Volunteer in the DMV

GatherDC Resources

Use our online calendar to find volunteering opportunities submitted by DMV organizations — or, if you have something to share with the GatherDC community, submit your upcoming volunteer experience here!

Want to connect with us directly? Email us here or sign up to grab coffee with us and chat more!

Jewish Organizations in the DMV

• Adas Israel Congregation Social Action
  • “Adas Israel’s Social Action Committee is made up of teams focused on some of the issues facing us today: Homelessness/Housing Team, Climate Action Team, Community Safety Team, Kehilah Multiracial Engagement Project (KMEP), Uyghur Crisis Response Team, Refugee Response Team, Reproductive Justice Team, Direct Service Team and the Inclusion Task Force.”
• Bikur Cholim of Greater Washington
  • BCGW is a “volunteer-based service organization that provides complimentary services to those facing medical and medical-related challenges in the Jewish community.”
• The Edlavitch DCJCC’s Morris Cafritz Center for Social Responsibility (MCCSR)
  • “…offers both hands-on volunteer opportunities as well as learning about systemic inequality in our communities. At the core of our work is Judaism’s sacred mandate to create justice and repair the world.”
• HIAS
  • “Drawing on our Jewish values and history, HIAS provides vital services to refugees and asylum seekers around the world and advocates for their fundamental rights so they can rebuild their lives.”
• Jewish Federation of Greater Washington
  • “Connect with purpose and make a positive impact on the lives of others in our DC, MD, and Northern VA community. Volunteers of all ages, backgrounds and ability can help those in need…and inspire social change by supporting one another, feeding the hungry, caring for the earth, and so much more.”
  • This page compiles volunteer opportunities with both local and national organizations!
• Jews United for Justice
  • “Jews United for Justice advances economic, racial, and social justice in the Baltimore-Washington region by educating and mobilizing our local Jewish communities to action.”
• Pozez JCC of Northern Virginia
  • “By embodying the values of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) and Gemilut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness), you’ll make a positive difference on the lives of others while strengthening your own bond within the J community. Join us in building a stronger, more compassionate world through the power of volunteering.”
• Temple Micah
  • “At Temple Micah, social justice and action are central to everything we believe and do, not just through programs, but as a primary expression of our values, our faith, and our whole lives.”
  • Explore Temple Micah initiatives, including: Sukkat Shalom: Migrant + Refugee Support; Machon Micah 6th Grade Underwear Drive; Hineni Caring Committee; Racial Justice Initiative; and Micah House Walk
• Washington Hebrew Congregation
  • “For us, tikkun olam is about taking action. We volunteer, show up, reach out, connect, and offer support. Whether help is needed across town or across the globe, we strive to make our world a better place for those in need, ourselves, our families, and our future.”
• Yachad
  • “Yachad’s​ mission is to bring communities together by preserving affordable homes and revitalizing neighborhoods throughout the District of Columbia and the greater metropolitan area. Yachad means “together” in Hebrew, and that is how we do our work through partnerships with homeowners, houses of worship, nonprofits, and other community stakeholders.”

Other DMV Organizations

Housing and Food Insecurity

• Bread for the City
  • “[W]e share a vision of Washington, DC as a nurturing community, where all residents have access to the basic material resources they need for survival and growth, and the prosperity of their social, emotional, and spiritual lives.”
• Capital Area Food Bank
  • “The Capital Area Food Bank leads our region’s efforts to provide equitable access to food and opportunity to people struggling with hunger and food insecurity.”
• Community of Hope
  • “Community of Hope’s mission is to improve health and end family homelessness to make Washington, DC more equitable.”
• DC Central Kitchen
  • “…combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. The organization provides hands-on culinary job training for individuals facing high barriers to employment while creating living wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignified food where it is most needed.”
• Everyone Home DC
  • “We support the holistic needs of individuals and families at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness. Housing is our starting point. Seeing people thrive is our finish line.”
• Friendship Place
  • “Friendship Place’s mission is to empower people experiencing or at risk of homelessness to attain stable housing and rebuild their lives. Our vision is a DC region and a nation in which every person has a place to call ‘home.'”
• Miriam’s Kitchen
  • “Today, from meals to housing, Miriam’s Kitchen plays a critical role in the fight to end chronic homelessness in DC. Our direct services help our guests increase their income, improve their health, and obtain housing.”
• SOME 
  • “Since 1970, SOME has been a care provider and a beacon of hope to residents in our nation’s capital. Our services are available to individuals, families, senior citizens, veterans and those affected by physical or mental illness. Every day, we are working to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness through our comprehensive approach.”
• Thrive DC
  • “At Thrive DC, we are a safety net for people experiencing housing instability, food insecurity, and economic crisis. Our goal is to support and equip clients on their journey of achieving greater self-sufficiency.”

Immigration

• Ayuda
  • “Ayuda provides legal, social, and language services to help low-income immigrants in our neighborhoods access justice and transform their lives.”
• Good Neighbors of Capitol Hill
  • “…is a coalition of 8 Capitol Hill congregations and unaffiliated friends working together since 2016 to support refugee families in Prince George’s County.”
• Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights
  • Volunteers “act as Volunteer Child Advocates for detained immigrant children,” including “meet[ing] regularly with a child in detention to…get to know their story” and advocating for their interests

Women

• Girls on the Run
  • “Our program helps girls recognize their potential and rise above limiting gender expectations. Girls on the Run programs are about so much more than running – they make an impact at a critical age when confidence and physical activity decline.”
• N Street Village
  • “N Street Village supports women experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C. by offering a broad spectrum of services, housing, and advocacy in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.”
• Suited for Change
  • “We provide professional attire, coaching, and skills training to women in need who are seeking employment.”

Youth and Education

• For Love of Children
  • “Our vision is a city where every child’s potential – regardless of zip code, skin color or family status – is unlocked with a post-secondary degree, opening the doors to success in life.”
• Junior Achievement of Greater Washington
  • “…the premier school system advisor and implementer of equitable, rigorous, scaled and sequenced future-readiness curricula and experiences…[W]e recruit and train thousands of volunteer mentors from our community to provide consistent guidance, insights and support.”
• Martha’s Table
  • “We stand firmly alongside Washingtonians day-in and day-out on both sides of the Anacostia River by operating nationally accredited education programs, pairing healthy food access with physical and mental health services, and promoting family success by investing in family leaders.”
• Reading Partners
  • “Reading Partners is a national nonprofit that mobilizes communities to provide students with the proven, individualized reading support they need to read at grade level by fourth grade.”