Student Volunteer Program
At Heart of Dinner, we bring joy and nourishment to Asian American older adults living with food insecurity, social isolation, and loneliness. Our student volunteer program offers meaningful opportunities for students to serve their community while fulfilling service hour requirements.
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Is This Right for You?
Heart of Dinner's Student Volunteer Program is designed for students who demonstrate commitment, integrity, and professionalism. We maintain thoughtful standards because the quality of our work directly impacts the Asian American older adults we serve. Our program offers meaningful service opportunities that require care and attention to detail.
This page is specifically for students seeking verified volunteer service hours. If you're working to meet school, graduation, or community service requirements, you'll find everything you need here to understand our expectations and how hours can be approved.
👉 Just want to support our mission without needing service hour documentation? We'd love to have you too! Please contact us here to learn how to get involved as a general volunteer.
Important Before You Begin:
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We are a small team operating with limited resources
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Every position matters in our delivery operations
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Hours are earned, not given - we do not automatically approve time
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Quality over quantity - we review every submission carefully
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Full commitment required - partial participation is not eligible for hours
💡 All volunteer hour verification is based on quality guidelines and submission processes outlined below. Only contributions that follow these steps will be eligible for approval and documentation. The student volunteer process includes:
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Completing our registration form and signing required documents
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Selecting a volunteer path (remote bag decorating/notes or on-site packing/delivery)
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Following specific quality standards for your contributions
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Tracking your hours through our self-monitoring system
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Requesting verification only after meeting minimum requirements
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Please review all information on this page before applying.
By proceeding, you acknowledge that you understand and accept our process for hour verification. Through this structured volunteer process, you'll gain meaningful service experience while making a real difference in the lives of Asian American older adults. Your contributions help address food insecurity and social isolation, creating warm and dignifying connections that matter deeply to our community.
Please continue reading below for complete program details before registering.
Volunteer Opportunities for Students Seeking Hours
REMOTE OPPORTUNITIES (ALL AGES)
This is our most popular option with the fastest way to get started and fastest approval turnround. If you are a student seeking verified hours for decorated bags or handwritten notes, this Remote option is the only approved path. On-site decorating is reserved for general volunteers and does not count toward student hours.
1. HANDWRITTEN NOTES
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Language: Traditional Chinese (priority need); we will confirm availability of other languages if needed.
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Rate: 5-8 approved quality notes = 1 verified hour
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Volunteer hours are calculated based on the number of approved notes that meet our quality standards, not the number of hours spent writing.
2. DECORATED BAGS
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Transform brown paper bags into joyful works of art for Elder care packages.
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Rate: 3-5 approved quality decorated bags = 1 verified hour
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Volunteer hours are calculated based on the number of approved decorated bags that meet our quality standards, not the number of hours spent creating them.
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View Bag Decorating Guidelines - replace with toolkit link!
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Treat our mission, team members, fellow volunteer participants, and Elders with respect
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Understand that all work must meet our quality standards
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Complete the student registration form before beginning
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Follow our design guidelines carefully
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Submit photos of your work via the Google Form that will be provided to you for review
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Accept feedback graciously and make requested improvements
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Approval will only be given after submissions meet quality standards we strive to provide to our Elders
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Meet agreed-upon deadlines
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ON-SITE OPPORTUNITIES (AGES 18+, NYC ONLY)
This option has limited capacity and fewer available slots.
Our weekly operations require reliable volunteers 18+ years of age to pack and prepare care packages. Select sites may include delivery components.
Locations: Lower East Side, Two Bridges, Alphabet City, Harlem
Requirements:
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Pre-Approval: Students must first complete our pre-approval process by emailing here before participating in any on-site shifts.
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Volunteer Application: Students must complete our general volunteer application after receiving pre-approval.
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Shift Signup: Shifts are released quarterly via our Mobilize platform. Once approved, you may sign up for any open shifts available throughout the quarter on a first-come, first-served basis.
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Full-Shift Attendance: Full-shift attendance is mandatory for hour verification. Late arrivals or early departures will result in hours not being verified.
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Shift Length: Shift times vary slightly by location and typically range from 3 to 4 hours per shift.
Please note: Available shifts fill quickly once posted on Mobilize.
