Health Organizations Around Philadelphia Where You Can Volunteer
Donate your time and talent to an organization in need.
The Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania is one of many health organizations in Philadelphia where you can volunteer. Photograph by Jeff Fusco
Want to give back to the community? Help others on their way to a healthy life? Here’s a few places and ways around Philadelphia where you can volunteer your time and talents.
Know of another Philly-area health organization looking for volunteers? Email details to lbrzyski@phillymag.com.
Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation
What They Do: Raise money to fund research into childhood cancers.
Volunteer Opportunities: You can host a variety of fundraisers to help support ALSF — everything from hosting one online to creating a lemonade stand to raising funds through sporting events. Learn more here.
Bryn Mawr Hospital
What They Do: Serve as an acute care hospital.
Volunteer Opportunities: Without any medical experience, you can pitch in at the mailroom, thrift shop, gift shop, or serve as an elevator conductor or a greeter. Learn more here.
Cancer Support Community
What They Do: Social, emotional, and educational support for those affected by cancer.
Volunteer Opportunities: This organization has seven locations, so you can find your nearest one, fill out a form, then help out by running the front desk, working an event — either leading a workshop or helping set up and clean up — or assisting with social activities for the children’s program.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
What They Do: Care for children and their families.
Volunteer Opportunities: There are a lot of ways to volunteer at CHOP — from serving in the emergency room to welcoming families to assisting families in navigating the hospital campus to reading to patients to operating the hospital’s Wawa coffee cart. Learn more here.
The Food Trust
What They Do: Make affordable, nutritious food, and healthy-eating information more accessible.
Volunteer Opportunities: Those who are 18 and older can help out at a farmers’ market or work out of the office. The organization has days, evenings, and weekends available for volunteering. Learn more here.
Fox Chase Cancer Center
What They Do: Research and treat cancer.
Volunteer Opportunities: Assist nurses and doctors, work in the gift shop, provide support to researchers, and work on fundraising for the center. Learn more here.
Girls on the Run
What They Do: A youth development and running program for third- through eighth-grade girls.
Volunteer Opportunities: You can join as a coach and help a team of girls train for the Girls on the Run 5K. Alternatively, you can become a “running buddy” by running the race with a student. Or you can help out the organizers on race day itself. Learn more here.
Jefferson University Hospitals
What They Do: Provide care to patients.
Volunteer Opportunities: For those with no medical experience, there’s clerical and service work at Jefferson, which may include everything from providing general office work to escorting patients through the hospital. Learn more here.
Living Beyond Breast Cancer
What They Do: Provide community and support through different programs and services to those affected by breast cancer.
Volunteer Opportunities: You can pitch in at one of the nonprofit’s community events, which happen throughout the year. Alternatively, volunteer at its headquarters in Bala Cynwyd or host your own fundraiser for the organization. Learn more here.
Manna
What They Do: Make and deliver meals to people living with life-threatening illnesses.
Volunteer Opportunities: Work in the Manna kitchen to help prepare meals, which go out to 1,200 clients in need seven days a week at no cost. Learn more here.
Maternity Care Coalition
What They Do: Improve maternal and early childhood health.
Volunteer Opportunities: You can host a bake sale or other small event to raise funds or a drive to collect items. You can work the Maternity Care Coalition hotline, provide childcare or food during meetings and events, pitch in on administrative tasks, or throw a baby shower to collect donated items. Learn more here.
Neighborhood Bike Works
What They Do: Encourage youth to ride and maintain their bikes through education and access to bike repair.
Volunteer Opportunities: Organizing a bike drive or helping clean up the bike shop on a work day. Learn more here.
Pathways to Housing PA
What They Do: Work with those experiencing mental health challenges and chronic homelessness and aid in their recovery by providing housing and treatment services.
Volunteer Opportunities: You can collect household items for “move-in kits” that help outfit apartments for program participants. You can also help by creating an opportunity for this organization to speak in front of a group you’re involved with and assisting the staff in spreading their message and work. Learn more here.
Pennsylvania Hospital
What They Do: Provide care to patients.
Volunteer Opportunities: You can greet patients at the information or admission desks, work the register in the gift shop, work in the hospital thrift shop, help feed patients lunch, bring the hospital book cart around to rooms, act as a liaison between patients and staff in the emergency room, or provide clerical assistance. Learn more here.
Prevention Point
What They Do: Seek to prevent drug overdose deaths.
Volunteer Opportunities: You can sign up for the Amazon Smile program — so part of your purchase benefits the organization — or you can reach out about hands-on volunteer work. Learn more here.
St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children
What They Do: Provide care to children.
Volunteer Opportunities: No matter your skill, there’s a way you can use it volunteering at St. Christopher’s, whether that’s working with kids through the Art Cart, reading to children, helping out in guest services, or filling in in the marketing department. Learn more here.
Vetri Community Partnership
What They Do: Founded by chef Marc Vetri and restaurateur Jeff Benjamin, Vetri Community Partnership works to support healthy lives with fresh food and healthy eating education.
Volunteer Opportunities: The Monday through Friday school lunch program, Eatiquette, needs volunteers to help prepare the meals, facilitate family-style dining with students, and occasionally, with administrative tasks. The Vetri Cooking Lab after-school program also needs volunteers to assist in the classroom with fourth through sixth graders learning healthy cooking. Finally, the Mobile Teaching Kitchen needs volunteers to assist with their pop-up visits to schools, farmers’ markets, and community events. Learn more here.
Additional research by Rebekah Harding.
