I work in the non-profit sector so volunteering is my job. Whenever I've needed to find some…read morereliable, hard working, up to do anything people... I turn to this meetup group, and I'm never let down. It's so great to have a go-to bunch of people, some of them perfect strangers, that are so willing to lend a helping hand without wanting anything in return. These individuals volunteer solely because they can. So, if you have some spare time... check them out... there is always something to help out at and there is quite a variety of things to choose from!

Great group! There's no commitment beyond the one-time volunteering events you can sign up for when…read moreyou want to on meetup.com or through their website. You get to meet some pretty nice and cool people. Plus, they have a wide array of events, so there's something for everyone. There's also social gatherings from time to time, to connect with the people you volunteer with. Well worth it!

Volunteered here with One Brick and while it was kind of chaos at the start (putting the food in…read morethe appropriate boxes) it ended up going well and was nice to be able to directly see the impact that you're having. Overall you'll be sorting food then helping the people pick up the food that they want and figure out how much of each food item they can have.

I've been around a good deal of volunteer organizations in the greater Boston area. It breaks up my…read moredays when all I want to do is sleep in late and waste away in front of my computer playing games. Harvest Food Pantry is a small operation out of the Cambridgeport Baptist Church and it does it's best to serve poor in our neighborhood every first and third Saturday. I wake up (or at least try to) at 7am to get here for 9 in the morning. That in itself is a huge feat, mostly because as I said I'm lazy. But I really, do enjoy these volunteer opportunities as it makes me think I'm not being completely selfish with my free time. Usually, you come in the morning, let the volunteer at the front desk know you're here to help then you head down to the basement where there's never a shortage of things to do. I've been here with One Brick, Boston Cares also helps out here once and a while. But I've also been here by myself. You don't need to sign-up or register to help here, just try to get here on time and be ready to work. There is no commitment but, if you wanted to make one or do more than just Saturday help they've got other roles you can participate in. Anyways, after you sort food and bags and maybe some clothes you head up to the waiting area where all the people who came by for food are waiting. You then escort someone down to the basement who will then shop from the available food products available at the pantry. They've got a really good system setup and let people take food according to family size. During this time you're either carrying bags for the people shopping or downstairs restocking. It's all over pretty quick, usually it's an hour setting up, an hour helping the patrons and an hour breaking everything down. Now the reason for the 4 stars is because I think that because this is a volunteer run outlet sometimes the people working the administrative side forget to order stuff, like fruits and bread and this has happened on more than one occasion that I'd been here so that effects the families that need help more than my own volunteer experience but yeah there's room for improvement.

I am writing as a volunteer at Sharewood Project!…read more This is a student run clinic by Tufts Medical School Students and other Tufts affiliated students. We provide free healthcare services for people in the Boston area. We are dedicated to serve our community and provide services for the medically underserved. The services we provide include: - Primary Care Medicine - Confidential sexual health counseling and STD testing - Hepatitis B testing - Mental health screening and referrals - Annual flu shots - Vaccines - Health insurance information and case management services - Laboratory testing - Vision and optical service - Dental screenings - Nutritional screenings - Women's health services The clinic operates every Tuesday nights from 6:30-9:00pm rain or shine! Every medical volunteers at Sharewood are dedicated, compassionate and empathetic towards every patient. We try our best to help everyone in need. We also have case management, which will help patients connect with MassHealth or other insurance options. Our mission is to continue to improve health access and the well-being of our community!

This is a free health care clinic supported by Tufts Medical School and staffed by the medical…read morestudents and physicians at Tufts. Open to all without insurance. Helps those people in need get plugged in to the system. A very worthy outreach cause.

When we were in Boston with our two year old we were looking for a babysitter for a night. Our…read morehotel recommended this service and I'm glad they did. We quickly were matched with a great lady with many years of experience. After talking to her for a few minutes we were comfortable leaving our daughter with her. Our daughter did fine and we had a nice night out.

I don't have kids myself but i have had to use them for work quiet a few times. They NEVER…read moredisappoint and both the parents and kids have nothing negative to say. The ladies always get to their appointments on time and show up with the warmest smile. I have had call them needing their services on the day off and without hesitation they find us someone right away. Highly recommend their services. Do be afraid when you call and face the fact that you have to leave a voicemail. they will call you back within 10 minutes.

Went to a fun fabric painting class and really enjoyed it! We will definitely be returning to check…read moreout more of their community events. This space is so cool, so happy it exists here In Cambridge

The Foundry in Cambridge is a convenient walk from the Kendell Square MBTA station. it is located…read moreon a quieter road, and its mission is: The Foundry is an adaptive reuse project to build a self-sustaining center for creativity and collaboration for the Cambridge community. I attended an event at the Foundry after work, which started with food in a cocktail setting before moving into a presentation. The space was long and well decorated, which was fine for the attendees to chat among themselves as they snacked and sipped. But the space wasn't the most conducive with the stage at one end. I wonder if their sound system could have been hooked up to enable everyone to hear from even the further edge. The bathroom was shared, with little private toilet rooms surrounding public sinks. Too bad we ran out of paper towels.

This righteous organization provides shelter for battered women and children. The length of stay…read morevaries for each family, but during their time they are offered education, counseling, job training and childcare services. The facilities are clean and comfortable, and most of the staff is nurturing and kind. I watched youngins here for six months. It was so difficult to see the turmoil and pain of the children yet they constantly amazed me with how resilient and joyful they were despite being uprooted from their homes and having their families split. If you've got a regular schedule and have a few hours a week to spare they're always looking for volunteers for the 24-hour hotline, children's services, administration, IT and fundraising. Now put down that Wii controller and CALL!

I wish the world had no need for programs for victims of domestic violence. Until there's peace and…read moresocial justice for all, thank goodness there's Transition House, the only organization in Cambridge offering housing and support to survivors of domestic violence and their children. The people who come for help and the staff that work here are incredibly diverse and the kids are remarkably resilient. Transition House is worthy of support -- make a donation, volunteer, attend an event -- spread the word!

TEDx Beacon Street is an amazing free conference in Brookline - with speakers giving short…read morepresentations in the style of TED talks. I went to the Sunday morning session and it was great! I was there to cheer for the founders of November Project but the other session speakers were interesting too. The CEO of Perkins School for the Blind and a Weather Channel staffer were my other favorite speakers in that session. Next year, I hope to be able to attend multiple session. TEDx Beacon Street is definitely an event to add to your calendar.

Admittedly, sometimes we need a fire under our asses to get up and do the things we want to do, be…read morethe people we want to be. OYFP is a match for all young profs that want to "do good" but are commitment 'tarded fools and/or don't want to get deep in the trenches. They host monthly events to benefit local charities by getting buzz going about these honorable endeavors. I recently attended a wine tasting event at an art gallery downtown and the crowd was smiling and supportive. Basically you pay a bit, get to drink and feel good about spending some scrilla knowing it's going to the right place. Plus their volunteer staff is a dynamic, awesome and gorgeous bunch!

It's because of On Your Feet Project that I've been able to:…read more Meet like minded people Meet NEW people Drink at their events around the city Learn how to make pasta and ravioli FROM SCRATCH(!) -- AWESOME Feel good about drinking and eating pasta and meeting people. Why? Why not? On Your Feet Project is a wonderful organziation that benefits local charites. What's not to like?