Campaign for Working Families (CWF) is a non-profit driven support families and individuals in the community to financial stability through programs such as tax preparation, workforce training and employment, and financial services, resources, and public benefits. CWF advocates for policies and initiatives that lead to opportunities and financial stability throughout the community.

Watch here as the president and CEO of Campaign for Working Families introduces the organization and its goal for Philadelphians.

What we will be doing:

Campaign for Working Families is helping folks prepare for the new year and upcoming tax season and need our help! We will be helping put together Intake Folders for taxpayers to use when working with CWF and creating Supply Kits for their tax sites.

SIGN UP HERE!!

Come for taxes, stay for the Afterjawn!

After an afternoon with CWF, we'll head to Rybrew on 2600 W Girard Ave for some food, drinks, and hangs. It's a great chance to get to know the VU Crew and celebrate the good work we're all doing together!

Questions? Contact us at volunteeringuntappedphl@gmail.com

MANNA is a non-profit organization that cooks and delivers nutritious, medically-appropriate meals and provides nutrition counseling to neighbors who are battling life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, renal disease, and HIV/AIDS. Through their delivery of 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, MANNA provides hope and nourishment to the Greater Philadelphia area and Southern New Jersey.

What we will be doing on Saturday, October 14th, 12 PM - 3 PM:

MANNA gearing up for their Pie in the Sky campaign, their largest fundraiser of the year, and they need our help! This year, MANNA’s goal is to bake, sell, and distribute 11,000 pies. Money raised goes directly towards preparing and delivering Thanksgiving dinners and providing year-round services for people with acute nutritional risk from a critical illness such as cancer, chronic kidney disease, HIV/AIDS and more.

Come for the pies, stay for the Afterjawn!

After an afternoon in the MANNA kitchen, we'll head to a local restaurant for some food, drinks, and hangs. It's a great chance to get to know the VU Crew and celebrate the good work we're all doing together!

SIGN UP HERE!!

A couple of reminders about the MANNA dress code!

Volunteer safety is a priority at MANNA and the Department of Health requires a dress code for MANNA’s kitchen. Check out our latest safety video here! Volunteers are required to adhere to the following guidelines:

• No sleeveless shirts or tank tops

• Must wear long pants (no shorts or skirts)

• Must wear closed shoes (no open-toed shoes or sandals)

• No jewelry is allowed in the kitchen (rings, bracelets, watches, dangling earrings)

• Hats and/or head covering is required. Hairnets are provided, but you may bring your own baseball cap or hat to wear.

• Disposable aprons and gloves will also be provided onsite.

Parking & Transportation

• Rodin Place Garage: This garage is attached to their building and charges $16 after 2 hours.

• Metered Street Parking: There is metered street parking available all around our building. Rates may vary.

• PPA surface lot: Located on Callowhill St. between 19th and 20th. Visit http://www.philapark.org/19th-callowhill/ for more info.

• Free street parking: There is LIMITED free 2hr street parking available on the surrounding streets.

• Bike racks: There is a bike rack located in the Rodin Place garage.

• SEPTA: MANNA Is conveniently located about a 15-20 minute walk from Suburban Station/City Hall, and is within a 10 minute walk of bus routes: 7, 32, 33, 38, 43, 48, and 49.

MANNA Waiver:

After registering with us here on Eventbrite, you'll receive an email from the VU Crew the week leading up to 10/14 asking you to complete a MANNA pre-registration and waiver. Please try to complete this before volunteering. Thanks!

Share Food Program leads the fight against food insecurity in the Philadelphia region, by serving an expansive, quality partner network of community-based organizations and school districts engaged in food distribution, education and advocacy. SFP distributes food to hundreds of thousands of neighbors in need each month, over 50% of whom are children and seniors or people with disabilities.

Here's what we'll be doing:

• Senior Food Box Program: pack boxes of nutritious food for local seniors that fall below 130% of the poverty line. These boxes are distributed to over 6500 seniors each month across the region.

• Share Care Packages: pack boxes of nutritious food for pantry and community partners

• Produce Sorting: take donated or rescued fresh produce and prepare them for distribution with their DoorDash Home Deliveries partnership

• Car Packing: aid their staff and DoorDash Home Delivery Drivers by packing the cars with the Senior Food Boxes and produce that is being delivered to their program recipients.

• Housekeeping: any general cleaning, organizing, or assisting task that supports maintaining the warehouse

SIGN UP HERE!!

