Volunteer Opportunities Near Miami, FL

At Braman Bentley Miami, our hearts are full of love for our community. That's why we formed Team Braman Hearts in Motion, the philanthropic arm of the Braman Miami brand, which supports over 50 charitable South Florida organizations and national programs. Since this initiative began, we've proudly donated more than $1 million to nonprofits whose causes we believe in, including Make-A-Wish, Coral Gables Community Foundation, Baptist Health South Florida, and many others. During the pandemic, many of our team members also volunteered to deliver meals, donate blood and plasma, and provide resources for overworked hospital staff.

And we expect to continue this celebration of our community for decades to come. Won't you join us in fighting the good fight by volunteering or donating to a Miami nonprofit charity? Even an hour of your time can make a difference!

If you're ready to become a community warrior, check out these volunteer opportunities around Miami, as well as some of the best charities to donate to around South Florida.

Work at a Food Pantry or Soup Kitchen.

Food insecurity has become a significant problem in South Florida and across the country. In the state of Florida alone, over half a million children go to bed hungry. Volunteering at a food bank, pantry or soup kitchen won't solve the state's hunger crisis, but it will help feed hundreds of children and adults facing or suffering from homelessness.

Around Miami, you'll discover numerous charitable services designed to tackle food insecurity -- and nearly all of them are desperate for volunteers on a continuous basis. Look into volunteering near you at one of these local nonprofits:

• Homestead Soup Kitchen - "It is the mission of the Homestead Soup Kitchen to serve those members of our community in need of a hot meal, regardless of circumstances. Our "No questions asked" policy insures anyone who comes to Homestead Soup Kitchen during serving times will receive a hot meal. In 2020, over 23,000 meals were served to individuals and families in the greater Homestead/Florida City area."
• Cornerstone Church Food Pantry - "Cornerstone Food Pantry pre-fills non-perishable & perishable food into bags then distributes them to nearly 400 local families (1,500 individuals) twice a month. The whole process is completely volunteer run!"
• Curley's House Food Bank - "Curley’s House of Style/Hope Relief Food Bank will not let any needy or undeserved client leave our facility without food or other assistance regardless of race, creed, ethnicity, residential location. We serve Miami-Dade, Broward or any other local county in Florida no matter their difference as long as we have food on our shelves."
• Food for Life - "Food For Life Network, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1987 that provides and delivers groceries, meals, and nutritional education to eliminate food insecurity and malnutrition in men, women, and children living with chronic illnesses in Miami-Dade County."
• Pass It On Ministries of South Florida - "Mission: To minister to the hungry and needy with nourishing food to help restore them with renewal and hope."
• Feeding South Florida - "Feeding South Florida partners with approximately 300 nonprofit agencies in its quad-county service area. If you’re in need of food assistance, search the directory to find an agency near you. Please call each agency to find out their hours of operation. No one in need of assistance should ever be charged for food. If you are asked to pay, please contact an Agency Relations team member."

Volunteer at the Miami Rescue Mission.

The Miami Rescue Mission serves the community in a multitude of ways. Volunteers can get involved by serving meals, donating clothing and household items, leading youth programs, participating in special events, or even performing general clerical work. Click here to sign up as a Miami Rescue Mission volunteer.

Sponsor a Student.

Adopt-A-Net & Protect Migratory Birds.

You may not realize it, but migratory birds are indispensable to our South Florida ecosystem. They eat insects that can cause disease, help disperse crop seeds organically, and are a natural food source for many native South Florida predators. However, that ecosystem is constantly being challenged by problems like climate change and light pollution, which is why the Cape Florida Banding Station needs funding to continue tracking, analyzing and finding solutions to address extreme changes to birds' migratory patterns.

Their annual "Adopt-A-Net" fundraiser is seeking donations to keep their research going. Your contribution will help replace aviary capture nets and fund the banding and study of birds. If you donate $1,000, you will even be invited to take a private tour of the station and receive an original 9"x12" watercolor sketch. Find out more and make your donation here.

Serve Your Community Alongside Hope for Miami.

