Mission: New York Cares was founded in 1987 by a group of friends who wanted to take action against the serious social issues facing New York City. Like many other caring New York City residents, they searched in vain for an organization that offered hands-on volunteer opportunities that had a marked impact on the community and fit around their busy schedules. In response, they created New York Cares to address the problems from the ground up. Our mission: to meet pressing community needs by mobilizing caring New Yorkers in volunteer service. Today, New York Cares is the city's leading volunteer management organization. Our programs address urban poverty, with three overarching goals: (1) to meet immediate needs, such as providing meals to the hungry, (2) to improve educational outcomes for NYC students and adults, and 3) revitalize NYC's invaluable public spaces. This year, New York Cares will engage 64,000 volunteers on projects that will help 400,000 at-risk New Yorkers.  (Less)

New York Cares is a 501(c)(3) organization, with an IRS ruling year of 1990, and donations are tax-deductible.