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Boston Teachers Union

Professionalism, Experience, Commitment, Teamwork Local 66, AFT Massachusetts, AFL-CIO

Home Volunteer Opportunities during COVID-19

Volunteer Opportunities during COVID-19

On this page, you can find different opportunities to volunteer and support those who need assistance during COVID-19. 

  • More families have been added for weekly grocery deliveries so more drivers are needed to help with a weekly grocery delivery to BPS families through the Red Cross, YMCA and King school. More specific information will be sent once you sign up but pick up is near 1010 Mass Ave. Deliveries are in the Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan neighborhoods. Only 5-8 deliveries per volunteer. Sign up here and we'll send you the location.
  • Deliver essential items/groceries to BPS families enrolled in the Food Distribution Program through the YMCA of Greater Boston on Tuesday, May 26 from 1PM - 3PM. We currently serve 550 families through this program and will be making a one-time delivery of hygiene kits, books, clothing, diapers, wipes and other requested items. Each driver will deliver to 7-10 families (all efforts will be made to keep houses close together!) Need 75 drivers for 15 cars every 20 minutes. Location: YMCA @ Huntington Ave.
  • Deliver bikes to raffle winners from the King K-8 School! Wednesday, May 27 from 11AM - 12:30PM. Bikes are currently stored at YMCA's Camp Ponkapoag. Each driver will be given 2-3 bikes to deliver (based on the size of the bikes and vehicles). Please share what kind of vehicle you drive when signing up. Sign up here to help Essential and Bikes.
  • The First Baptist Church in JP/the Centre for Faith Art & Justice is looking for volunteers to help make and deliver meals to their community. Here is the form for people who are ServSafe certified to help out in the kitchen and with packing groceries. They are also looking for drivers who can deliver meals. At least 30 drivers total are needed to give some margin for assignments. The shifts are about 2 hours long. They are purchasing and distributing significantly more food than before this crisis! If you're able to donate money, the church will receive and redistribute your gifts through the Community Support Fund. Please email them at sofiawolman@gmail.com and churchoffice@firstbaptistjp.org if you want to volunteer in some other capacity.
  • The Greater Boston Labor Council and the Boston Teachers Union are working with Violence in Boston and Food for the Soul to help with food deliveries to individuals and families in need in the Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park neighborhoods. Volunteers needed in the afternoon and evening every day this week, Tues-Fri. Specific information regarding where in Roxbury to show up for your shift will be emailed to you. Sign up here.
    This organization is working to feed close to 1000 people per day. If you can't volunteer in person, donations can be made at https://www.paypal.com/paypalme2/violenceinboston.
  • Many BPS volunteer opportunities including helping at BPS food distribution sites, are now being handled by Boston Cares, a non profit organization whose mission is linking volunteers with service opportunities.  Sign up here https://www.bostoncares.org/bostoncovid19volunteers.   Please note, if you see a request for a registration fee, fees have been waived. Likewise, registration for training sessions has also been waived and you can bypass this step and just sign up for specific shifts.
  • Volunteers are needed at the Greater Boston Food Bank to help with food sorting at their warehouse for distribution to their partner agencies. The need is high, especially for their programs that support low-income seniors. We are taking extra precautions to ensure the health and safety of our community: https://www.gbfb.org/covid-19-update/. Those who are able, should sign up as individuals here: Individual Volunteering. GBFB personnel will reach out to those who sign up in order to register you for specific shifts. Currently volunteers are needed every Tuesday – Thursday from 9:00am-12:00pm and 1:00-4:00pm indefinitely.
  • Ways to help Boston Healthcare for the Homeless (BHCHP) respond to the COVID-19 crisis: Financial donations to the BHCHP COVID-19 RESPONSE FUND. This is our priority right now as we project incurring upwards of $1,000,000/month in financial losses during our COVID-19 response.  The link to donation to this fund is www.bhchp.org/covid19.  Please contact Sara Pacelle spacelle@bhchp.org with any questions.
    • Essential items donations for needs within the tents and at BMH.  We have set up two Amazon Wish Lists for folks to purchase items and send to us.  Please contact Kira Venturini kventurini@bhchp.org with any questions.
      • Tent Needs: These include supplies needed to create admission kits with basic essentials, as well as snacks and some beverages like juice boxes and Powerade. We weren’t able to include bottled water on this list due to a lack of availability, so we are reaching out to companies.  These items are being shipped to Lisa Nguyen’s attention here at BHCHP.
      • BMH Patient Comfort Needs:These include snacks and supplies to keep patients comfortable and occupied during their stay, especially in isolation. These items are being shipped to Dan Maloney’s attention here at BHCHP.
    • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).  We are in short supply of PPE for our clinicians who are caring for our patients.  If you know of anyone who might be in a position to donate PPE, please contact Colleen Eagan ceagan@bhchp.org with any questions.
    • Patient/Staff Stories around COVID-19.  Finally, we are always looking for inspiring stories to share with our donors, who are truly in awe of our work and love to feel connected through stories. Please contact Katie Dillon kdillon@bhchp.org with any story ideas.
  • Donate to the Boston Resiliency Fund. The emerging priorities of the Boston Resiliency Fund are to provide food for children and seniors, technology for remote learning for students, and support to first responders and healthcare workers in the City of Boston. Donate here.
  • MIRA (Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition) and AFT MA are launching phone banks to increase the Census participation. From Beth Kontos, President of AFT MA: 29.9% of Massachusetts residents have filled out the Census! However, some census tracts have response rates are as low as 12-13%, so we have some work to do. Phone banks are every Tuesday from 11:00-1:00 and Thursday from 5:00-7:00 to call residents of census tracts with the lowest self-response rates. You'll need a computer and a cell phone. We can close the gap - but only if we reach out to residents of low-response census tracts! Sign up for a phone bank next week!
  • Neighborhood-based: Many neighborhoods and towns are compiling their own mutual-aid networks, where you can make requests for support and offer your time and resources to others in need. Find your neighborhood here (and check back for updates or create your own network if it’s not there).
  • Virtual: 46 calls and emails to the Governor and counting! Call, email, call again, email again, (we’re serious, call/email every day) until we get a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures. Contact Governor Baker (617-725-4005, or email) to express your support for HD. 4935. Let us know after you call so we can track how many people took action.
  • Virtual: Mass Families Organizing for Change is matching educators with families looking for a phone call, google hang out, zoom call or a video chat to better support their children with disabilities. Sign up here. Encourage families of students with disabilities to sign up to be matched with an educator at this link. Shout-out to BTU member Emma Fialka-Feldman for coordinating!