What you need to know:

• Transit details: On-site parking is available - spaces in Lot A located at the corner of Hunting Park Ave and Henry Ave. There is also on-street parking along Henry Ave. Carpooling and bussing are strongly recommended. Share is accessible through Septa routes 32, R, 1.

• Volunteer capacity: 25

• Clothing requirements: We are required to wear closed-toed shoes. We will be in an active warehouse, so sneakers/boots are preferred. Softer shoes such as uggs and crocs are not allowed. We encourage you to dress comfortably and appropriately for the weather conditions. If needed, they have masks/gloves available on-site. We encourage you to bring a refillable water bottle.

• Minimum age for warehouse volunteers is 13 years old. All volunteers under 17 years old must have a chaperone.

• Lifting requirements: You’ll be expected to lift products between 2-35lb boxes/items at a time during the packing process

We'll head to Wissahickon Brewing Company afterwards to celebrate a job well done! It's a chance to get to know the VU Crew and celebrate the good work we're all doing together!

Share Food Program leads the fight against food insecurity in the Philadelphia region, by serving an expansive, quality partner network of community-based organizations and school districts engaged in food distribution, education and advocacy. SFP distributes food to hundreds of thousands neighbors in need each month, over 50% of whom are children and seniors or people with disabilities.

Here's what we'll be doing:

• Senior Food Box Program: pack boxes of nutritious food for local seniors that fall below 130% of the poverty line. These boxes are distributed to over 6500 seniors each month across the region.

• Share Care Packages: pack boxes of nutritious food for pantry and community partners

• Produce Sorting: take donated or rescued fresh produce and prepare them for distribution with their DoorDash Home Deliveries partnership

• Car Packing: aid their staff and DoorDash Home Delivery Drivers by packing the cars with the Senior Food Boxes and produce that is being delivered to their program recipients.

• Housekeeping: any general cleaning, organizing, or assisting task that supports maintaining the warehouse

SIGN UP HERE!!

What you need to know:

• Transit details: On-site parking is available - spaces in Lot A located at the corner of Hunting Park Ave and Henry Ave. There is also on-street parking along Henry Ave. Carpooling and bussing are strongly recommended. Share is accessible through Septa routes 32, R, 1.

• Volunteer capacity: 40

• Clothing requirements: We are required to wear closed-toed shoes. We will be in an active warehouse, so sneakers/boots are preferred. Softer shoes such as uggs and crocs are not allowed. We encourage you to dress comfortably and appropriately for the weather conditions. If needed, they have masks/gloves available on-site. We encourage you to bring a refillable water bottle.

• Minimum age for warehouse volunteers is 13 years old. All volunteers under 17 years old must have a chaperone.

• Lifting requirements: You’ll be expected to lift products between 2-35lb boxes/items at a time during the packing process

We'll all head to a local establishment afterward to celebrate a job well done! It's a great chance to get to know the VU Crew and celebrate the good work we're all doing together!

Northern Liberties Green is a group dedicated to maintaining green spaces in the Northern Liberties neighborhood.

Here's what we'll be doing at Orkney Park:

• Weeding

• Cleaning

• Pruning

• Graffiti cleaning

• Fixing park furniture

SIGN UP HERE!!

What you'll need:

• Dress for the weather and in clothing suitable for physical activity that you don't mind getting a little dirty

• Sunscreen

• ** Reusable water bottle (NoLibs parks have water fountains & fill stations)

• Work gloves (if you have them. We will also provide!)

Other Information:

• NoLib Green will provide all tools & equipment for the activities. They also have used work gloves available

• Parking: street parking surrounding the park, we suggest allowing some extra time to look for a spot!

• We will send out directions and parking information with the reminder email before the event

AFTERJAWN!

• It's our Birthdayjawn! Please stick around afterwards to enjoy some (free) food, drinks, games, and hangs with your new volunteering friends!

• Our Birthdayjawn is also our annual fundraiser. We'll be selling raffle tickets for some pretty sweet prizes!

• All funds raised go to support our work in the community (administrative costs to keep our group running smoothly, supplies for volunteering events, donations to our nonprofit partner organizations, etc.)

• Additional details to come in the days ahead - stay tuned!

We're switching things up this month, and for good reason. We are honored and excited to partner with the incredible organization Everybody Eats as they host their 4th annual Juneteenth cookout at Malcolm X Park on SUNDAY, 6/18 giving away food & essentials. Everybody Eats Is planning to serve 5,000 meals In one day!

