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The holidays are when neighbors show up for neighbors, and Hudson County, NJ has no shortage of ways to help. Our team gathered current coat drives, food drives and volunteer openings from the organizations’ own pages, from Jersey City and Hoboken to North Bergen and West New York. Pick one, bring a friend and make this season a little warmer for someone nearby.
Donate a Coat: The Jersey Cares Coat Drive
The Jersey Cares Coat Drive runs from November 9, 2026 through January 6, 2027. For 30 years it has collected gently used winter coats for men, women, children and infants, and last year it gathered more than 18,000 coats across New Jersey. You can donate at a collection site or register your office, school or building as one. Jersey Cares asks for clean coats only, with no hats, gloves or scarves, and it plans to post coat-sorting volunteer shifts in December.
Help With Thanksgiving: Team Walker Turkey Drive
In Bergen-Lafayette, Team Walker is holding its Turkey Drive on Tuesday, November 24, 2026 at the Team Walker Learning Center, 373 Communipaw Avenue, Jersey City. It is accepting canned goods at the Learning Center now, along with monetary donations online, to provide holiday meals for families in need.
Serve a Meal: The Hoboken Shelter
The Hoboken Shelter at 300 Bloomfield Street offers kitchen shifts seven days a week: breakfast from 9 to 11 a.m., lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. Sign up through its Bloomerang volunteer platform. Groups of up to 10 can volunteer in the kitchen together. The shelter also accepts donations daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., including clean adult clothing and footwear, towels, twin sheets and unopened food, with the entrance on 3rd Street.
Pack Groceries: The Sharing Place
The Sharing Place at 440 Hoboken Avenue in Jersey City, behind St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, distributes groceries on the third Saturday of each month from 8 a.m. to noon. Its remaining 2026 dates are November 21 and December 19. To help, email volunteer.thesharingplacenj@gmail.com.
Give Time in Greenville: Triangle Park Community Center
The Triangle Park Community Center, a ministry of Episcopal Jersey City at 247 Old Bergen Road, is always looking for volunteers to bag and distribute groceries, tutor elementary students or help hand out diapers and baby items. It also accepts non-perishable food, diapers, formula and gently used clothing, coats and toys. The center is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Its 4th Annual Gift Giveaway is on Saturday, December 12, and you can read more in our Triangle Park Winterfest and Gift Giveaway guide.
Support Neighbors in North Bergen: NB C.A.R.E.S.
North Bergen’s NB C.A.R.E.S. program runs annual holiday drives: a Thanksgiving drive for turkeys and trimmings collected in November, holiday meals for seniors, a December holiday food drive and a December toy drive, plus an ongoing cold-weather drive for coats, hats and gloves. To donate or volunteer, call 201-392-0229.
Warm Up a Child: West New York Children’s Coat Drive
The Town of West New York is collecting new children’s coats in any size at Town Hall, Recreation Office, Room 7, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fight Hunger Countywide: The Food Brigade
The Food Brigade runs a Hudson County Community Market in Union City by appointment and recruits volunteers to pick up, prepare and deliver food. Volunteers must apply and complete an orientation first, and all shifts are booked in advance, with no walk-ins.
Tips for Giving Back
- Check what is needed. Every organization lists what it accepts, so read before you drop off.
- Sign up early. Holiday volunteer shifts fill fast.
- Make it a group effort. Many of these groups welcome offices, teams and families.
Looking for festive plans too? See our roundup of Hudson County holiday markets and things to do in Hudson County this weekend.
Celebrate the Groups Who Give
Know a nonprofit that makes a difference? Vote for it under Favorite Nonprofit in the Best of Hudson County 2026 awards before November 30, and subscribe to our newsletter for more community stories.
Featured photo: The Hoboken Shelter / Google
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