Barnard Reach Out for New Students

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The Barnard Reach Out Program for New Students ("BRO") is designed to give incoming Barnard students the opportunity to get involved with community service in the New York City area at the beginning of the semester.  We hope that by becoming involved with such opportunities early on, new students will continue to give back to the community throughout their time at Barnard.  BRO consists of a day-long service project either on Saturday, September 8, 2012 or Sunday, September 9, 2012.  Each BRO group will be led by a Barnard alumna and a current Barnard student.  We have secured approximately 150 slots for incoming Barnard College first-year and transfer students to join the program. 

Available projects for the September 2012 BRO program are as follows:

Saturday, September 8th Projects:

Chemo Comfort Kit-Making Session (3:30pm to 5:30pm) (6 to 8 Volunteers): Volunteers will help prepare kits to be delivered to patients undergoing chemotherapy.

City Harvest Greenmarket Team (5:45pm to 7pm) (10 to 12 Volunteers):  Volunteers will visit the Union Square Greenmarket to collect excess food from farmers and load it onto City Harvest trucks, which deliver the food directly to community programs in the five boroughs.

Hot Bread Kitchen (12pm to 3pm) (10 Volunteers): Hot Bread Kitchen increases economic security for foreign-born and low-income women and men through culinary workforce and business incubation programs.  Volunteers will travel to HBK's La Marqueta facility to help with a variety of tasks including, packaging breads, creating signage and stamping bags.
 
Housing Works Brooklyn Heights Store Event (AM Shift) (9:45am to 2:30pm) (5 Volunteers):  Housing Works' mission is to end the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS through relentless advocacy, the provision of lifesaving services, and entrepreneurial businesses that sustain the organization's efforts.  Volunteers will assist with a special sale where designer used clothing is sold at low prices.  Housing Works is looking to raise $25,000 in these 8 hours of the business day.

 
Housing Works Brooklyn Heights Store Event (PM Shift) (2:30pm to 7pm) (5 Volunteers):  Housing Works' mission is to end the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS through relentless advocacy, the provision of lifesaving services, and entrepreneurial businesses that sustain the organization's efforts.  Volunteers will assist with a special sale where designer used clothing is sold at low prices.  Housing Works is looking to raise $25,000 in these 8 hours of the business day.

Riverside Park Beautification Project (10am to 1pm) (30 Volunteers): Working with the Riverside Park Fund, volunteers will assist in the beautification of Riverside Park, which may include planting, spreading mulch, erosion control, removing invasive species, picking up trash, and/or raking leaves.

St. Francis Xavier Food Pantry (8:30am to 12pm) (10 Volunteers):  On the second Saturday of every month, over 100 registered families are served at Xavier Mission's customer-choice shopping-style food pantry.  Volunteers will assist with set-up, registration, distribution and clean-up.

Sunday, September 9th Projects:

DOROT's Rosh Hashanah Package Delivery & 9/11 Day of Service (30 Volunteers) (10:30am to 1:30pm) (30 Volunteers):  Deliver a package and visit with a DOROT senior to share memories and hope as we commemorate the anniversary of 9/11 during the Rosh Hashanah Package Delivery.  Volunteers will be visiting with seniors who reside in the Morningside Heights area.

Kraft Clothing Pantry (11am to 2pm) (8 Volunteers):  Volunteers will sort clothing donated to the Kraft Clothing Pantry over the summer season.

Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty (12pm to 2pm) (15 Volunteers):  Volunteers will be working with the Senior Lunch Program through Met Council.  They will be serving hot kosher lunches to 20-25 low income seniors at a low income housing site in Manhattan.  Volunteers will help set up, wait on the clients, serve lunch, and socialize with the residents.

Park Slope Women's Shelter (11am to 2pm) (25 Volunteers):  Volunteers will assist with organizing the shelter's storage and donation room and will sort through donations and discard the items that are not useable.

St. Francis Xavier All Saints Clothing Room (8:30am to 11:30am) (6 Volunteers): Through donations from the community, the All Saints Clothing Room provides clean, casual clothing for all sizes, toiletries, and appropriate business wear for interviews and employment to approximately 60 guests each Sunday morning.  This clothing distribution is mainly geared towards men, though some women’s clothing is available.

St. Francis Xavier Welcome Table (Soup Kitchen) (11:45pm to 3:30pm) (15 Volunteers): Open every Sunday, a day when most other soup kitchens in NYC are closed, the Welcome Table serves 800-1200 hot meals each week.  The PM shift is the actual meal service.  Volunteers will be performing tasks such as: putting hot meal items (entrée, bread, juice, coffee, dessert, etc.) on plates and the plates on trays, working at food stations giving out extras—e.g., coffee, bread, water, etc., washing, rinsing, and drying trays, and cleaning the tables and chairs and sweeping the floors at the end of the shift.

BRO participants are required to stop by the Career Development Office (Elliott Hall, 2nd Floor) at one of the following times below to pick up their service project assignments and other materials:

• Wednesday, August 29th: 10am to 12pm
• Thursday, August 30th: 10am to 12pm
• Friday, August 31st: 10am to 12pm

Projects are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis so sign up now via this online form!   

Please feel free to contact Valerie Chow, Associate Director, Civic Engagement and Experiential Learning, Barnard Career Development at 212-854-2033 or vchow@barnard.edu with any questions regarding this program.