Now, about that switch-up. This month, we are volunteering on the THIRD SUNDAY instead of the second Saturday. Additionally, this month's event time is a bit different. Everybody Eats is holding their food & essentials giveaway and cookout at Malcolm X Park from 12pm-4pm, so we'll be there for a little longer than our events usually run. Please see below for more info.

Before we get to more info, please learn a bit about this month's partner:

Everybody Eats is a leader in the fight against hunger dedicated to increasing food security and building community. Their mission is to nourish hungry people and lead the community in the fight against hunger. They value and embrace diversity, fairness and inclusion as fundamental to their vision of empowering communities where no one has to go hungry. They believe that access to healthy food is a basic human right and not a privilege. All people deserve regular, nutritious meals. They are committed to conducting honest dialogue with all community partners. Through this dialogue, they will strive to continuously improve. Everybody Eats is run and founded by a team of leading chefs from Philadelphia: Stephanie Willis, Kurt Evans, Aziza Young, Gregory Headen, and Malik Ali.

Everybody Eats is putting together a food and essentials giveaway to celebrate Juneteenth and support the community, and we're eager to help them out. Here's what we'll be assisting with on 6/18:

**Assignments will be given out day-of event**

SIGN UP HERE!!!!!

Food Service:

• Setting up food & supply tables

• Serving cooked food

• Distributing fresh produce, dry goods & supplies

• Cleaning up as we go to keep everyone safe

• Canvassing the Park (training provided at 10:00am)

• -Walking around the park, talking to people to get their thoughts on food insecurity In their community

• Registering attendees via QR code onto Rabble, EverybodyEats' new social platform, for the EEP raffle and new opportunities to participate with their local neighborhood

A note on event timing:

This event runs all day. The VU Crew will be there 9:45am-3:00pm:

• 9:45am: Arrival and check in

• 10:00-11:00am: Training of days event

• 11:00am-3pm: Volunteer Activities: Food Service and Canvassing the Park

What you'll need:

• Dress for the weather - you will be working outside!

• Flat, closed-toe, comfortable shoes

• Water bottle, sunblock, hat, etc.

Other Information:

• We will send out directions and parking information with the reminder email the Thursday before the event (6/15)

• There are a limited number of spots for this event, and we are opening a waitlist just in case. If you can no longer make the event after signing up, please email volunteeringuntappedphl@gmail.com so your spot can go to the next person on the waitlist.

• Because this event is a big undertaking for the Everybody Eats team, they're also seeking volunteers on Saturday and Sunday for additional shifts. You can sign up directly on their site

We can't wait to volunteer with you!

Questions? Contact us at volunteeringuntappedphl@gmail.com

Cheers,

VU PHL

A message from Books Through Bars: "We do our best to send the books people ask us for, whatever those may be. By fulfilling all requests to the best of our ability, we work to support self-determination, self-education, and healing behind bars.

Nearly all of the books we send are donated. That means our ability to fulfill requests depends on the donations we receive. By donating books, you can help ensure that incarcerated people receive the books they need!"

SIGN UP HERE!

What we'll be doing:

Reading letters from inmates requesting books on various topics;

Searching through the Books Through Bars library to find relevant and appropriate books;

Packing the books to be sent in the mail.

Details:

• Books Through Bars 4722 Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19143

• Saturday, May 13th, 2023

• 11:20 AM - 1:30 PM

• 11:20-11:30 Volunteers arrive and check-in.

• 11:30-11:45: Orientation & Announcements

• 11:45-1:30: Book picking and packing

• 1:30: Afterjawn!

• Event capacity: 20 volunteers

• We will be working inside. It's a small building with a lot of book shelves! The library is two floors, and the staircase is rather narrow. Wear flat, comfortable shoes for safety!

• Bring your own water bottle

• On-street parking is available, and there is a free parking lot next to the building.

• Volunteers must wear masks and be vaccinated. If you are unable to attend - especially if you are showing symptoms of COVID-19 - cancel your ticket so that others may sign up for your space

• Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older

We'll all head to a local establishment afterwards to celebrate a job well done! It's a great chance to get to know the VU Crew and celebrate the good work we're all doing together!