🛑 Please note: While you may see bag decorating or note writing happening at some sites, those roles are for general volunteers who are not seeking verified hours. Students looking to fulfill service hour requirements must complete decorated bags and handwritten notes through the Remote path only.
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Treat our mission, team members, fellow volunteer participants, and Elders with respect
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Understand that all work must meet our quality standards
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Complete the pre-approval process before beginning
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Arrive promptly on-time when your shift begins
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Stay for the entire duration of your shift
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Cancellation Policy:
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Cancel with at least 24 hours notice if you cannot attend
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Two no-shows without notice OR three consecutive late cancellations will result in removal from our volunteer program
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We understand emergencies happen, but please respect that we depend on your commitment in order to carry out our operations efficiently and effectively to provide Elders’ their weekly nourishment
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Follow all health and safety protocols
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Take direction from site leads respectfully
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Submit all verification paperwork at least 5 business days before your deadline
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How to Volunteer for Student Hours
To receive verified hours, students must complete these steps:
This is the space to introduce the Services section. Briefly describe the types of services offered and highlight any special benefits or features. Encourage site visitors to learn more by exploring the full list of services offered.
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STEP 4: SUBMIT
Remote Volunteers (All Ages):
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Upload clear photos via submission form provided to you
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Wait 3-4 days for review
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Make revisions if requested in order for your hour conversation to be approved
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When you've completed your required hours, press "Complete Program & Request Documentation" in the student dashboard
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Mail/drop off physical items which must include the submission slip provided to you
On-Site Volunteers (18+):
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Notify site lead when you are leaving at the end of the shift
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Site lead will report time in and time out along with notes about participation throughout the shift for our backend team to review. Backend team to verify if the shift was approved for hours or not
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All hours in student dashboard updated every Friday after 5PM EST
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No partial hours verified
STEP 3: COMPLETE
Remote Volunteers (All Ages):
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Create decorated bags/notes
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Adhere to all quality standard guidelines
On-Site Volunteers (18+):
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Arrive on time for full shift
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Check in with site lead
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Actively participate throughout
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Stay throughout full shift
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Follow all site instructions
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No partial hours verified for incomplete attendance or participation
QUALITY STANDARDS
All submissions strictly evaluated
STEP 2: PREPARE
Remote Volunteers (All Ages):
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Download decorating toolkit
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Gather all required materials
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Review quality guidelines
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Self-paced preparation
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Understand hour conversion:
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3-5 quality bags = 1 verified hour
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5-8 quality notes = 1 verified hour
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On-Site Volunteers (18+):
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Sign required waiver forms
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Review site expectations
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Prepare for Wednesday shifts
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Understand attendance policy
STEP 1: REGISTER
What You'll Do:
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Complete student registration form
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Provide school contact info
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Choose your volunteer path
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Receive your Student ID
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Receive link to your student dashboard to track your own progress of approved hours
Important Notes:
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Registration required before starting
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Hours cannot be verified retroactively
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Age determines volunteer options
BEFORE YOU COMMIT
Ask yourself these questions:
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Can I meet all requirements without exceptions?
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Do I understand that partial work = no hours?
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Am I ready to follow strict quality standards?
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If I choose the remote option, can I accept feedback and make revisions if needed?
If you answered "yes" to all, you're ready to register. If you have concerns about meeting these expectations, please consider other service opportunities.
INFORMATION FOR EDUCATORS
Thank you for considering Heart of Dinner for your students’ service learning opportunities. We are deeply grateful for your support as we pilot this structured Student Volunteer Program. As educators, you play a key role in helping students uphold Heart of Dinner’s values of care, respect, and excellence. Your partnership allows us to maintain the exceptional quality of care our Elders deserve. At Heart of Dinner, our small team’s primary focus remains delivering 700 care packages weekly with love and dignity. Remote contributions — beautifully decorated bags and heartfelt handwritten notes — directly address our most critical ongoing need while offering students meaningful and manageable ways to serve.
How You Can Support Your Students:
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Share this landing page directly with students and families.
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Emphasize the pre-approval requirement — hours cannot be verified retroactively if students begin work without receiving approval first.
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Encourage focus on remote contributions (especially for students with busy or unpredictable schedules).
