NEW NEEDS FOR FALL: Donation Drive for Riverside Terrace!
The list has been updated for fall!
We are collecting donations again for families living at the Riverside Terrace shelter! Add your name next to items on the spreadsheet that you would like to donate. Items can be new or lightly worn! After you sign up, organizers will reach out to connect you with the room number and to provide further information about drop-off. Email caroline@openheartsinitiative.org, if you have any questions!
Bring a Thanksgiving Pie for Families in Shelter
Upper West Side Open Hearts is organizing a Thanksgiving pie distribution at the Newton Hotel shelter. Here’s how to help:
Bring a pie to the Newton Hotel shelter on Monday, November 25th from 3:30pm-5:30pm! To sign up and get address details, email Caroline at caroline@openheartsinitiative.org. Please sign up in advance so we know how many pies to expect.
Donate here to help us fill in the gaps and make sure all our neighbors at the shelter get some seasonal treats!
Upper West Side Kindness Committee Meeting
Do you live, work, or go to school on the Upper West Side? Join OHI's UWS Kindness Committee meeting. Zoom link provided upon RSVP.
Fall Care Kits for the W. 83rd St Safe Haven
Upper West Side Open Hearts is excited to put together fall care kits for neighbors living at the W. 83rd St Safe Haven! Right now, there are 3 ways to help:
Purchase supplies for the kits from our Amazon wish list!
Help pack the kits on Sunday 10/20 from 1:30pm-3pm
Help distribute kits on Thursday 10/24 from 4pm-6 PM.
Interested in helping pack or distribute? Email caroline@openheartsinitiative.org to sign up!
Help Families in Shelter Get to the Children’s Museum
On Tuesday 10/15 from 3:30 - 5:00, families in shelter on the Upper West Side have the opportunity to visit the Children’s Museum of Manhattan on W. 83rd Street for free! We are in need of volunteers to help escort families from their shelters to the museum! Interested? Email caroline@openheartsinitiative.org.
Upper West Side Kindness Committee Meeting
Do you live, work, or go to school on the Upper West Side? Join OHI's UWS Kindness Committee meeting. Zoom link provided upon RSVP.
Upper West Side Park Party
On Saturday, September 14th from 2-4PM, our Upper West Side chapter will be hosting an event in Riverside Park for local families with children in shelter. There will be sports, games, and snacks!
Join us—and bring your kids!—for some fun community-building.
Volunteer: We’re looking for volunteers--for both before the event and at the event itself! To sign up to volunteer, email caroline@openheartsinitiative.org.
Donate: Help us purchase supplies for the park party by donating through our PayPal!
Upper West Side Kindness Committee Meeting
Do you live or work on the Upper West Side? Join OHI's UWS Kindness Committee meeting. Zoom link provided upon RSVP.
Upper West Side Kindness Committee Meeting
Do you live or work on the Upper West Side? Join OHI's UWS Kindness Committee meeting. Zoom link provided upon RSVP.
Upper West Side Kindness Committee Meeting
Do you live or work on the Upper West Side? Join OHI's UWS Kindness Committee meeting. Zoom link provided upon RSVP.
Upper West Side Park Party
On Saturday, May 18th from 2-4PM (rain date Sunday, May 19 2-4pm), our Upper West Side chapter will be hosting an event in Riverside Park for local families with children in shelter. There will be sports, games, and snacks—plus a piñata!
Join us—and bring your kids!—for some fun community-building.
Volunteer opportunity: We’re looking for A LOT of volunteers--for both before the event and at the event itself! Check out the list below for details, and if you can help with any of these, email Caroline at caroline@openheartsinitiative.org.
Before:
Hand out flyers at UWS family shelter sites to spread the word about the event
Pick up donations from UWS businesses in advance of or day of the event
Donate games, activities, picnic blankets
Day of event:
Set up in the park
Support kids with different activities during the event
Escort families from the park entrance to the event
Help clean up after the event
UWS Kindness Committee Meeting
Do you live or work on the Upper West Side? Join OHI's UWS Kindness Committee meeting. Zoom link provided upon RSVP.
Toiletry Drive for the Newton Hotel
The UWS Open Hearts shelter support team for the Newton Hotel is gathering NEW toiletries for asylum-seeking families living at the Newton Hotel.