Questions? Contact us at volunteeringuntappedphl@gmail.com

Cheers,

VU PHL

Uhuru (a Swahili word for freedom) Furniture & Collectibles has been open in Philadelphia for 29 years now, offering top quality, low priced, gently used furniture and home decor in the underserved community of North Philadelphia. Uhuru Furniture is a green business, saving thousands of pounds of furniture from the landfill every year as well as creating employment, training staff and volunteers and funding African People's Educations & Defense Fund (APEDF) programs for health, food, economic self-reliance and human rights by and for the Black community.

What we'll be doing:

• After an orientation at Uhuru Furniture, we'll break off into small groups and distribute informational flyers in different neighborhoods.

• Door hanging is an important way to support the work of Uhuru Furniture by getting the word out to the broader community in Philadelphia.

SIGN UP HERE!!

Details:

• Uhuru Furniture 832 N. Broad St Philadelphia, PA 19130

• Saturday, April 8th, 2023

• 9 AM - 12:30 PM

• 8:50am Volunteers arrive and check-in.

• 9:00-9:30: Orientation

• 9:30-10:00: Travel time to neighborhoods

• 10:00-12:00: Hang information on doors and/or Education to people about project. (Volunteers will not be soliciting or doing community outreach with this project. We will give volunteers some tips on how to respond if a neighbor asks them a question, but mostly it will be to tell the person to call the store with any questions.)

• 12:00-12:30 travel back to Uhuru

• 12:30: Afterjawn!

• Event capacity: 20 volunteers

• We will be working outside. Dress comfortably in layers and comfortable shoes.

• Bring your own water bottle

• On-street parking is available at Uhuru Furniture.. We'll either drive or take public transportation to our assigned neighborhoods after the orientatiin.

• If you are unable to attend - especially if you are showing symptoms of COVID-19 - cancel your ticket so that others may sign up for your space

• Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older

Join the Fight Against Food Insecurity with Small Things Philly!

1 Mission. 2 Locations.

Small Things Philly works with local partners and community leaders to alleviate poverty by improving food security and collaborating to address other community needs.

Roxborough Warehouse

What we'll be doing: Packing pallets and/or boxes of dry food to distribute

Details:

• Saturday, February 11th, 2023

• 10 AM - 12 PM

• Small Things 401 Domino Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19128

• Event capacity: 20 volunteers

• We will be working in a warehouse. Dress comfortably in layers. Wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty

• Bring your own water bottle

• Parking is available in the warehouse parking lot

• If you are unable to attend - especially if you are showing symptoms of COVID-19, have been diagnosed with COVID-19, or had direct contact with an individual diagnosed with or suspected to have COVID-19 in the past 14 days - cancel your ticket so that others may sign up for your space

• Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older

Sign Up for Roxborough Here!

South Philly - Snyder Ave

What we'll be doing: Distributing food to community members

Details:

• Saturday, February 11th, 2023

• 10 AM - 12 PM

• Small Things 300 Snyder Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19148

• Event capacity: 10 volunteers

• We will be working inside and outside. Dress warmly and comfortably in layers. Wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty

• Bring your own water bottle

• Parking is available in the warehouse parking lot

• If you are unable to attend - especially if you are showing symptoms of COVID-19, have been diagnosed with COVID-19, or had direct contact with an individual diagnosed with or suspected to have COVID-19 in the past 14 days - cancel your ticket so that others may sign up for your space

• Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older

• We will be interacting directly with community members. The ability to speak Spanish or Mandarin will be incredibly valuable.

Sign Up for South Philly Here!

Afterjawn!

We'll all head to a local establishment (TBA) to celebrate a job well done! It's a great chance to get to know the VU Crew and celebrate the good work we're all doing together!

Leveling the Playing Field was founded in 2013 in response to the growing inequity between those that can afford to play sports and those that cannot, and the prominent role the cost of sporting goods was playing in that gap.

After working in youth sports, college athletics and professional football, our founder, Max Levitt, realized the volume of equipment that goes to waste from elementary school aged kids all the way up to our professional sports franchises. In response, he decided to develop essentially a food bank for sports equipment.

SIGN UP HERE!

What we'll be doing:

• sorting and inventorying incoming donations

• reorganizing shelves

• helping to put together donations that are going out into the community.

Details:

• Saturday, January 14th, 2023

• 10 AM - 12 PM

• Leveling the Playing Field 404 Elmwood Avenue Sharon Hill, PA 19079

• Event capacity: 25 volunteers

• We will be working in a warehouse. Dress comfortably in clothes you don't mind getting dirty

• Bring your own gloves if you are not comfortable handling used and sometimes sweaty sporting goods.

