The Interfaith Center of New York has been proud to support and partner with the work of so many faith communities responding to the Asylum Seeker Crisis in New York. Many of these organizations rely on volunteers to make an impact on the lives of Asylum seekers. If you want to do your part to support Asylum Seekers in NYC, but don’t know where to start, consider volunteering with one of the following organizations:
- Artists Athletes Activists and Rauschenbusch Metro Ministries partner together weekly (Wednesday & Thursday | 9am – 4pm) at Metro Baptist Church 412 W 40th Street – a safe and inclusive community for recently-arrived immigrants of all backgrounds. Be a part of this incredible aid through volunteer work – assist with in-person resource referrals and sign-ups, programming activities and games, cooking, English lessons and more. Volunteers are welcome for all or part of the day. Fluency in languages other than English is helpful, but not required. To volunteer, please contact Candice Braun at (917) 612-6782 or candice_ben@mac.com
- Afrikana, a resource center in Harlem that assists migrants through a variety of applications, is looking for volunteers Monday through Thursday between 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Located at 685 Lenox Avenue, NY, NY 10030, come with your computer and be prepared for a 2-to-4-hour shift. Sign-up to volunteer through this link: https://shorturl.at/jITU1
- HIAS is looking for long-term and short-term volunteers to help Asylum Seekers access Essential Services. Volunteering includes writing resumes, holding mock job interviews, building English Language Skills, fostering community, and so much more. Learn more and apply to be a volunteer here: https://app.betterimpact.com/PublicOrganization/8ea8d70a-85df-4b54-92b8-6f6dbdd91d21/1
- The Migrant Center of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, needs intake coordinators, translators, and especially legal assistance at their site, where they help asylum seekers apply for asylum. For more information or for immigration assistance or to volunteer, please contact Fr. Julian Jagudilla, O.F.M. at 212-736-8500 ext. 377 or at migrantcenter@stfrancisnyc.org
- St. Luke’s in the Fields Clothing Closet provides clothing, personal care items, and brown bag sandwich meals to anyone in need. Volunteers are needed every Saturday (except Church holidays/special events) from 3 – 4 P.M. at 487 Hudson Street in Laughlin Hall; Volunteers help sort, set up, and distribute donations, assemble meals, and provide a welcoming atmosphere. You can sign up to volunteer here: https://episcopalcharities.volunteerhub.com/vv2/lp/stluke/
- St. Paul and St. Andrew, a one-day-a-week respite center located on the Upper West Side. Help to provide respite on Mondays between 8:45 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. Additionally the site needs help with the sorting and distribution of clothing donations on Sundays from 12:00 P.M – 2:00 P.M. Follow this link to get connected: https://my.lotsahelpinghands.com/community/spsasanctuary/home
- Team TLC NYC, will need volunteers in the coming days and weeks to help set up several new storage spaces, to help move supplies to the new spaces, and to sort donations at various drop-off locations around the city. Starting October 27, Team TLC NYC will start doing clothing distributions every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the offices of Repair the World in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and will need volunteers to staff those distributions and others as we do pop-up stores in various locations. Please see our signup at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/LittleShopofKindness#/ for more information.
- Radical Hope Mutual Aid Center @ Judson Memorial Church runs a respite center every Monday from 10 A.M. – 5 P.M., where asylum seekers can access food and key social services. To volunteer, contact Ted Dawson at dawsontheodore@gmail.com
Want to submit a volunteer opportunity? Fill out this form. Additionally, you can send an opportunities or questions to brennan@interfaithcenter.org
