Community Development, Environment, and Nutrition

Washington Parks & People

Washington Parks & People is the capital area's network of community park partnerships. Parks & People is working to revitalize Washington by reconnecting two of its greatest but most forgotten assets: its vast network of public lands and waterways - comprising one of the highest percentages of park land of any city in the world - and its core of dedicated community leaders and organizations. We seek to build a broad, permanent base of organizations, volunteers, resources, funding, and public support for parks. The network has helped launch over 30 friends groups for parks ranging in size from under one acre to 196,000 acres.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers are needed in a variety of capacities both at the Marvin Gaye Park Restoration project and the Josephine Butler Park Center/Riverside Center.  At the Marvin Gaye Park volunteers will help with park clean up, invasive plant removal, tree care and maintenance, pruning, mulching and stream clean up.  Volunteers at the Josephine Butler Park Center/Riverside Center will help with building maintenance and improvement as well as tool inventory and care.  Both sites have extensive community programs which include outreach, education and festivals.  Washington Parks and People is currently preparing to launch a pilot program, EcoKids, in the local elementary schools.  Volunteers will teach students about the environment and recycling and will also volunteer in the Maravin Gaye Park.

* Please note that the Marvin Gaye Park Restoration project can take an unlimited number of service learners and volunteers.  The Josephine Butler Park Center can take up to thirty volunteers at one time.

Days and Times for Volunteers

Volunteers can work at both sites Tuesday to Saturday 8:30 – 4:30 and are asked to commit a minimum of three hours at the site.

Service Requirements:

If you are going to Marvin Gaye or any one of the other parks, make sure to wear clothing appropriate for being outside and getting dirty. You should wear close toed shoes and long pants. I also recommend long sleeves or taking bug spray.

The Capital Area Food Bank

The Capital Area Food Bank is the largest, public nonprofit hunger and nutrition education resource in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. Each year the CAFB distributes 20 million pounds of food, including 6 million pounds of fresh produce through over 700 member agencies. The Capital Area Food Bank was founded on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, January 15, 1980. In 2005, the CAFB is celebrating 25 years of nourishing the National Capital region. In addition to food distribution, the CAFB has several community-building initiatives including Kids Café, Food For Kids, Face Hunger, The Anacostia Farmers Market, From the Ground Up, Sister Hook-Up, Produce for People, the Brown Bag Program and others.

Volunteers are needed in a number of capacities within the Food Bank’s various programs.  General responsibilities include packaging, sorting, organizing various products that are sent to different assistance agencies around the area.  Specific positions for volunteers are also available, and the descriptions of these positions are listed below. 

Volunteer Opportunities

Duties: Assist with packing food boxes.

Frequency: Can be occasional or frequent

The Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is the nation’s largest grassroots environmental organization. It enjoys the support of some 700,000 people nationwide who enjoy the outdoors and want to preserve and protect our natural resources for future generations. The Sierra Club, through its local chapters, offers its members opportunities to participate in local outings and chapter activities, as well as volunteer to support local environmental issues. Key issues of the DC Chapter include increasing recycling in DC, transportation and air quality issues, water quality issues, land use and development issues in DC, and Environmental Justice.

The program is designed to educate students on the value of recycling, give them an understanding of the process, empower them, so that they can make a difference, and have fun! Volunteers from George Washington University will visit schools on a quarterly basis to lead a two hour session, which will always include a fun activity for the students. The curriculum and activities are based on established programs such as those produced by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers will undergo training from a representative of the Sierra Club to familiarize themselves with recycling in Washington, DC and the curriculum which will be used in the classrooms.  They will then go into DC Public Schools on a quarterly basis to teach the curriculum to students.

Times: Because volunteers will be going into classrooms on a quarterly basis, the schedule can be built around their needs. Times will fall Monday through Friday from 9am-6pm for a two hour block