  • Meals Distribution at BPS sites
    The number of volunteers for this meals distribution work has declined in the past few days, so they are looking for more volunteers. Please sign up if you can.
    To sign up to help with BPS meal distribution at schools, please sign up through Boston Cares, https://www.bostoncares.org/bostoncovid19volunteers. Please note, if you see a request for a registration fee, fees have been waived. Likewise, registration for training sessions has also been waived and you can bypass this step and just sign up for specific shifts.

  • First Baptist Church JP and the Centre for Faith, Art and Justice is organizing meal and grocery distribution to people facing food scarcity issues. They are providing meals and a grocery bag of food to be delivered Saturday late mornings, Monday and Wednesday evenings – so people who need it can get food nearly every other day. They are looking for the following:

  • In-Person: Volunteer for food preparation and distribution at Grove Hall. Organized by Violence in Boston Inc. and Food for the Soul Grove Hall. 10-15 people needed every day (until money runs out), from 10am-8pm (at any time you are able to go). 651 Warren St, Roxbury, MA 02121. Can’t volunteer? Drop off food donations or donate (each day costs over $2000 and they desperately need donations to stay open) at paypal.me/violenceinboston. Contact BTU member Janina Rackards-Vickers at jhavone@aol.com to sign up and find out if they are open.

New Opportunities that just came in from the City (for BPS employees only at this time) - mostly remote.

See here for more information regarding support fo individuals and non-profits.

Sign up for the BTU Volunteer Corps


The Boston Teachers Union has offered help on thinking through ways to make sure our most vulnerable students and families have access to food, services, support and child care, and are working in coalition with others to do this. Many of our members have asked how they can support families who may need help during this difficult time. If you are interested in joining our BTU Volunteer Corps, please fill out this form.

Volunteer needs may include providing childcare to the families of first responders, home care workers, and others; delivering meals to senior residents; small group tutoring or chaperoning and other such public service functions that will be needed in the days and weeks ahead.