Youth Opportunities

American Red Cross, Mid-Hudson Valley Chapter – Volunteer Opportunities
Disaster Response Team Member, General Office Support, Health & Safety Volunteer Instructors, Leadership Committee Volunteers, Volunteer Administration Specialist, Volunteer Intake Specialist, Volunteer Recruitment Specialist. UC Red Cross has been serving Ulster County since 1908 with Disaster Relief, Armed Forces Emergency Communications, Utility Assistance, Referral Services, International and Holocaust Tracing Services. Providing quality education in CPR, first aid, aquatic skills, lifeguarding, HIV/AIDS prevention and disaster preparedness. (845) 471-0200
www.redcross.org/ny/albany/about-us/mid-hudson-valley-chapter

AWARENESS Inc.
Peer to Peer Adolescent Alcohol/Substance Education Program is looking for volunteers between the ages of 16 and 23 years old. More info: ucawarenessprogram@gmail.com

Catskill Animal Sanctuary
Catskill Animal Sanctuary operates with a small full-time staff, so we rely on caring and dedicated volunteers for much of what we do. If you love animals and want to help create a more compassionate world for all beings, volunteer at the Sanctuary. Our volunteers assist with animal care, business administration, Compassionate Cuisine, youth programming, weekend tours, outreach, events, special projects, and more.
To Volunteer:
View our volunteer opportunities here.
If you’re a new volunteer, complete the online Volunteer Interest Form to become eligible. We will send you a reply email with next steps.
If you have volunteered previously, complete the online Volunteer Schedule Request Form, ideally at least seven days prior to your requested shift to allow us to schedule accordingly. After submission, a Sanctuary staff member will contact you to confirm.
For your safety, as well as the safety of our animal residents, the minimum age to volunteer is 12; volunteers who are 12 to 15 years old must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Remember to check back often, since we’re always working on something new!. More info or call 336-8447. https://casanctuary.org/work-with-us/volunteer/

Center for Creative Education
16 Cedar St, Kingston, NY 12401, 845-338-7664
https://cce4me.org/
The mission of the Center for Creative Education is to create a better world by nurturing and empowering youth and community through the arts. The Kingston center offers a dance and percussion studio, homework and tutoring center, and a computer music lab that is being developed in collaboration with the Kingston School District’s Department of Fine Arts and Enrichment. Volunteers needed for office help, clean-up, and event assistance.

Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Garden, Youth Development Program Club Call for Volunteers
The Ulster County 4-H Youth Development Program is always looking for committed adults interested in starting a 4-H club in their area. For more details on how you can become a 4-H Club Leader at (845) 340-3990 or mg257@cornell.edu

Family of Woodstock – Ways to Volunteer
Volunteers needed to run food drives at local schools, churches, businesses… also Food Closet, Farm to Food Pantry Collaborative gleanings and processings, Holiday programs, long-term commitment answering phones, help with physical plant, running groups, fundraising & event planning – 331-7080. More info.

Food Bank of the Hudson Valley
The Food Bank of the Hudson Valley is a great opportunity for group volunteer projects. Our new salvage sorting program allows us to take food donated from food drives and corporate donors and sort and repack it for use at our member agencies. We’re looking for groups that are available for several hours to come in and help us go through the food and box it. We can take groups of anyone over 16 years of age. The other opportunity is related to our new child hunger initiative. The Food Bank has recently established a BackPack Program in 11 schools in the Hudson Valley that provides kids in need with back packs of food to take home on weekends. For more information click here or call 845-534-5344.

Esopus Creek Conservancy
Volunteers needed to assist with trail maintenance and wood construction projects on Esopus Bend Nature Preserve in Saugerties. Short one/two hour work sessions, or four-six hour work parties. Weekends and weekdays, times and dates flexible, please indicate your interests and when you are typically available to volunteer. Contact Steve Chorvas at 845-246-5900 or schorvas@verizon.net (email is preferable). More info.

