CARE PACKAGE® Pop-Up - Packing CARE PACKAGE® Hygiene Kits for Disaster Relief

Have you ever received a care package? A box of hand-picked items sent by a loved one when you were in need during a time of change or going through a difficult time? Care packages have been a way to show others care and support for decades - but did you know that the CARE PACKAGE® as we know it was invented right here in New York?

In 1945, a group of 22 organizations came together to help those suffering in Europe after WWII, founding the humanitarian organization CARE and creating the CARE PACKAGE® - the origin of the term we all use today. Since then, CARE has grown into one of the world’s most trusted international humanitarian organizations, delivering aid and fighting poverty across 121 countries. Alongside sending CARE PACKAGE® parcels as relief to war-torn Europe, CARE also has helped train the first Peace Corps volunteers, responded to nearly every major global crisis of the last 80 years, and were even nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize! CARE seeks a world of hope and equality - where poverty has been overcome, and all people live with dignity and security. Central to that mission is putting women and girls at the center of our work, because we know that we cannot overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities.

This May, CARE is bringing the spirit of the original CARE PACKAGE® home. We are celebrating 80 years of the CARE PACKAGE® in New York City and re-launching the CARE PACKAGE as a volunteer movement and relief assistance program for Americans across the U.S. As the poverty gap grows and the severity of natural disasters increases, CARE is working with partners across America to deliver immediate assistance to those in need - through hygiene kits, maternal health kits, and caregiver kits distributed to low-income families, mothers, children, and communities on the front lines of emergencies.

To celebrate the 80th anniversary and this new U.S. initiative, CARE will be hosting an immersive, pop-up experience in Chelsea, NYC on May 20th and 21st, and we'd love to have volunteers join us from 2pm-4pm on May 21st to help pack hygiene kits.

Here's what it looks like: you will come in for a 2-hour volunteer shift between 2pm-4pm on Thursday May 21st, steps inside to experience the living history of the CARE PACKAGE®, and pack hygiene kits that will be distributed to low-income families and disaster survivors across the United States. Our goal is to pack 15,000 CARE PACKAGE® kits across both days and we need volunteers like you to come together and help us reach our goal. It will be a memorable experience that brings to life history and builds community around purpose and impact!

We’d love for you to be a part of this celebration and activation of volunteerism with us! If you are interested in bringing a group to volunteer, please email Samantha, Director of Community Engagement and Outreach at samantha.hartsoe@care.org. If you sing up on Idealist, we will add you to our CARE event communications for more details!

At a glance:

📦 What: CARE PACKAGE® Pop-Up Volunteer Packing Experience

📍 Where: 507 West 27th Street, Chelsea, NYC

📅 When: May 21st - 2pm-4pm

👥 Volunteers needed: 20

⏱️ Time commitment: 2 hours