The Allston-Brighton Food Pantry provides nourishing food at no cost to members of the community. This provides solutions to food security, accessibility, and food waste, as well as healthy food options.
Volunteers stock supplies, fill baskets with nutrient-dense items based on family size and needs, and help transport if needed.
We collaborate with the ALS TDI to support their mission to find a solution to an underfunded disease. The Kendall Square site is the world's foremost drug discovery lab focused solely on ALS, as well as home to Boston Rotaract's bi-weekly meetings.
During Rotaract's long-term relationship with the ALS TDI, they have volunteered at its Corntoss Challenge and Race 4 Research, both fundraisers going toward support research to eradicate the disease.
Our club partnered with the MIT branch of a national, non-profit organization, Challah for Hunger, to bake and sell challah to raise money to end local and campus-wide hunger. Together, we are baking a difference!
The night is split up into three shifts. Volunteers make bread dough from scratch, knead and shape them, and hand-deliver the pre-ordered loaves on campus.
At Cradles to Crayons, their mission is to make life better for children in need. Focusing on youth poverty, the organization provides kids with the essentials necessary for a healthy and productive life, free of charge.
To make this happen, Boston Rotaract volunteers in the Giving Factory to fill requests for school supplies.
Boston Rotaract partners with the Crossroads Family Center at its annual Turkey Drive to provide Thanksgiving-themed meals and items to families in the community.
The CFC's shelter program is home to 27 families, which engages members in Case Management and Re-Housing Services, as well as parenting, financial, and other self-sufficiency related workshops held on site. They also provide support post-move out of the shelter and emergency food assistance.
One of Boston Rotaract's long-term partners, Found in Translation empowers low-income and homeless, bilingual women to become certified and professional medical interpreters at no cost to the students.
On average, alumnae of the program see a $10,000 increase in salary after completing certification, creating career opportunities and a pathway to becoming more self-sufficient.
For the past two years, volunteers have provided free childcare on a weekly basis, as well as professional development support.
Fresh Truck is creating access to healthy food by bringing it closer to those who need it the most. The mobile grocery store offers high quality produce to communities with a lack of resources/food deserts in the Boston area.
During a shift, volunteers manage the number of people on board Fresh Truck's Weekly Market and stock shelves as necessary. If supplies permit, volunteers are allowed $10 of groceries at the end of their shift. Only 2-3 items go to waste at the end of a cycle!
A Boston Rotaract favorite, Haley House is a multi-faceted organization that believes in food with purpose and the power of community. Most notably, we partner at their Community Tables events and in their community garden.
At Community Tables, event attendees are welcome to have a three-course meal and pay as they're able. Volunteers prepare and serve food, socialize with folks, and help with clean up. In the community garden, volunteers participate in a variety of tasks to maintain the raised garden beds and current crops.
Among these initiatives, Haley House employs folks who recently left the incarceration system, helping to integrate them back into society. It also implements a number of outreach programs to educate youth and local people on healthy, sustainable, equal food access.
To create opportunities that empower Boston's youth, More Than Words employs young folks who are in the foster care system, court involved, homeless, or out of school to take charge of their lives by leading a business. In addition to running the book stores, youth also partake in professional development and leadership training.
Volunteers sort book donations and prepare them for sale. We encourage everyone to donate books, CDs, and clothing, and to shop at their two locations in the South End and Waltham, respectively.
Operation Thank a Veteran is an initiative led by Boston's city government to engage with and support local veterans and their families. Our city is home to more than 17,000 veterans. OTAV's goal is to thank each one and provide them with resources specific to them.
Together, we provide mental health support and access to resources that help and thank veterans for their service. So far, OTAV has reached out to more than 3,000 veterans. Volunteers help deliver thank you packages and engage with local veterans. (And maybe meet Mayor Marty Walsh if they're lucky!)
A grassroots organization, Prison Book Program exists for one purpose: To send free books to prisoners. Since 1972, PBP has been supporting the political, spiritual, and educational development of all people.
Volunteers may partake in a variety of tasks, including sorting book donations into genres, reading prisoners' letters for book requests, and packing books for mailing. In addition, PBP also offers basic legal information books and dictionaries to be sent out. If you'd like to donate, $20 goes toward sending five books!
Young adults unite to end homelessness at Y2Y, a student-led organization and youth homeless shelter. It employs a youth-to-youth model that connects guests to service providers, other youth experiencing homelessness, and student volunteers. This creates sustainable pathways out of homelessness and develops skill for long-term success.
Located in Harvard Square, Boston Rotaract volunteers collaborate with other youth volunteers to organize dinner at the shelter. This involves menu planning, meal prep, and serving healthy food to guests residing at Y2Y.
