I would have never found this amazing organization if it wasn't for Yelp Helps!! So glad I did!…read moreThey give NM's troubled youth a second chance at life, getting through school and learn and grow their skills and talents. They teach healthy living starting from nutrition not only in books but in a way of GROWING FOODS. I LOVE that. They get to work and learn how to grow food, eat healthy, have a place to hang out and express themselves via music, poetry, spoken words, and art. They were prepping for an upcoming show and there were some seriously talented youth there I got to work in the fields for a bit and got to see their beautiful greenhouse they call the wind tunnel. Right now they have kale greens, spinach, beets, lettuce, and carrots. On the outside the had garlic, onions, and sugar snap peas so far. How amazing that they do all this?!?! The people who work there are passionate about what they do and I saw the light in their eyes shine when they spoke of what they do. I was blown away by learning all that they do. Thank you for having us!!

What an amazing outreach program smack dab in the middle of the South Valley. This non-profit…read morehelps community members and teens find more useful and productive uses of their time. A GED program..check. Access to computers...check. Music and art enrichment...check. Cultural cultivation...check. Farming?...CHECK! Our Yelp Helps group spent some time slinging poo, raking dirt and digging a hole with 3 of the gentleman that run this great program. I had some great conversation with Brad. He had some insight about troubled youth and the community. I was thrilled to see all of these great helping hands. The folks at the institute were preparing for an upcoming community event. We listened to some music and spoken word poetry before heading out to the farm where we were given a tour of the area and handed a pitch fork/shovel. I enjoyed my time with other helpful yelpers and the folks at the institute.

I am so very grateful that organizations like Roadrunner Food Bank exist in our community. The…read morestaff is always so friendly and it's really simple to set up time to volunteer. A little while back, I did a group volunteer activity with some friends, and it was a very good way to spend a Saturday. We ended up sorting potatoes and were there for about 2 hours, but opportunities and needs vary from what I understand.

While the experience is usually enjoyable, I have never felt more sexualized in an environment like…read morethis one. The instructor was very disrespectful and commenting on what I was wearing in a misogynistic tone in front of everyone. I thought it was outrageous because I was wearing shorts and a hoodie just like everyone else except the only difference is I am a women. There was never information on a distinct dress code other than close-toed shoes. If there was an implemented dress code I would understnad but the way he went about it was disrespectful on so many levels.

The Power Of Local Food and Love…read more Another gem to add to beautiful downtown Albuquerque. It's not only a cool new local cafe, but it's also a non-profit, community kitchen, community classroom, and test kitchen. That promotes using local products. They also just started catering for events. The space is comfy, the staff is beyond friendly (I asked the waitress to take photos of me, she was so sweet about it), and I love the view. There is just something about Gold Street that makes me feel like I'm somewhere else. The food was delicious and reasonably priced. I treated my friend to brunch and both our meals and drinks came out to a little over $20. Make sure you stop by and support them. We need more initiatives like this in our community.

Hard to find and homeless population crowding the entrance. Unable to get inside to get anything…read moreto eat.

Female staff are mean as snakes except the one nice black lady, who actily speaks to the clients…read morewith respect... Food is usually undercooked chicken or nasty vegan breads that didn't sell at Trader Joe's. They have 20 kinds of spices in the kitchen but staff doesn't bother to use them. Joy Junction in one word: Crap in the name of Christ. They post online photos of the meals on Facebook for their DONORS (it's all about the money, they don't respect the homeless AT ALL....) every day, but don't show the bruised apples, etc. that they commonly serve almost every day... Freezers full of delicious food they don't bother to cook.... They have salad dressing but usually don't bother to use any. Try having salad every day for three weeks with no dressing, yuck. Seniors can't eat any of the salads cuz they're full of hard-to-eat vegetables that you can't eat with teeth or gum issues. They make residents 'volunteer' 20 hours a week even if they have chronic pain. They make people take the gravel outside even when it's 20 degrees outside and they have no gloves.... They staff at the gatehouse work 'security' but have not even a knife to defend themselves. Once there was an armed person on the premises and they did nothing to protect the 'volunteers' at the guard shack. ('Volunteering' is required or they kick you out... it's dishonest to call it 'volunteering' since that's a lie and Christians should not lie....' But staff lies in word and deed to protect their precious reputation... Six of the paid staff have narcissistic disorder (I've written two books on psych and I know my stuff....) Any questions?

It's difficult enough to witness the masses of homeless scattered throughout our Duke City streets,…read morevirtually everywhere. Unlike so many major metropolitan areas, ABQ has very few neighborhoods delineated by income; simply put, in much of the city, doctors live next to artists who live next to drug addicts who live next to hedge fund managers. It's a weird town, just ask a taxi driver. It's also a relatively temperate place to huddle down if you don't have a home. Well, until November, that is. As a father, this time of year is exceptionally difficult to imagine from the point of view (and starved belly) of a homeless kid. Freezing, cursed to suffer life's ravages through no fault of their own, there are many, many more of them than you'll see standing near a freeway entrance. I heard the official number on the radio this morning: 1 in 30 U.S. children will experience homelessness this year. I'm betting that ratio is inordinately higher in this city. Joy Junction is New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter. I've visited a few times, only to pick up my daughter, who has donated a fair amount of time feeding the residents. A drive along the property spells out the culture within: underfunded, overwhelmed, people barely survive beyond serious struggle, here. There's plenty of sadness, dispute and tough stuff happening here everyday. All of it tucked deep into the South Valley far away from Tanoan and Ridgecrest. My impression is that the organization does the very best it can with limited resources. This holiday season, consider donating your time, money or material possessions (they have a terrific thrift store and donation center). They can use every last bit of you.

Wife and I had Tax appointment. We arrived 20 min. early. We were the only customers there. 15…read moreminutes after our scheduled appointment a women walked in, sat for 5 minutes and was given service. We checked, she had a later appointment time. No apologies, just condescending attitude. The only rationale is that since everyone involved was white, we are not. How can an organization such as this be so blatantly disrespectful? I asked for help, they disrespect. I am poor, not subhuman!

I've been involved and volunteered in some of United Way's work in the previous cities I lived in…read morebut had recently started volunteering at United Way to help low-mid income families file their taxes via the IRS' Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. I had to say, I really found the work they do really well run, meaningful and fulfilling. The organization allowed low-mid income families that needed help filing their taxes...so that they could get the refund money back in their pockets. The programs themselves are very well run by both the staff and are also joined by a kind group of volunteers who are certified by IRS to help the communities file their taxes. I'd say...the work the organization gives to the community (for free) is worth $250 a filing..and in total, the team does put millions of tax refund dollars back in the pockets of those in the communities! So, I have a lot of respect of what this organization does. Check out the work that United Way does...and if you are interested in volunteering/helping out with income taxes, they organization has formal training and can help get you certified. Else, if you know of families in need of help for tax filing, ask them to check out the free help that United Way does....or....perhaps even check out other activities that United Way does for the community.

Went to the Zapata Club (total dive bar)for the first time in Nov 2015 with some friends that were…read moremembers. Me and my wife had a blast, granted I am 42 and there's no where for someone my age to have a good time without some young punks trying to pick a fight. I joined the club the next week and been going every weekend since. Non profit foundation to raise $ to buy shoes for low income kids, $30 annual membership fee. $2.50 domestic $3.00 imports anytime, full bar, holiday dances, matanza fundraisers,Free pool Thursdays, and karaoke Fridays. Come as a guest leave a member. GREAT PLACE FOR A GOOD CAUSE!