Hope for Miami, the nonprofit whose goal is to help youth and families flourish, is always in need of philanthropic volunteers of nearly any age. Opportunities vary, though they typically require assistance with their after-school and summer camp programs, performing data entry, IT or clerical work at their main office, and setting up or hosting fundraisers and special events. Hope for Miami offers volunteer matching on their site.

Eat Oysters. Save Biscayne Bay.

Getting involved in the community can oftentimes be as easy as eating a meal. (No one said you couldn't have your cake shellfish and eat it, too!)

The Native Oyster Restoration Project in Biscayne Bay is asking for "volunteers" to eat oysters and return their shells to the Watershed Action Lab's smarty-pants scientists and conservationists. Why? The empty oyster shells are used to help baby oysters repopulate and ultimately help clean the coastline (a single oyster can filtrate 50 gallons of water per day). If you like oysters and want South Beach and the rest of the SoFlo coastline heal, sign up for here.

Clean Up the Beach.

You can take your oyster-eating a step further by actively participating in a local beach clean-up -- or simply walking along the beach and picking up litter, particularly on September 18 (International Coastal Cleanup Day) and September 25 (National Public Lands Day). Find other volunteers and events near you at www.volunteercleanup.org.

Support The Women's Fund.

Help The Women's Fund of Miami Dade create positive change for women and girls throughout South Florida. Volunteers, or "Impact Agents," at The Women's Fund can assist with annual events, recruiting friends to join the cause, and advocating on behalf of those who cannot through social media and other forms of media. Investors are also welcome to donate! Visit womensfundmiami.org for additional details and to sign up.

Join the Buddy System.

Founded during the pandemic, Buddy System aims to match volunteers with thousands of individuals facing homelessness throughout the community. These volunteers provide healthy, free meals to those most in need. You can join a food run to deliver meals or simply stop by a community "fridge" to donate food items. Sign up to become a Buddy here.

Support the Miami Book Fair.

Every year, the Miami Book Fair welcomes volunteers all across South Florida to assist with their annual event. Volunteers have the opportunity to work closely with children and family by helping with the Fair's Children's Alley or Friends of the Fair. There are also opportunities to assist with author autograph sessions, work with food vendors, hand out free books, or simply be a friendly face at the main office. Register to become a volunteer at miamibookfair.com.

Donate to a Local Charity.

If nothing else, a monetary donation in your name can help local charities and nonprofits accomplish their goals. With dozens, if not hundreds, of not-for-profit charitable organizations in South Florida, you have many options available to you. View some popular South Beach nonprofits below or click here to find a program that closely aligns with your personal values.

Animal Rights & Protection

The Cat Network - "The Cat Network is dedicated to reducing the overpopulation of stray and feral cats in South Florida through the humane practice of sterilization, vaccination, and release. Through our membership-based network, thousands of cats and kittens have been spared a life of neglect, cruelty, or euthanization. We offer a low cost spay and neuter program and a community of support to help you help homeless cats."

F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Horse Rescue - "Our mission and vision is to continue to provide a permanent safe haven for all horses that we rescue. F.R.I.E.N.D.S. does not buy, sell, trade or give away horses. Instead, we offer them a lifetime of sanctuary so they will never need help again. We rescue all asymptomatic carriers of Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) within the state of Florida. We also accept any horse in immediate need of assistance in Broward County and our surrounding areas. Our priority is to prevent the needless destruction of horses."

REEF Environmental Education Foundation - "Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) protects marine life through education, service, and research. REEF facilitates programs that actively engage divers, snorkelers, and other marine enthusiasts in marine conservation. This is primarily accomplished through the Volunteer Fish Survey Project. Since its launch in 1993, this citizen science program has generated one of the largest marine life databases in the world. In 2020, the database surpassed 250,000 surveys conducted at almost 15,000 sites throughout the world’s oceans by over 16,000 volunteer divers and snorkelers worldwide."

600 Million - "Our mission is to bring a permanent end to global pet overpopulation, end the cycle of suffering for 1 billion strays and prevent the deaths of over 30,000 children who die from rabies each year."

