Needs From: United Way of Northeast Florida

 

C.R.O.W.N. stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.

Natural hair care items are frequently overlooked when toiletry items are donated. Not all hair and skincare products meet the unique needs of the natural hair community, and many homeless service providers have difficulty providing these necessary items. Many students from struggling families within our school system have a great need for these seldom-donated products as well. 

This is one of our DIY (Do it Yourself Volunteer Projects). DIY Volunteering allows families and groups of all ages and sizes to participate in flexible and meaningful community service opportunities from the comfort of their own homes or offices. DIY projects can be combined with social events, business meetings, celebrations, and more. You or your team will host a drive or purchase the supplies, complete the project, and drop off the completed project to the appropriate location. You may log your hours through the self-log feature of your profile after registering for the event and completing your project. Once you have responded to this need United Way of Northeast Florida will contact you within 48 hours. 

Kits will be dispersed to our community network to be distributed to students or through other non-profit partner agencies that serve the homeless or veteran populations. 

Please download a guide with a list of suggested items HERE or check out our Amazon wish list HERE. If you would like to hold a drive, you can find some helpful tips HERE.

If you need community service hours, we will verify one half-hour plus one hour for every two kits with cards created. 

For questions, please contact us HERE.

 

 

 

Many children within Clay County do not have regular access to food. As you can imagine, this instability has an impact on their health and academic success. Snack packs will alleviate some of their discomfort and worry that negatively affects their learning, social interactions, and ability to enjoy life as a child should. 

Packs can be completed in three easy steps:

1) Decorate a blank paper bag. A bright, colorful bag can really cheer up a child of any age! 

2) Stuff the bag with the following items (all items should be easy to open, non-perishable, and should need a microwave at most to cook):

Shelf-stable milk, chocolate milk, or 100% juice Easy Mac, Tuna Salad or chicken salad kit Kashi bar, Kind or another granola bar Popcorn/Chip Bag Applesauce or fruit cup Napkin Fork/spoon

3) Create a positive, motivational card for the child and place it in each bag.

4) When you have completed the project and are ready to donate your bags, please contact volunteer@uwnefl.org.

Volunteer Hours

For those that require service hours, one half-hour (for travel) plus one hour for every two complete snack packs with card will be given for one participant. 

 

 

 

Personal Care Kits is one of our (DIY) Do it Yourself Volunteer Projects. DIY Volunteering allows families and groups of all ages and sizes to participate in flexible and meaningful community service opportunities from the comfort of their own homes or offices. DIY projects can be combined with social events, business meetings, celebrations, and more. You or your team will host a drive or purchase the supplies, complete the project, and drop off the completed project to the appropriate location. You may log your hours through the self-log feature of your profile after registering for the event and completing your project. Once you have responded to this need United Way of Northeast Florida will contact you within 48 hours. 

Personal Care Kits

Purchasing items or hosting a drive and assembling personal care kits are a critical way volunteers can address a real community need individually or as a group, family, school or neighborhood. Kits will be dispersed to our community network to be distributed to students or through other non-profit partner agencies who serve the homeless or veteran population. 

Please download a guide with a list of suggested items HERE.

HINT: You may create kid-friendly kits by adding in a small toy or activity and/or kid-themed items. 

For anyone collecting hours, we will verify one half-hour plus one hour for every two kits with card created. These hours are capped at 10.5 hours for one participant. 

Please contact us HERE to arrange a donation time at the recipient organization. 

  

Happy Bottoms Diaper Drive is one of our (DIY) Do it Yourself Volunteer Projects. DIY Volunteering allows families and groups of all ages and sizes to participate in flexible and meaningful community service opportunities from the comfort of their own homes or offices. DIY projects can be combined with social events, business meetings, celebrations, and more. You or your team will host a drive or purchase the supplies, complete the project, and drop off the completed project to the appropriate location. You may log your hours through the self-log feature of your profile after registering for the event and completing your project. 

Happy Bottoms Diaper Drive

Diapers, wipes, and diaper cream are essential items for families with young children — but they’re also costly, and not covered by assistance programs like SNAP. By donating these items, you’re helping parents meet a critical basic need and ensuring babies in our community stay clean, healthy, and comfortable.

We welcome donations of diapers in all sizes (especially sizes 3–6), along with wipes and diaper cream. All items will be distributed to families in need through our trusted community partners.

Hour Verification:
Participants may earn:

·         0.5 hours for coordinating and dropping off donations, plus

·         1 additional hour for each complete “diaper care kit” donated:

o    1 pack of diapers

o    2 packs of wipes

o    1 tube of diaper cream
(Hours are awarded to one participant per kit.)

Your contribution directly supports local parents and children. Thank you for helping families in Northeast Florida thrive!

For any questions, please contact us HERE.

 

Senior Care Packs include items that seniors may find useful to make their daily life easier. These kits are distributed to the elderly who need extra assistance. Bags should be reusable shopping bags, totes, or drawstring backpacks.

Packs should include a combination of (but not limited to) the following items:

Hand sanitizer Toothbrush and holder Toothpaste Washcloth Soap and holder Shampoo Body wash Comb or brush Facial tissues Lip balm Lotion Jar gripper Magnifying glass Magazines Activity books (crosswords, sudoku, etc.) Notepads Pens Sugar-free candy Box of tea Non-slip socks Encouragement card

Assembling these kits involves a few simple steps. First, create a card of encouragement to put inside the bag; write a positive message or decorate with an inspirational image. We recommend using cardstock so that it won't bend in the bag during transport. Then, one of each item and the card should be placed in the bag. 

For anyone collecting hours, we will verify one half-hour  for travel plus one volunteer hour for every three bags of at least eight items each, capped at 5.5 hours for one participant.

Contact our project coordinator here to coordinate drop-offs or ask questions.

 

 

 

Increasingly, many children in grades kindergarten to high school, are in households that struggle financially and do not have regular access to food and basic hygiene products. Feminine products are ineligible for coverage under food stamps and SNAP benefits, contributing to what is called “period poverty”. In the US, nearly 1 in 5 girls have missed school because they lack access to feminine hygiene products, which leads to embarrassment and lack of self-esteem. Furthermore, if a girl has to stay home every time she has her period, she will fall behind her classmates by 145 days. Consistent school absences lead to a drop in grades and performance, which will have lasting repercussions in these students’ lives. By providing these items, these girls will have one less thing to worry about and be able to focus on what is really important – their education!

Suggested Items for each sack Deodorant maxi pads tampons pantiliners personal wipesmini-bottle of hand sanitizer Decorated card with encouraging words

Please contact us HERE to arrange a donation time at the recipient organization. 

Join us in supporting Pastor Dinkins of The Worship Center, home of the original Daily Manna ServingCenter — a lifeline for families seeking meals, support, and connection. Daily Manna Serving Center #2 will build on that legacy by offering new opportunities, skills training, and community space.

For this portion of the project, volunteers will help with landscaping beautification and organizing the warehouse area to prepare the facility for upcoming renovations and programming.

Your work will help create a clean, functional environment that will soon support families, returning citizens, and neighbors seeking new opportunities.

Bringing a group? Daily Manna #2 has two different projects taking place on-site, so everyone can volunteer together