The Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan has a full slate of volunteer opportunities lined up for this fall, and the barrier to entry is lower than you might expect. Several ask for as little as one session a week, none of them require leaving the neighborhood, and one of them comes with training. One will put you inside a local public school, two others take place a couple of blocks apart on West 86th Street, and the fourth involves an election.
The school-based option is the JCC’s volunteer tutoring program, run through its Koopersmith Family Literacy + Math Program, which places volunteers in Upper West Side public schools for the 2026–27 school year. For most programs, the JCC asks every tutor to commit to at least one session per week and to show up consistently, since, as it puts it, consistency is crucial for the elementary school kids it serves. For the Reading to the Tinies program, volunteers can commit to as little as one 30-minute read-aloud session per semester. Tutors don’t replace certified teachers, but they’re trained for the role, and the JCC holds regular workshops where volunteers can pick up new skills and swap ideas with one another. Anyone with prior tutoring or teaching experience can flag it on the registration form and may be tapped for leadership opportunities.
The daytime roles all run Monday through Thursday during school hours:
- Twice Weekly Literacy Tutoring at PS 145 (150 W 105th St): one-on-one work with a student in grades 1–2, two 50-minute sessions a week between 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., using structured lesson plans. Volunteers also attend four literacy training sessions over the year. The JCC calls it ideal for someone who wants a more intensive approach.
- Reading Buddies at PS 163 (163 W 97th St) and PS 84 (32 W 92nd St): read with struggling students in grades 1–5 during lunch and recess, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., one 50-minute session a week.
- General Classroom Assistance at PS 145 and PS 87 (160 W 78th St): flexible support for teachers and students in general education classrooms, one 50-minute session a week between 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Space is limited, and it’s best suited for people with prior classroom experience.
- Library Assistance at PS 145: one shift a week, Tuesday through Friday, 9–11 a.m. or 1–2:30 p.m., helping with storytime, read-alouds, crafts, shelving, cataloging, or tech in the school’s new library.
There are after-school options too:
- English Language Learners After School Support: help ELL students in grades K–5 with academic and language development, Monday through Thursday, 3–4:30 p.m., one afternoon a week.
- West Side Y + JCC (5 W 63rd St): read aloud to pre-K students, Monday through Thursday, 3:45–4:15 p.m. Background clearance for this one is handled separately by the West Side Y.
Session times are set to match the schools’ schedules, so the JCC can’t accommodate tutoring outside those hours. You can register to volunteer for the school year through the JCC’s sign-up form.
If a weekly commitment isn’t in the cards, the JCC also runs one-off shifts with two neighborhood organizations. The first is a food-packing shift at West Side Campaign Against Hunger, one of the largest emergency food providers in New York, at its site at 86th Street and Broadway. Volunteers assemble bags of fresh and shelf-stable food for food-insecure New Yorkers, restock the packing tables, break down boxes, and help with cleanup. Shifts run on select Tuesday mornings from 8:45 to 11 a.m. through November, and they’re open to all ages, though you should be comfortable standing for the whole time. First-time volunteers have to create an account on WSCAH’s Volunteer Hub and sign a waiver before showing up.
The second is a clothing-sorting shift at St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church (263 W 86th St at West End Ave), where volunteers accept, organize, and display donated items for a free distribution event for new immigrants held the following day. Shifts run on select Sunday afternoons from 1 to 3 p.m. through early December. It’s open to all ages, and children under 16 must be accompanied.
And then there’s the election. The JCC is running a nonpartisan Get Out the Vote effort ahead of the November general election, and it needs volunteers to help engage and inform neighbors about voting deadlines and early voting. Two-hour shifts take place at the JCC (334 Amsterdam Ave at 76th St) on select weekdays starting Sept. 22 and running right up through Election Day on Nov. 3, with morning and afternoon slots available. Volunteers of all backgrounds are welcome.
If you’d rather brush up on the basics first, the JCC’s Vote NY 2026 page has registration deadlines, early voting dates, and a polling-site lookup.
Questions about registering for any of the volunteer projects can go to the JCC at boxoffice@mmjccm.org.