Gardiner Library
133 Farmer’s Turnpike, Gardiner 845-255-1255
web site: www.gardinerlibrary.org
Volunteers always welcome for shelving books or helping with general circulation tasks.

Ulster County Habitat for Humanity
Volunteers are the heart of Ulster Habitat. We are happy to work with young people aged 16 and older interested in fulfilling community service requirements or ongoing volunteering. Opportunities are available in our ReStore or in age-appropriate and safe activities on our build site. Teenagers can also fundraise and sponsor activities such as car washes and walk-a-thons. All volunteer efforts support our mission to bring people together to build homes, communities and hope. To discuss our many opportunities in detail, please contact (845) 340-0907 X106 and visit our website: ulsterhabitat.org

Happy to Help Food Pantry
located in the basement of St. James Church at the corner of Fair and Pearl St., Kingston, NY seeks volunteers ages 12 and older. Several opportunities exist of varying time commitments: 2.5 hours per month assisting with food deliveries, Saturdays 1:30 -4:00 pick up at the farmers market, Sunday morning to set up pantry, Sunday afternoons to assist while the pantry is open. For youth volunteers, a parent or adult from the school should accompany the students. If you can help please, contact St. James Church at (845) 331-3030.

Kingston Boys & Girls Club
Kingston Boys & Girls Club is seeking 2-3 tutors for 1-2 days a week each between the hours of 3-5pm to assist with homework help, especially with reading comprehension and math for youth ages 8-15. Tutors ages 16 or older welcome. If you’re interested please Dennis or Andre at the Boys & Girls Club – 338-8666.
https://www.bgclubsulstercounty.org/

Kingston Library
Phone: 331-0507
Dedicated to improving library services in the city of Kingston, volunteers are needed for used book sales, fund-raising, helping in the library, and for special programs and events.
www.kingstonlibrary.org

The Lisa Libraries
77 Cornell St. Rm. 109 Kingston, NY 845-334-5559
Volunteer at the office of The Lisa Libraries, the “Johnny Appleseed” of children’s books, located in midtown Kingston. The Lisa Libraries is a non-profit organization that donates books to children and grassroots organizations serving children in poor and under-served areas. Donation sites include after-school centers, hospital visiting rooms, homeless shelters and prisons. In 2008, The Lisa Libraries donated over 27,000 new children’s books across the United States. Volunteers have various options to help, including data entry, sorting and cataloging the books, and packing up books to be shipped for donation. Books are unpacked, sorted by age and subject matter, and entered with a wireless scanner into our computer inventory. Books are also packed in boxes, weighed and measured and shipped by UPS. Volunteers also help us with correspondence, thank you letters and fundraising mailings.www.lisalibraries.org

Mohonk Preserve – Youth Nature Ambassadors
Interested in the environment and gaining work skills and community service credit? Work with your friends!
The Youth Nature Ambassador program is a volunteer opportunity for teens, ages 13 and up, to gain work skills and community service credit, building skills and knowledge in education and environmental science as well as customer service and public speaking.
More information: https://www.mohonkpreserve.org/volunteer/

New Paltz Recycling & ReUse Center
Join us at New Paltz ReUse and make a difference in your local community! We have many opportunities for volunteers to support our mission to enhance community, economy, and environment through ReUse. Whether you can commit to a few hours each week or one weekend a year, we can use your help! For more information stop by or call (845) 255-0604.

New Paltz Youth Program
Volunteering is not only a fulfilling way to spend your spare time, but it can also help build a resume or fufill community service hours for school or court. The NPYP participates in most town events including the Taste of New Paltz, Unity In Diversity Festival, 4th of July Fireworks, Clean Sweep, Beltane Festival, Regatta, and many more. Volunteers are also needed for tutoring, assisting in NPYP programs and NPYP events such as the Easter Egg Hunt and Haunted House. More info.

