Volunteer

Pine Street Inn is grateful for the ongoing interest and engagement from volunteers and supporters. The organization offers a variety of both in-person and remote volunteer activities. Thank you for supporting Pine Street Inn’s guests and tenants.

INN the Holiday Spirit

As the holiday season approaches, Pine Street Inn is grateful for its community of supporters. This year, Pine Street is excited to share meaningful ways you can help brighten the season for shelter guests and housing tenants.

Click here to download the full list of holiday volunteer opportunities.

A simple bag of food can become a warm, comforting meal. Support Pine Street Inn tenants by filling a gallon-sized zip-lock bag with non-perishable ingredients and a simple recipe for a meal they can prepare on their own.

Help individuals stay warm this winter by donating new, unisex cold weather essentials. Ideal donations include a cozy hat, scarf, gloves, warm socks, hand warmers, lip balm and a festive holiday treat. Pine Street’s outreach team will distribute these items directly to individuals who stay outside.

As Pine Street’s housing program continues to grow, the need for basic household items is greater than ever. Help welcome a new tenant into their home by donating essential household goods, such as bed sheets, a comforter set, pillows, dishes, toiletries and cleaning supplies. These starter kits are especially helpful for individuals moving out of homelessness and into housing.

Help one of Pine Street’s 1,100 tenants get a fresh start with a cleaning kit including multipurpose wipes, laundry detergent, dish soap and sponges/rags.

Group Volunteering*

Days: Tuesday – Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
Time: 9:30 – 12PM
Number of Volunteers Needed: 5
Help prepare food in Pine Street’s kitchen. Peel and chop produce, cut and season protein, and clean as needed. A tour of the shelter will be offered at the end of the shift.

Days: Monday – Friday
Time: 1 PM – 3 PM
Number of Volunteers Needed: 5 – 10
Facilitate BINGO and serve sweet treats to our shelter guests. Groups must provide in-kind donations of gift card prizes, snacks, ice cream and supplies.

Days: Daily
Time: 4:30 PM – 6 PM
Number of Volunteers Needed: 6 – 8
Serve dinner to guests at Men’s Inn and Yawkey House shelters. Please consider providing desserts.

Days: Monday – Friday
Time: 4 PM – 6 PM
Number of Volunteers Needed: 15 – 20
Serve dinner restaurant-style to Pine Street’s shelter guests. Meal sponsorship costs are associated with this opportunity. Availability is limited. 

*All volunteers must be 18 years of age and older to volunteer in person

Remote Volunteer Opportunities

Host a volunteer event at your office! A Pine Street Inn staff member will join your volunteer event and give a presentation about Pine Street Inn, Volunteers will assemble kits of needed items for our shelter guests and/or housing tenants.

Here are the different types of bag assembly projects:

  • Cleaning Kits
  • Street Outreach Bags
  • Welcome Home Baskets
  • Hygiene Kits
  • Snack Packs
  • Breakfast Boxes
  • Pantry Kits

Get a group together to bake desserts for our guests! We serve donations of homemade desserts at our nightly dinner service. All desserts must be individually packaged, shelf stable and nut free.

Host a tie-dye event to decorate new shirts for Pine Street’s shelter guests. T-shirts are one of our most needed items in the shelters.

Hold a donation drive to collect essential items for Pine Street’s shelter guests and tenants in housing.

Individual Volunteer Opportunities

Days: Monday – Friday
Time: 7:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Prepare sandwiches for Pine Street’s shelter guests and those served by the street outreach team.

Days: Sunday
Time: 11:15 AM – 12:30 PM
Serve brunch to Pine Street’s Yawkey House shelter guests.

Days: Saturday-Sunday, As Needed
Time: 4:30 PM – 6 PM
Serve dinner to Pine Street’s Yawkey House shelter guests.

*Please note that all volunteers must be 18 years of age and older.

Individuals are also welcome to participate in any of our remote volunteering opportunities.

To learn more and sign up to volunteer please contact The Volunteer Department at 617.892.9184 or email volunteer@pinestreetinn.org.

Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, and a soul generated by love.

– Martin Luther King Jr.