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.

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.

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!

Do you live or work on the Upper West Side? Join OHI's UWS Kindness Committee meeting. Zoom link provided upon RSVP.

Do you live or work on the Upper West Side? Join OHI's UWS Kindness Committee meeting. Zoom link provided upon RSVP.

Do you live or work on the Upper West Side? Join OHI's UWS Kindness Committee meeting. Zoom link provided upon RSVP.

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

Do you live or work on the Upper West Side? Join OHI's UWS Kindness Committee meeting. Zoom link provided upon RSVP.

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.

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:

1. Sign up to speak at the Community Board 7 meeting.

2. If you plan to join the meeting virtually, register to get the Zoom link.

3. 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.

We are hosting a fun arts-and-crafts workshop where we’ll make Valentine's Day cards and decorations.

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

1. 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.

2. Send a financial donation to be used on supplies! You can send donations through PayPal HERE.

3. 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!

4. 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.

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.