NYSDEC Recruiting Citizen Scientists for the Volunteer River Herring Monitoring Season
The NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program and Hudson Rivers Fisheries Unit are continuing a volunteer-based River Herring monitoring program this spring. Monitoring will take place between 4/1 – 5/31 during the annual migration of river herring from the ocean into freshwater tributaries to spawn. Each volunteer will conduct visual observations for signs of herring, at least twice a week for 15 minutes at a site close to his or her town. Training is provided and begins in March, no experience necessary. We need at least ten volunteers per site. More info.

People’s Place Food Pantry
People’s Place gets a monthly food order of eight to ten thousand pounds of food from the Regional Foodbank in Latham. We need volunteers to help bring in the food to our food pantry and to store it in our freezers and refrigerators, as well as to put the dry goods on our shelves and pallets. It typically takes an hour of work to load handtrucks with food then unload the food into our food pantry starting at 9am. Youth welcome 16 and up supervised by an adult. Volunteers also welcome weekdays 10am-1pm to make up pantry prepacks. More info or contact Christine at 338-4030 weekdays.

Plant a Row for the Hungry
A people-helping-people program assisting the hungry in Ulster County
A program of the Cornell Cooperative Extension
With the start of the growing and planting season we’re looking for gardeners like you to help feed the hungry in Ulster County by planting an extra row in your garden this summer and signing up to take the excess produce to our office. If you don’t have room to plant an extra row sign up to donate the excess produce nearly all gardens produce.
We are asking vegetable gardeners to grow a little extra this season, or bring their excess produce to Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County, 232 Plaza Road (Hannaford Plaza), Kingston.
More info or call (845) 340-3478 (DIRT).

Plattekill Library Youth Library Pages
this program is for kids who have graduated from 6th Grade. They need to fill out a form and meet with Derek, Librarian Trainee, for training. The kids are expected to help out for two hours per week during the school year and four hours a week during the summer. They do simple (but very important) jobs like putting away books, straightening up the shelves, and putting away the stuffed animals. After awhile, we include helping with Storytime. More info or call Mary at 883-7286.

Roundout Valley Growers Association
info@rondoutvalleygrowers.org or call 845-657-5701
http://www.rondoutvalleygrowers.org/
Volunteers needed for Community Gleaning Days & more. The Rondout Valley Growers Association is a non-profit community organization comprised of local farmers, residents, and businesses that are committed to strengthening the region’s family farms and preserving open space for future generations.
Community Gleaning Days– August, September & October. Volunteers will work in the fields harvesting produce or work in a processing kitchen to prepare food for the soup kitchens and food pantries. Volunteers will also be able to take home some produce.
More info.

Rural Ulster Preservation Company
Volunteers needed to visit with seniors. If you can volunteer pleas contact Carol at
(845) 331-2140 Ext 208. Rural Ulster Preservation Company (RUPCO) is a not-for-profit agency, established in 1981. We take a broad approach to housing and community development in Ulster County.
http://www.rupco.org/

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Food Pantry
34 South Chestnut Street (Route 208), New Paltz. Barbara Kensett Committee for the Homebound, Thanksgiving Baskets, School Supply Drive. More info or 255-5635.

SOS Snowboard/Self-Awareness Program
seeks volunteers to work with children at risk on Hunter Mountain. More info or 658-9156.

Trolley Museum of New York at Kingston
seeks conductors, drivers & more! More info or call 331-3399.

UCSPCA
You must be 18 years or older to volunteer at the shelter. Sorry this is due to insurance reasons here at the shelter. For ways to help if you are under 18 please see our section on How Kids Can Help, or call our Volunteer Coordinator at 331-5377 ext 215 for more suggestions. www.ucspca.org/

Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary FARM PROJECT DAYS
Join us for our monthly Farm Project Day! These are held the first Saturday of the month from 10:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m., followed by a vegan potluck from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. A tour and quick volunteer orientation is also offered for all volunteers at 10:00. Volunteers will be helping with special barn cleaning projects, painting, grounds maintenance, and other projects. The work is mainly outdoors – wear farm clothes and shoes and a hat and sunscreen as needed. Contact info@woodstocksanctuary.org or 679-5955 to sign up or for more info.

Volunteer Opportunities