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Consider hosting a group session to guide students in decorating bags or writing notes using our provided guidelines.
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Help students understand that following our structure ensures their contributions meet the standards of care our Elders deserve.
Remote volunteering provides students of all ages with a meaningful opportunity to learn about food insecurity, social isolation, and Elder care in our communities — while making a tangible difference.
For classroom presentations or additional guidance, please contact us here.
STUDENT VOLUNTEER FAQs
Our program offers students the opportunity to earn volunteer service hours while supporting Asian American older adults experiencing food insecurity, social isolation, and loneliness. Students may volunteer remotely (any age) by creating decorated bags and handwritten notes, or on-site (18+ only) by assisting with packing and delivery.
Our greatest ongoing need is for decorated bags and handwritten notes.
Remote contributions allow for clearer quality review and more reliable hour verification, making them ideal for fulfilling academic service requirements.
There is no minimum or maximum for student volunteer hours. However, you should be realistic about your schedule and commitments. Remote volunteering offers the most flexibility since you can work at your own pace.
We welcome all students who can fully commit to our requirements and quality standards. Our program is designed for students who demonstrate reliability, attention to detail, and willingness to follow guidelines completely.
Remote volunteer hours are calculated based on completed items that meet our quality standards:
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3-5 quality decorated bags = 1 verified hour
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8-10 quality handwritten notes = 1 verified hour
This conversion rate is based on average completion time and quality expectations, not on the actual time spent creating the items.
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No! We provide sample phrases in Traditional Chinese that you can copy, even if you don’t speak or write the language yourself.
All materials and supplies are listed in the guide that will be emailed to you after registration. Here is a general idea:
For decorated bags, you'll need:
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Heart of Dinner's plain brown bags
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Acrylic markers
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Black permanent marker for lettering
For handwritten notes, you'll need:
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Note cards or card stock paper (not provided)
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Markers, colored pencils, or other art supplies
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Black pen for writing legible messages
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Submit photos first for our review. If they are approved, then you can either:
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Mail them to our NYC office or
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Drop them off at our partner location (Partybus Bakeshop in NYC) during business hours
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We'll provide specific feedback and ask you to make revisions. Hours are only verified once submissions meet our quality standards. This ensures our Elders receive thoughtful, high-quality items that brighten their day.
Remote Volunteers: Yes! Remote work (decorated bags and handwritten notes) can be completed anytime.
On-Site Volunteers: No. On-site operational shifts are available only on Wednesdays.
No. All students must complete the pre-approval process and wait for confirmation before beginning any volunteer activities to be eligible for hour verification.
Due to the physical nature of the work, food safety requirements, and liability considerations, we can only accommodate adult volunteers for on-site positions.
Punctuality is essential for our operations. If you arrive late, you will not receive verified hours for that shift. We rely on every volunteer to fulfill their role from the start of the shift.
You must contact the site lead of the location you signed up for the on-site shift in order to cancel, and you must cancel at least 24 hours in advance. We understand emergencies happen, but three late cancellations or two no-shows will result in removal from the on-site program.
You can track your progress through your student dashboard, which is updated every Friday after 5pm EST.
Remote submissions are reviewed within 3-4 business days. On-site hours are reviewed weekly. All verified hours are updated on student dashboards by 5pm EST every Friday.
No. Heart of Dinner does not verify partial hours under any circumstances. For remote volunteering, hours are based on completed items meeting quality standards. For on-site volunteering, you must complete the entire shift as scheduled.
Only request documentation after you've completed all the hours you need. Use the "Complete Program & Request Documentation" button on your student dashboard.
We can provide:
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Signature on your school's verification form
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Official letter on Heart of Dinner letterhead
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Both, if required by your school
Please allow 3-4 business days for processing documentation requests.
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As a small nonprofit with limited resources, we must maintain high standards to effectively serve our Elder community. Our requirements teach important life skills like accountability, attention to detail, and professionalism, while allowing us to maintain operational efficiency.
Bag decorating and note writing at our sites is reserved for general volunteers who are not requesting hour verification. If you're a student seeking approved hours, all decorated bags and handwritten notes must be completed remotely and submitted through our Remote Review & Approval Form for quality check and approval. This is how we’re able to review and confirm your hours for official documentation.