If you are an animal lover who wants to help local rescues find their forever homes, look no further than Street Tails Animal Rescue, located in the Northern Liberties. STAR is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping unwanted and homeless dogs and cats in the Philadelphia area. They specialize in unwanted special needs animals who often require extra support.
Street Tails was started in 2001 by local business owner Lindsay Condefer, who originally operated STAR out of her pet store The Chic Petique. In 2010 STAR began operating out of its own storefront and has grown exponentially since then, helping more and more animals along the way.
STAR is not an animal shelter — they rely 100 percent on donations from the public to continue their operations. If you want to support this cause but cannot make a donation, consider volunteering your time! To volunteer at STAR, you must be at least 16 years old and commit to volunteering for two hours each month.
For more information about volunteering with STAR, please visit
https://www.streettails.org/volunteer
Rock to the Future provides free student-driven music programs to Philadelphia’s youth. There is no cost for children to join, and most of their events put on for the public are free. Rock to the Future is a great volunteer opportunity for any musician or music lover!
Currently, all Rock to the Future’s programs are online due to the COVID-19 pandemic but they are still looking for volunteers! What could you expect to do as a volunteer right now? As a volunteer, you will help tutor, teach, and instruct students either in music or as a mentor.
Rock to the Future is located in Kensington with aspirations to open a second location in German Town. For more information about volunteering for this cause, please visit
https://rocktothefuture.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Untapped PHL is a volunteer program whose mission is to expand the opportunities for volunteerism in the Philadelphia area. They focus on three primary causes: Education, Health and Human Services, and Sustainability.
Untapped PHL meets on the second Saturday of every month. Volunteers can expect to do everything from cleaning up litter throughout the city, planting a community garden, or volunteering at a food kitchen.
Untapped PHL is about more than just helping — they help Philly live up to its nickname by facilitating brotherly love among the community. After every volunteer opportunity, enjoy an #Afterjawn with other volunteers at a nearby bar to celebrate your hard work.
To get involved with Untapped PHL, visit
https://vu-phl.org/volunteer
Project Sunshine is a nonprofit dedicated to spreading joy to sick children receiving long term care in local hospitals. Project Sunshine is a national organization that pairs with medical centers across the U.S. Local participating hospitals in Philadelphia include Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Shriner’s Hospital for Children, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, and Pediatric Specialty Care Philadelphia.
Project Sunshine is unique because of the variety of volunteering opportunities they offer. For example, if you plan on volunteering you have the option to sign up as a college, community, kids and family, and corporate volunteer.
If you would like to volunteer you can go to their website and read the options provided and see which best fits you.
For more information on how to get involved with Project Sunshine, visit
https://projectsunshine.org/volunteers/
The Philadelphia Orchard Project (POP) is a nonprofit organization that plants and supports community orchards in Philadelphia. POP’s mission is to make fresh grown produce accessible to all residents of Philadelphia no matter their wealth or resources. Since 2007, POP has planted over 50 and supported over 65 orchards.
Attending POP’s events to build gardens and green spaces is a great way to give your time to this deserving organization. POP is also seeking people to be apart of non-planting activities on the planning, education, and fundraising committees.
For more information, visit
https://www.phillyorchards.org/volunteer/
ARTZ Philadelphia aims to provide people with dementia a safe place for self-expression that can rebuild their self-esteem and dignity. As a volunteer, you will help people who suffer from dementia connect with art, their caretakers, and their community. ARTZ Philadelphia believes that people suffering from dementia should be offered the same well-being and quality of life that others enjoy.
ARTZ strongly relies on volunteers to help support their program and the patients they work with. They are always looking for volunteers of all ages and walks of life to participate in events to connect with dementia patients and enhance their quality of life.
For more information about how to partner with ARTZ, visit
https://www.artzphilly.org/volunteer
