Where (and How) to Give in Lower Manhattan This Holiday Season
At a time of year when many seek opportunities to serve others as the best way of counting their own blessings, there are plenty of local outlets where idealism can be put into action.
Trinity Church, in addition to being the local Episcopal parish, is the oldest, largest, and most prolific philanthropic organization in Lower Manhattan. Trinity (located on Broadway at the corner of Rector Street) welcomes volunteers throughout the year, but especially needs extra hands during the holidays. You can help someone else put a festive holiday meal on the table by packing Christmas groceries on December 22 (9am to 1pm) and distributing these parcels on December 23 (8:30am to 11:30am).
Trinity is also seeking volunteers to wrap and distribute Christmas gifts for kids as part of its Giving Tree program. Participants can help collect gifts after Sunday services now through December 14, then assist in wrapping presents on December 18 from 5pm to 8pm, preparing them for distribution on December 19 from 9am to 4pm, and handing them out on December 20 from 10am to 2pm. For more information on helping with Christmas groceries and children’s gifts, go to https://trinitychurchnyc.org/community/how-we-work/volunteer
More broadly, help is needed year round for three Trinity programs: Compassion Market (a free grocery store at 109 Greenwich Street; Tuesdays and Thursdays), Compassion Space (a distribution center for free clothing, diapers, and hygiene essentials; also on Tuesdays and Thursdays), and Compassion Meals (prepared dinners distributed seven days a week).
To get involved with any of the programs above, please email Volunteer@TrinityChurchNYC.org.
Tamid, the Downtown Synagogue, offers multiple options for volunteering. Every Friday after shabbat services at St. Paul’s Chapel (209 Broadway, where Tamid holds services), participants can put together sandwich supper packages for the homeless. Tamid is overseeing a Hanukkah coat drive to provide warm winter clothing for those who live on the streets. Donations can be dropped off at shabbat services throughout December. For more information on these and other volunteer opportunities at Tamid, please email Christina Broussard at connect@tamidnyc.org.
The Immigration and Refugee Services Division of Catholic Charities is sponsoring a winter boutique at 80 Maiden Lane, where clients can obtain seasonal essentials. Volunteers are needed on December 10, 15, and 17 from noon through 4pm to unpack and organize donated goods, create inventory lists, and decorate the boutique. For more information, please email Olivia Booth, the refugee resettlement coordinator, at Olivia.Booth@cccsny.org.
Some Downtowners may wish to consider direct donations of gifts or money. Stockings With Care was founded by Lower Manhattan resident Rosalie Joseph 34 years ago and has expanded its original Christmas altruism to include sensitive programs throughout the year. In December, Stockings With Care fulfills the holiday wishes of more than 3,000 children in shelters and transitional housing. Donated gifts are delivered directly to parents or caregivers to preserve the magic of Santa. This year, Ms. Joseph said, 217 children asked for bicycles. “We believe any kid who wants a bike should have one!” she said. “So we bought the bikes, helmets, and locks. We have already started the workshop sorting and building the bikes.” Ms. Joseph has all the bicycle-building volunteers she needs, but suggested that donations to Stockings With Care would be appreciated, particularly to help cover the cost of the bicycles.
Unwrapped gifts for children being supported by Stockings with Care may be dropped off at the Battery Park City Parks office (75 Battery Place) through mid-December. BPC Parks is also accepting donations of canned and non-perishable food, to be delivered to the Bowery Mission.
And New York Cares – the largest volunteer network in New York City, and based in the Financial District – is sponsoring its annual winter coat drive. Donors are asked to drop off new or gently used coats at the New York Cares office (39 Broadway) on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays between 10am and 4pm, now through the end of January.