Browse opportunities
9 opportunities
Toni's Kitchen
A food ministry of St. Luke's Episcopal Church serving Montclair. Volunteers help with food prep, serving meals, packing healthy food bags, and assisting at Toni's Closet. Shifts run during the week and on weekends, and regular shifts are open to high school students and adults. Walk-in volunteers are not accepted — register through the volunteer portal and pick a shift first.
Newark Public Library
Volunteers support the Main Library and neighborhood branches as homework helpers, literacy and computer tutors, English conversation partners for new Americans, activity assistants, and event help. Teens can earn up to 18 community service hours over the summer by helping students in grades K-3 practice their reading. Contact the Development Department to set up an appointment.
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newark
Help build and repair homes alongside a construction foreman and site supervisor — painting, framing, insulating, hanging sheetrock, installing flooring, and landscaping. The minimum commitment is a single day, and you pick your dates from the volunteer calendar. Volunteers aged 16 and 17 may not use power tools and must be accompanied by an adult. A parental consent form is required for anyone under 18.
Clara Maass Medical Center
Teen volunteers at this Belleville hospital answer phones, assemble patient information folders, escort patients to and from physical and occupational therapy, guide same-day procedure patients to their areas, and act as a liaison between the recovery room and the family waiting room. Volunteers can also support seniors through the Hospital Elder Life Program. Most volunteers give at least 3 to 4 hours a week. You complete a teen application along with health and background screening forms, then interview with Volunteer Services.
Jersey Cares — Teen Service Events
Teen service events for ages 14 to 18 at the Jersey Cares office in Livingston. Volunteers complete a creative component, pack a kit that is donated to a local nonprofit partner, and take part in a round-table discussion about the project's impact. Jersey Cares also runs volunteer projects across New Jersey year-round through their opportunity calendar, many of which are open to ages 12 and up with adult supervision.
Bloomfield Public Library — Teen Volunteers
Teen volunteers straighten shelves, pack materials being sent to other libraries, and provide computer assistance to patrons. Open to students in grade 9 and up. Volunteers must be Bloomfield residents. You complete an application and meet with the Volunteer Services director before being accepted, and a parent or guardian signs a consent form. The program is popular — if no openings exist you can still apply and be kept on file.
Associated Humane Societies — Newark Shelter
Newark's animal shelter on Evergreen Avenue. Volunteering on the shelter floor with the animals requires you to be 18 or older, but there is a junior volunteer track for those 17 and under that does not involve handling animals directly. Call or email first to ask which junior roles are currently open before filling out an application.
Greater Newark Conservancy
Urban farming and environmental education in Newark. Volunteers join seasonal farm and garden workdays, prep and maintain community garden plots, pack and distribute CSA boxes, and help at markets, festivals, and family days. No gardening experience is necessary — staff train you on site. Monthly open volunteer days run at the Urban Environmental Center, Court Street Farm, and Hawthorne Avenue Farm starting in April.
Montclair Public Library — Teen Volunteers
Teen volunteers help at the Main Library and the Bellevue Avenue branch. The library also runs monthly volunteer sessions from 4 to 6 p.m. that are open to teens across the Montclair area, and a Teen Volunteer Book Lists project that earns volunteer credit. Open to students in grades 7 through 12 who live or attend school in Montclair. The general Teen Volunteer Application and the Teen Advisory Board are both currently closed, but the monthly sessions and book list project still offer hours — email Youth Services to ask what is open.