UWS Kindness Committee Meeting
Do you live or work on the Upper West Side? Join the Kindness Committee of Upper West Side Open Hearts for our monthly meeting, where we'll be discussing efforts to support homeless neighbors on the UWS through our shelter support teams, programming and workshops in shelters, and more. Zoom link will be shared upon RSVP.
Speak Up for Homeless Neighbors on the Upper West Side
As you may have seen, a new shelter is coming to W. 74th St on the Upper West Side. Volunteers of America - Greater New York will operate a shelter for single adult women and provide them with services as they journey from homelessness to permanent housing.
The shelter will be discussed at a Manhattan Community Board 7 Health & Human Services Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 27th at 7pm. Members of the public are invited to speak, and our UWS chapter is organizing supportive Upper West Siders to come speak about welcoming homeless neighbors and help dispel any anti-homeless rhetoric that comes up at the meeting. The meeting will be held both virtually on Zoom and in person at the CB7 Office (250 West 87th Street).
Are you an UWSer who's interested in speaking at this meeting to show support for welcoming new neighbors to this site? Make sure to do ALL of these 3 things using the buttons below:
Sign up to speak at the Community Board 7 meeting.
If you plan to join the meeting virtually, register to get the Zoom link.
Email Bennett to let us know you'll be speaking as a supportive neighbor! Bennett can offer support, share suggested talking points, and connect you with other neighbors who will be speaking!
Questions? Are you considering speaking but not sure about signing up yet? Reach out to bennett@openheartsinitiative.org.
Celebrating Valentine's Day at the Regent Family Residence
We are hosting a fun arts-and-crafts workshop where we’ll make Valentine's Day cards and decorations.
West 83rd St. Safe Haven Resource Distribution + Community-Building Event
Over the last few months, new neighbors have moved into a Safe Haven shelter on the Upper West Side. We’re excited to have them as neighbors and are organizing a sidewalk resource distribution and community-building event!
4 Ways to Help
Send items for the distribution by ordering from our Amazon wishlist! (Items will be shipped directly to one of our volunteers, who will deliver them to the event.) The Amazon wishlist is HERE.
Send a financial donation to be used on supplies! You can send donations through PayPal HERE.
Drop off winter gear and shoes! If you have adult-sized winter gear (hats, gloves, scarves, etc.) or shoes that you’d like to donate for our resource distribution, send an email to Bennett (bennett@openheartsinitiative.org) and he’ll follow up with you. NOTE: If you’re looking to donate a winter coat for folks at the Safe Haven, please direct it to the coat drive organized by our friends at B’nai Jeshurun, which folks at the Safe Haven will have access to!
Volunteer with us at the distribution! If you’re available on the afternoon of Thursday, December 14th, and want to meet new neighbors and distribute resources to Safe Haven residents, send an email to Bennett (bennett@openheartsinitiative.org) and he’ll follow up with you.
Newton Winter Holiday Drive
Our Upper West Side Open Hearts shelter support team for the Newton Hotel shelter is continuing to organize after a successful event last month! Now, they're gathering toys, gifts, and winter gear for the children at the shelter.
To purchase toys and gifts from the wishlist, which will be shipped to one of our volunteers, click here.
Want to help distribute items on Wednesday 12/20 from 4pm-6pm? Send us an email at info@openheartsinitiative.org. Spanish speakers are especially needed!
Welcome Kits for W. 83rd St Safe Haven
Help welcome new neighbors on the Upper West Side! UWS Open Hearts and B’nai Jeshurun are organizing welcome kits for residents who will be moving into the Breaking Ground Safe Haven at 106-108 W. 83rd St. We will show our neighbors that they are welcome here and provide some commonly needed items!
Donate from our wishlist
Note: Please order ASAP to ensure the items arrive in time to be assembled next week. The shipping address will appear as "Attn: Kiana Davis's Gift Registry Address”—this is the correct address.
Help assemble kits on Wednesday, August 9th
We’ll be assembling the kits on Wednesday, August 9th, from 6:30pm-8pm in the chapel at B’nai Jeshurun (270 W. 89th St in Manhattan). Come join us to help put together the welcome kits and create homemade cards for our new neighbors! Let us know you’ll be there by clicking the link below, which will automatically create an email to be sent, or you can just send an email to info@openheartsinitiative.org using your email client of choice :)
Upper West Side Spring Event + Free Store
There’s an Upper West Side Spring Event + Free Store coming up on Saturday, April 22nd, 10am-12pm! All items are free, and everyone is welcome.
