Want to bring Tilden back to these days? Grab a shovel. via @iamkellymurphy

We were all bummed to learn that Fort Tilden would be closed this summer because of that dickhead hurricane Sandy, and further bummed to learn that restoring and re-opening it was low down on the National Park Service’s to-do list. But instead of moping about it, one enterprising Brooklyn resident has organized a federally-sanctioned clean up effort, Clean Up Fort Tilden, that starts this weekend. So let’s help her out! (more…)

Don’t worry, you don’t have to volunteer as a human holder. Photo by Rachel DeLetto.

So you want to go to GoogaMooga still, but you don’t have $35 for a Prospect Park membership (or just don’t want the phone calls asking you to renew next year) and you haven’t won either of the contests for free VIP passes. Before you put up that Craigslist post offering your body for a ticket, be aware: the festival is also looking for volunteers to help run things smoothly. (more…)

It’ll taste better because you worked for it

CSAs. So hot right now. Unfamiliar with the term? CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and like Guy Fieri’s factory farm-to-table philosophy, is yet another way for you to feel less guilty about where your food comes from. Each week, you pick up a bag of groceries full of locally sourced vegetables, bread, eggs and cheese, just to name a few. Next Door Organics is a CSA that primarily serves Williamsburg, Bed-Stuy and Bushwick, and they’re looking for a few volunteers to help move things along at their main hub. And in return, you get delicious food! (more…)

We hear volunteering gives you real sex a-peel

We’ve given some attention to New York’s slow but encouraging recovery from Sandy, whether it’s something like Fairway re-opening or the Wonder Wheel starting its season on time, but despite those encouraging signs, there’s still a lot of work to be done. But if you’re not an actual superhero, what can you do to help as volunteer opportunities fade to the background? You can do food prep for good at the Hurricane Sandy Relief Kitchen, that’s what. (more…)

You can’t Celebrate Brooklyn without a clean park. Via Sha Rocks the Blogspot.

Don’t let the blizzard-y snow fool you, get you down, or instill apocalyptic climate change thoughts in your head – its time for spring cleaning! No, not time to clean that scary part of the kitchen you’ve been ignoring since you signed your lease. Time to clean up our local parks in anticipation of an entire season of Brooklyn frolicking. It’s time to get your mulch gloves on and join the 2013 Prospect Park Volunteer Corps! As a reward, you get a free brunch with the Borough Prez! That’s right: free brunch. (more…)

Guess who’s NOT going to have heart attacks. via Flickr user Vix Walker

We’re always willing to give a fun volunteer opportunity a shout out here. For starters, because it’s a free thing to do, and, sometimes it even comes with sweet perks. Free food or drinks, meeting new people, the ability to lord your kindly humanity over your lazy friends. And now, via The Atlantic, comes the news that volunteering can actually be good for your health. (more…)

An example of what CARE can do. via CARE

High waters like the ones Sandy brought to NYC sweep away more than just cars and homes. Seeping into basements, they destroy precious photographs, the unique and irreplaceable windows to the past. Brooklyn-based Cherished Albums Restoration Effort (CARE) is trying to stem the tide by organizing volunteers to digitally restore salvaged photos for Sandy victims. If you’ve got a couple of hours and the graphics design talent to bring a soaked photo back to life, they need you. Even if you think Adobe is just a house in New Mexico, you can still help by staffing scanning events, raising money, identifying photographs or just spreading the word. Come on, brokesters, put that RISD degree to use and help people recover their past. (more…)

Steven Kopchinski of Sheepshead Bay. Photo by Anna Jacobson

While everyone is out doing their best to help the neighborhoods ruined by Sandy, it’s almost inevitable that some fall through the cracks. Although being championed by our pal Allison Robicelli, Sheepshead Bay is still without power, subways, heat, fresh food, water – or media/relief attention. I visited this weekend. (more…)

They still need it. via WRVS

With everyone turning their attention to the election tonight, it might be tempting to try to start moving on from Sandy. That would be a mistake. The Park Slope Armory is still home to 310 people from nursing homes in Far Rockaway, and while they’re waiting to get resettled, there are fewer volunteers each day. The Armory still needs 40 volunteers every night to help with things like general support, bathroom visits, breakfast preparation and food and supply logistics. (more…)

Was this you this weekend? via Good Housekeeping

Haven’t volunteered yet? Why not? We’ve heard the Park Slope Armory is best place to find a date. Or maybe try St. Francis Church, where one media coordinator puts the “Belle” in Bell Harbor. Or Brooklyn Tech, where a do-gooder named Dylan has the kindest eyes of all time.

Apparently, pitching in puts some people in the mood for another kind of relief altogether. Witness the rise of the Sandy volunteer missed connections on Craigslist:  (more…)