• Bring your own water bottle

• Parking is available in the warehouse parking lot

If you are unable to attend - especially if you are showing symptoms of COVID-19, have been diagnosed with COVID-19, or had direct contact with an individual diagnosed with or suspected to have COVID-19 in the past 14 days - cancel your ticket so that others may sign up for your space

AFTERJAWN!

We'll all head to a local establishment (TBA) to celebrate a job well done! It's a great chance to get to know the VU Crew and celebrate the good work we're all doing together!

Questions? Contact us at volunteeringuntappedphl@gmail.com

Cheers,

VU PHL

MANNA is a non-profit organization that cooks and delivers nutritious, medically-appropriate meals and provides nutrition counseling to neighbors who are battling life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, renal disease, and HIV/AIDS. Through their delivery of 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, MANNA provides hope and nourishment to the Greater Philadelphia area and Southern New Jersey.

Read about MANNA's involvement in the Food as Medicine movement at the White House's Conference on Food, Nutrition and Health!

What we will be doing on Saturday, October 15th, 9 AM - 1 PM:

MANNA is gearing up for their Pie in the Sky campaign, their largest fundraiser of the year, and they need our help! This year, MANNA’s goal is to bake, sell, and distribute 11,000 pies. Money raised goes directly towards preparing and delivering Thanksgiving dinners and providing year-round services for people with acute nutritional risk from a critical illnesses such as cancer, chronic kidney disease, HIV/AIDS and more.

Volunteer activities:

• Activity 1: Pie box assembly, sealing pies

• Activity 2: Getting pies packaged and ready for pick-up

Come for the pies, stay for the Afterjawn!

• After a long day in the MANNA kitchen, we'll head to a local restaurant for some food, drinks, and hangs. It's a great chance to get to know the VU Crew and celebrate the good work we're all doing together!

REGISTER HERE

Things to know:

Parking & Transportation

• There are several options for parking, but please note MANNA does not have any special parking rates or validations.

• Bike racks: There is a bike rack located in the Rodin Place garage.

• SEPTA: MANNA Is conveniently located about a 15-20 minute walk from Suburban Station/City Hall, and is within a 10 minute walk of bus routes: 7, 32, 33, 38, 43, 48, and 49.

A couple of reminders about our dress code, COVID precautions, and VACCINE REQUIREMENT:

• Volunteer safety is a priority at MANNA and the Department of Health requires a dress code for MANNA’s kitchen. Check out our latest safety video here! Volunteers are required to adhere to the following guidelines:

• No sleeveless shirts or tank tops, no shorts or skirts, no open-toed shoes or sandals, no jewelry is allowed in the kitchen (rings, bracelets, watches, dangling earrings)

• Hats and/or head covering are required. Hairnets are provided, but you may bring your own baseball cap or hat to wear. Disposable aprons and gloves will also be provided onsite.

• COVID-19 UPDATE: Per current guidance from the City of Philadelphia, masks are optional.

• Proof of vaccination is required to volunteer at MANNA. To read our announcement in its entirety, please visit https://mannapa.org/vaccination-requirement-for-volunteers/. We thank you for your cooperation as we work to keep the MANNA community safe.

We're partnering with Philadelphia Community Corps which provides career training programs that empower underserved citizens to revitalize blighted neighborhoods by deconstructing vacant buildings and salvaging materials for reuse.

When: Saturday, 2/12 9:45am-1pm

Where: 5200 Unruh Ave, Philadelphia

Sign Up Here

Philadelphia Community Corps

On August 14 we are super excited to partner with our friends over at Triple Bottom Brewing and the West Poplar Neighborhood Group so we can help pick up litter and weeds in the area!

We'll kick off the morning by meeting up in front of Triple Bottom Brewing and hear from Tess Hart (the co-founder and owner at Triple Bottom) and a representative from the West Poplar Neighborhood Group.

• What: Neighborhood cleanup in West Poplar with Triple bottom Brewing & West Poplar Neighborhood Group!

• When: Saturday, 8/14 10am-12pm

• Where: 915 Spring Garden + surrounding area for the cleanup

• Register

Once we've finished the cleanup at 12:00pm, we'll party VU style at an Afterjawn hosted by Triple Bottom Brewing. The first drink is on Triple Bottom (major thanks to them!), but we encourage you to enjoy, hangout, and support the brewery after your first beer is gone.