¡Habrá una encuentro de primavera + tienda gratuita en el Upper West Side el sábado 22 de abril, 10am-12pm! Todos los artículos son gratuitos y todxs son bienvenidxs.
Want to donate?
Please donate gently used or new:
Seasonal casual clothing for adults, kids, and babies (in good condition only) - men’s clothing is especially needed!
Spring jackets, shoes, backpacks
New toiletries (soap, deodorant, toothbrushes, hand lotion)
New underwear, diapers, hygiene products
Drop off items at the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew (263 W. 86th St) at one of two times: on Saturday 4/22 from 9am-11:30am, or on Friday 4/21 from 2pm-4pm. No drop-offs outside of those times will be accepted. We will NOT accept furniture, off-season clothing, or stained/damaged items.
Want to volunteer?
We’re looking for folks who can help set up, assist, and pack up the Free Store on Saturday, April 22nd, 9am-1pm. We’re also looking for Spanish speakers! To sign up to volunteer (or with any questions about donations) use the button below to send an email to our UWS Kindness team!
Toiletry Drive Drop-Off
UWSers! Do you have new or unopened toiletries to donate?
Stop by our table outside 106 W. 83rd St on MONDAY, APRIL 3 from 4:30pm-5:30pm to drop them off!
If you prefer to drop off earlier in the day on Monday, please email donations@openheartsinitiative.org to schedule a drop-off.
Upper West Side Valentine's Event + Free Store
Want to shop?
UWS Open Hearts is organizing a Free Store on Saturday, February 11th from 10am-12pm. The store will be located indoors at the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew (263 W. 86th St). The store will be offering winter clothing, toiletries, a Valentine's gift station with cards to make for a loved one, resources and information, and more! Everyone is welcome, and all items are free!
UWS Open Hearts está organizando una tienda gratuita el sábado 11 de febrero de 10 a. m. a 12 p. m. La tienda estará ubicada en el interior de la Iglesia de San Pablo y San Andrés (263 W. 86th St). La tienda ofrecerá ropa de invierno, artículos de la higiene personal, una estación de regalos de San Valentín con tarjetas para un ser querido, información y recursos, ¡y más! ¡Todxs son bienvenidxs y todos los artículos son gratis!
Want to donate items?
Please donate gently used or new:
Winter clothes, coats, shoes, and accessories for adults + kids (men's clothing is especially needed!)
Toiletries (new or unopened only)
Valentine's Day candy and cards (empty/unused)
You can also purchase items for donation using this wishlist.
Items may be dropped off at the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew (263 W. 86th St) on Saturday 2/11 from 9am-11:30am. No early drop-offs will be accepted. We will NOT accept furniture, off-season clothing, or stained/damaged items.
Want to volunteer at the Free Store?
We're looking for folks who can help out at the Free Store on Saturday, February 11th in the morning. To sign up to volunteer or to ask any questions about donations, contact the UWS Kindness Committee at donations@openheartsinitiative.org.
UWS Open Hearts Holiday Event + Free Store
Want to shop?
When: Saturday, December 10th, 10am-12pm
Where: Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew (W. 86th St and West End Ave in Manhattan - near the 1 train stop on 86th St)
Offering (one bag per shopper):
Winter clothing
Toiletries
A holiday gift station with wrapping paper and cards to prepare a gift for a loved one
Resources and information
Snacks
Want to donate?
Please donate gently used or new:
Winter clothes, coats, shoes, and accessories for adults and kids (men's clothing is especially needed!)
Toiletries (NEW or unopened only)
Holiday gifts + toys
Wrapping paper
Holiday cards (empty/unused)
Where and when to drop off donations: Saturday 12/10, 9am-11:30am (no early drop-offs accepted), at the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew (263 W. 86th St, at West End Ave). We will NOT accept furniture, off-season clothing, or stained or damaged items.
You can also purchase items for donation using the wishlist--wishlist items will be delivered to the Free Store.
Want to volunteer?
Our last UWS Free Store was the biggest one yet, and we need LOTS of volunteers for this one to ensure it runs smoothly. If you are available to help out at the Free Store on Saturday 12/10 for any amount of time between 9am and 12pm, please reach out to donations@openheartsinitiative.org.
