Donation & gift drives
New York Cares Coat Drive
Mission: New York Cares is a citywide volunteer network; the Coat Drive collects and gives out warm coats to New Yorkers in need.
Website: newyorkcares.org/coat-drive
Opportunity: Drop off a new or gently used coat at a public collection site or the warehouse (157 West 31st St), start a collection at your office or school, or give $25 to keep 10 New Yorkers warm. Last winter's drive distributed 52,732 coats through 841 collections.
Dates: The 2026 drive launched in October and runs through the end of the year.
Women In Need (WIN)
Mission: New York City's largest provider of shelter and supportive housing for homeless women and children.
Website: winnyc.org
Opportunity: Holiday Gift Program. WIN sets up pop-up toy stores in its shelters where each child picks two toys, stocked through online registries and group toy drives. WIN's Volunteer Services team also runs a donation room in East Harlem.
More information: https://winnyc.org/donation-and-drives/
CAMBA: Bring Joy Home 2026 Toy Drive
Mission: Supportive housing and services for individuals, families and youth; CAMBA reaches over 70,000 people a year, including 11,000 youth.
Opportunity: Pick a shelter or supportive-housing site, buy a gift from its Amazon wish list so it ships straight there, then submit the Donor Notification Form to get a tax receipt. Large groups can arrange drop-offs or host a corporate drive: development@camba.org, 718-287-2600.
Dates: Order by Friday, December 18 so gifts arrive for holiday distribution.
The New York Foundling: Holiday Gift Drive
Mission: One of the city's oldest and largest child welfare organizations, serving children in foster care, adults with developmental disabilities and families facing housing instability.
Website: nyfoundling.org
Opportunity: Buy from its Amazon wish list or collect gifts and deliver them to headquarters at 590 Avenue of the Americas. It gathers and hands out more than 5,000 gifts each December.
United Way of New York City: Holiday Gift Drive
Mission: Brings community power together to create health, opportunity and prosperity for every New Yorker; its gift drive serves students at partner schools and community organizations.
Website: unitedwaynyc.org/hgd
Opportunity: Host a drive at your workplace or school for new, unopened, unwrapped gifts. Sign up with the Holiday Gift Drive Sign-Up Form. Last year 13 corporate partners helped deliver over 1,200 gifts.
Dates: October 14 - December 5
Robin Hood Foundation: Adopt a Family
Mission: New York's largest poverty-fighting organization; since 1988 it has found, funded and created programs that help families in the city's poorest neighborhoods.
Website: robinhood.org
Opportunity: Donors are matched with a family and fulfill its holiday wishes.
Dates: More info coming soon!
Holiday meals
City Harvest
Mission: Ends hunger in New York City by rescuing surplus food from farms, markets and restaurants and moving it to pantries and soup kitchens; it has done so since 1982.
Website: cityharvest.org
Opportunity: Volunteers repack produce into family-size portions at the Community Food Rescue Center in Brooklyn, help at greenmarket food rescues, and pack holiday meal boxes.
Dates: regular volunteer shifts on Thanksgiving & Christmas
Citymeals on Wheels
Mission: Delivers meals and companionship to homebound older New Yorkers, with a goal of ending elder hunger by 2040.
Website: citymeals.org/holiday-volunteering
Opportunity: On Thanksgiving and Christmas, hundreds of volunteers prepare, pack and deliver festive meals across the city. Sign up through its holiday volunteer page. Last holiday season about 3,500 volunteers helped deliver 700,000 meals.
God's Love We Deliver
Mission: Cooks and delivers medically tailored meals to New Yorkers living with HIV, cancer and other serious illnesses.
Website: glwd.volunteerhub.com
Opportunity: Holiday meal prep and bag packing in its SoHo kitchen.
Dates: From now through the end of December
Encore Community Services
Mission: Improves quality of life for older adults, mainly in Midtown West and Hell's Kitchen.
Website: encorenyc.org/get-involved/volunteer
Opportunity: Weekday shifts for meal delivery (10am, about 2.5 hours), food packing, meal service and kitchen help. Food roles require lifting 15 lbs. Questions: volunteer@encorenyc.org.
Dates: Ongoing Monday to Friday; no separate 2026 holiday shifts were posted.
New York Common Pantry Thanksgiving Drive
Mission: Reduces hunger across New York City while promoting dignity and self-sufficiency.
Website: nycommonpantry.org/charitable-drives-and-activities
Opportunity: Collect non-perishables for Thanksgiving meal packages or buy from its Thanksgiving Amazon wish list. It also runs a hygiene supplies drive, and its events menu lists a Friendsgiving 2026 event.
Dates: November 12–18, 2026
