Mother's Day is Sunday, May 9, and if you're like us, you definitely forgot. (Sorry, Mom.) Not to fear: whether your favorite brunch spot is all booked up or jewelry is a bit outside your budget, there are plenty of ways to treat your #1 lady this Mother's Day Weekend while doing some good in your neighborhood. Check out these sweet volunteer opportunities every mama would love. (Especially if she's always asking why you don't spend more time with her!)
Note: these opportunities are active at the time of this blog post. Opportunities may expire or fill up at any time. For a full list of opportunities for teens, visit https://www.volunteernewyork.org/youth
Gardening Volunteers
Organization: Our New Way Garden
Ages: 17+, 12+ with adult or older volunteer
When: Saturdays, Sundays, and Tuesdays
Location: West Harrison
Here's a great activity for moms who don't mind getting their hands dirty. Our New Way Garden manages several small gardens, which are tended by volunteers. The fruits (and veggies) of their labor is then harvested and donated to local food pantries to help feed families in need. If Mom's always telling you to eat your vegetables, then she'll be extra impressed when you show her you can grow them, too!
Create Blankets for Children
Organization: Westchester-Rockland Project Linus
Ages: 13+, 8+ with adult or older volunteer
When: Ongoing
Location: Remote (at-home)
For Moms who love to knit, this is the volunteer activity for you. Westchester-Rockland Project Linus collects homemade fleece blankets—crafted with love by volunteers—and distributes them to kids in need, including at family shelters and hospitals. These blankies provide a little bit of comfort, and you can choose any pattern you'd like!
Simply pick out a pattern and get started. There are even no-sew instructions for volunteers who aren't as skilled with needles or crochet hooks.
Collect Surveys Outdoors
Organization: Community Voices Heard
Ages: 18+, 16+ with adult or older volunteer
When: Saturday, May 8, 2021
Location: Yonkers (outdoors)
For more civic-minded moms—and those who love asking questions—you may want to support a local organization that is implementing an important housing needs survey to local residents at an outdoor event this weekend. You and Mom can tag-team to help collect this crucial information, which will then be used to provide critical resources to your neighbors in need.
Summer in a Box Donation Drive
Organization: ANDRUS
Ages: 16+, 14+ with adult or older volunteer
When: Ongoing
Location: Yonkers (drop-off location)
Some of our favorite memories with Mom include making sandcastles at the beach or playing Marco Polo in the pool. Of course, you can't enjoy the summer without your trusty flip-flops and slick shades! Unfortunately, many local families don't have the means to buy these items, which effectively turns their summer into a bummer.
Why not help out by taking Mom out for one of her favorite activities: shopping? Pick out brand-new warm-weather essentials—like T-shirts, shorts, flip-flips, hats, and sunscreen—and pack them into a box. You can even include a cute handwritten note (make sure both you and Mom sign it). The boxes will then be donated to families in need so they, too, can enjoy the season!
Donate Diapers to New Families
Organization: Junior League of Central Westchester and Westchester County Diaper Bank
Ages: 16+, 12+ with adult or older volunteer
When: Ongoing
Location: Scarsdale (drop-off location)
Many families in Westchester County struggle to afford enough diapers for their new babies. then be used to provide critical resources to your neighbors in need. You and Mom can support the Westchester County Diaper Bank by donating diapers of all types, brands, and sizes—open packages of diapers included! Baby wipes are also needed.