off their turkey at the church, 360 Schermerhorn Street.
Thursday, November 26 | Delivery time slots in the sign-up form | Sign up here
Heights and Hills delivers Thanksgiving meals to its homebound older clients and needs volunteers to make deliveries on foot, by car (preferred), by bike and other ways. The volunteer form lists delivery details and time slots. Volunteers can also email the organization about help with setup, pie cutting and packaging on Wednesday, November 25, 12-4pm, or adding a card to the meals.
Thursday, November 26 | 9:30-11:30am or 10am-12pm | Families welcome | Sign up here
God's Love We Deliver volunteers drive Thanksgiving meals and a tote bag of holiday treats to clients. Families with a car are welcome to deliver together; each group is encouraged to include at least one adult co-pilot. Brooklyn pickups: Concord Baptist Church (833 Gardner C. Taylor Boulevard) and Holy Apostles Church (612 Greenwood Avenue) at 9:30am; Liberty BKLYN (850 3rd Avenue) at 9:30 or 10am.
Thursday, November 26 | 3-5pm | Ages 11+ (11-13 with a guardian) | Sign up here
On Thanksgiving Day, The Service Collective sends volunteers to Next Step Community Church (360 Schermerhorn Street) to clean up after a holiday meal for more than 100 neighbors in need. Suggested donation is $50.
Wednesday, December 2 | 6-8pm | All ages (under 14 with a guardian) | Sign up here
The Service Collective's monthly Community Dinner at St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church (157 Montague Street) celebrates the holidays with recently arrived refugee families, whose home cooks prepare the meal and earn extra money. Hosts sample the food, meet new neighbors and help clean up, and can sign up to bring a potluck dish. Suggested donation is $30.
Saturday, December 5 | 10:30am-12pm | Ages 0-8 with a guardian | Sign up here
Young children and their grown-ups make holiday ornaments for neighbors in need at New York Preschool and Kids Club, 30 Pearl Street, with The Service Collective. Families are invited to bring a new, unwrapped toy for the District 33 Toy Drive run by Council Member Lincoln Restler's office. The morning also includes music, snacks and gym time. Suggested donation is $20.
Stock shelves: Fridays, 5:30-7pm | Serve at the pantry: Saturdays, 8-11am | Children welcome with an adult | Sign up here
At Next Step Community Church, volunteers stock grocery shelves on Friday evenings so families can shop the community food pantry on Saturdays, then help hand out groceries on Saturday mornings. Children under 16 are welcome with an adult. Upcoming Friday shifts include November 13, 20 and 27 and December 11 and 18; Saturday shifts include November 14 and 28 and December 12 and 19.
Ongoing | Off-site projects open to kids under 16 and families | Email volunteer@chipsonline.org
CHiPS (200 4th Avenue) limits on-site volunteering to ages 16 and up, but kids and families can help through off-site projects: making sandwiches, snacks or brown-bag meals, assembling toiletry kits or kids' bags, collecting to-go flatware, or running a food drive. Groups can also hand out homemade treats or drive items at a table outside during lunch service.
Ongoing through February 2027 | Find a drop-off site here
The 38th annual New York Cares Coat Drive runs from October 2026 through February 2027. Its online map lists public collection sites that accept new and gently used coats. The drive collects clean winter coats and accessories (hats, earmuffs, gloves and scarves) only. Families can also register their own coat collection.
Ongoing; most Brooklyn drop sites collect into mid-December | Find a drop-off site here
The 2026 NYC Toys for Tots campaign, coordinated by the Marines of 6th Communication Battalion, has drop sites across Brooklyn. Collection windows vary by site: for example, 313 Butler Street and 163 6th Street collect through December 20, and 193 9th Street through December 10. The campaign's site lists every location with its dates.
