BU Global Days of Service: 10 Chances to Volunteer Nearby
Projects you can support during annual monthlong event
This April, for the ninth consecutive year, thousands of BU students, alums, faculty, and staff will take time from their busy schedules to volunteer for Global Days of Service (GDS), donating their expertise and labor to organizations and causes around the world during the monthlong initiative.
Last year, 2,445 volunteers participated in 268 different projects in 138 cities, logging 14,533 hours. This year, in Delhi, India, volunteers will help the Delhi Council for Child Welfare, which provides care to children who have been displaced, lost, or abandoned, by assisting in a field trip program to the National Rail Museum on April 20; in São Paulo, Brazil, volunteers will help with painting, carpeting, and maintenance work at the Escola Estadual Castro Alves, a middle and high school that serves underprivileged children in the northern part of the city, on April 27; and in Irvine, Calif., members of the BU community will sort, package, and distribute food at the Second Harvest Food Bank, also on April 27.
There are hundreds of other projects happening globally, including many around Boston. We’ve put together a list of 10 volunteering opportunities on or close to campus, all of them accessible by public transportation.
Combat hunger
One in 11 people in the greater Boston area don’t know where their next meal is coming from. The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB), 70 South Bay Ave., Boston, one of the largest food banks in the United States, is working toward ending hunger in greater eastern Massachusetts. Last year, it distributed more than 60.7 million pounds of food to the hungry. Volunteers at the GBFB will inspect, sort, and pack donated grocery items to be distributed to hunger relief agencies. Note that a few tasks require the ability to lift 30-plus-pound boxes, but most volunteer positions require only that you can stand and inspect products for a few hours. Everyone who volunteers will be trained in food safety at the beginning of the shift.
When: Wednesday, April 10, 9:30 am to noon
Donate blood
One donation of blood can save up to three lives, according to the American Red Cross, the largest single supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. During Global Days of Service, you can give blood at an American Red Cross blood drive right on the Medical Campus, in the Talbot Building (School of Public Health), 715 Albany St. Reserve a spot here—be sure to type “BUMC” in the search bar to find a map.
When: Tuesday, April 16, 11 am to 4 pm
Support children in Haiti
You Care. We Care. is a nonprofit based in Brookline, Mass., started by BU alums Gina Strauss (COM’04) and Joanna Converse (CGS’99, CAS’01) that strives to help children and families living in extreme poverty in developing countries by providing basic and preventive healthcare services. The organization began in Haiti and will soon expand to Kenya and Brazil. Volunteers will meet at the GSU Link to help facilitate You Care. We Care.’s Canvas the Campus initiative, where BU students will write encouraging messages to children in Haiti on pieces of quilt. They will also give out T-shirts, hats, and wristbands to those who participate.
When: Wednesday, April 17, 10 am to 2 pm
Help some of Boston’s youngest residents
Nurtury, New England’s first early education and care agency, helps greater Boston area children from birth to age eight reach their full potential through specialized programming geared toward school readiness, healthy development, and family support. Volunteers will help clean the kitchen and organize office space, including labeling items and filing office materials, at Nurtury, 436 Tremont St., Boston.
When: Friday, April 19, 2 to 5 pm
Get in touch with your outdoorsy side
Now that the weather is getting warmer, it’s a great time to spend some time outdoors helping clean up Dane Park, at 870 Hammond St., Chestnut Hill. Home to volcanic formations and an array of plants and wildlife, the park has popular recreational trails and a small boardwalk with a scenic outlook. Volunteers will work with a park ranger on an annual cleanup that includes removing invasive vines, planting, and preparing walking trails for the spring and summer seasons.
When: Saturday, April 20, 10 am to 1 pm
Help heal with food
Every day, Community Servings, a nonprofit food and nutrition program at 18 Marbury Terrace, Jamaica Plain, prepares and delivers more than 2,000 medically tailored, made-from-scratch meals to homebound and critically ill individuals. Volunteers will help prepare and package meals in Community Servings’ kitchen for residents in 21 cities and towns in Massachusetts and Woonsocket, R.I.
When: Wednesday, April 24, 6 to 8 pm
Let children thrive
West End House, at 105 Allston St., Allston, is the largest youth development agency in Allston-Brighton, providing innovative programming for Boston-area residents age 7 to 24. The agency’s goal is to enable youth from all different walks of life to realize their full potential and succeed. BU volunteers will have a variety of opportunities to lend a hand, from providing assistance with homework to facilitating activities within the agency’s four main program areas: academic support, leadership and career development, fitness and nutrition, and visual and performing arts (find a full schedule on the GDS website).
When: Thursday, April 25, 2:30 to 6 pm
“Dirty water” no more
Pitch in at the Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup, joining thousands of other volunteers from around Boston in removing trash and invasive species and helping with general park maintenance. Once infamously polluted, the Charles received an A- grade for bacterial water quality from the Environmental Protection Agency last June, and your volunteering can help ensure that the river continues to maintain that high grade.
When: Saturday, April 27, 9 am to noon
Encourage inmates’ educational development
Learn more about issues surrounding the American prison system and reformation through education by volunteering with the Prison Book Program (PBP), at 1306 Hancock St., Quincy. This nonprofit mails books to prison inmates to support their educational, vocational, and personal development. Volunteers will carry out several responsibilities: pickers will read prisoners’ handwritten requests and find appropriate books from the PBP inventory, invoicers will ensure chosen books are appropriate, and packers will then prepare the books for mailing.
When: Tuesday, April 30, 6:30 to 9 pm
Improve access for people with disabilities
Global Days of Service also offers nearly a dozen opportunities to volunteer on your own. Among them is assisting AXS Map, a crowdsourced online map that rates the accessibility of stores, restaurants, and venues for people with disabilities. Take some time to rank the accessibility of entryways and bathrooms at buildings in your neighborhood based on such criteria as the number of steps outside the building, ramp availability, bathroom stall sizes, and whether there are support bars around toilets.
When: At your convenience
Find out more information about these volunteer opportunities and register for any of the 156 projects needing volunteers on the Global Days of Service website; all who donate their time will receive a free T-shirt. And students: don’t forget to add your time to the Million Hours Project, the running tally of student community service hours logged during the Campaign for Boston University. If you’ve already given your time somewhere else, you can register your independent service, too—don’t worry, you’ll still be eligible for the free T-shirt.
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