Cancer Research & Healthcare Rights

Debbie's Dream Foundation - "Debbie's Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about stomach cancer, advancing funding for research, and providing education and support internationally to patients, families, and caregivers. DDF seeks as its ultimate goal to make the cure for stomach cancer a reality."

Kindah Foundation - "Mission: To promote early detection and prevention of Gynecologic Cancers, Papillomavirus (HPV), and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) through awareness, education, and survivors support services."

Annie Appleseed Project - "The Annie Appleseed Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, provides information, education, advocacy, and awareness for people with cancer and their family and friends who are interested in complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) and natural therapies from a patient’s perspective."

Women's Emergency Network - "Women's Emergency Network (WEN) operates on the principle that every woman must have the right to decide if and when she becomes a mother."

Children & Education

Take Stock in Children - "Take Stock in Children was established in 1995 as a non-profit organization in Florida that provides a unique opportunity for deserving, low-income youth to escape the cycle of poverty through education. We offer underserved students one-on-one support through caring volunteer mentors, professional college success services, the opportunity to earn a college scholarship, and hope for success in college, career, and life."

National Voices for Equality, Education and Enlightenment - "NVEEE is a national 501(c)(3) bullying and suicide prevention nonprofit established in October 2009. We are a diverse team of educators, business leaders, social workers, mental health professionals, parents, and students who are committed to youth leadership, turning bystanders into upstanders, mentoring programs, and providing prevention education."

American Children's Orchestras for Peace - "ACOP provides a musical program dedicated to high standards for student musical performance. ACOP strives to create an exciting, challenging and rewarding musical environment that allows children to flourish. Our music lessons meet the highest standards in music education, utilizing proven evidence-based methodologies and curriculum materials."

Environment & Conservation

Save the Water - "The mission of Save The Water™ is to conduct water research to identify and remove harmful contaminants in water, and to raise public awareness about water contamination and its health impacts."

Biscayne Bay Foundation - "Biscayne Bay Foundation, Inc.’s conservation goals are accomplished by working to maintain naturally beautiful marine ecosystems, through programs and services that are organized around a well-developed prospectus. Ongoing evaluation assures progress and cost-effectiveness."

Social Impact Movement - "Social Impact Movement connects Miami to global topics, converging ideas, people, information, and resources related to the Sustainable Global Goals (SDGs). We foment environments to boost social change linking and highlighting SDGs’ initiatives taking place in Miami. Educating, creating events, workshops that facilitates an interactive dialogue among stakeholders from cross-sector industries."

Food Insecurity

Bridge to Hope - "Bridge To Hope provides services & programs designed to bridge the gap left to self-sufficiency for low-income and in-crisis families through a comprehensive set of programs and services, that raise the quality of life and standard of living, and to restore dignity, and hope to those in need."

Feeding South Florida - "Feeding South Florida’s mission is to end hunger in South Florida by providing immediate access to nutritious food, leading hunger and poverty advocacy efforts and transforming lives through innovative programming and education."

New Hope Charities - "New Hope Charities, Inc. strengthens disadvantaged communities through programs and collaborations that support individuals and families as they develop the skills necessary to reach their full potential. Our ultimate goal is to build sustainable families and communities that will flourish."

Disaster Aid & Community Service

Bikers Against Drunk Drivers - "BADD's Mission: To reduce the incidence of drunk driving and its consequences through promotion and awareness to the mainstream in malls, major events, annual tours and the media."

Global Innovative Foundation - "Our Mission is to empower the lives of victims and survivors through support, education, service, and scholarships. We also strive to enhance the quality of life for vulnerable populations."

Lotus House - "Founded in 2004, Sundari Foundation, Inc. is a non-denominational, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of women, youth and children experiencing homelessness by ensuring that they have the sanctuary, support, education and resources needed to heal, grow, and blossom into who they were truly meant to be. The first initiative of the Foundation was the establishment of the Lotus House Women’s Shelter in 2006 in the heart of Overtown, Miami serving homeless women."

 

About Braman Bentley Miami

Some may know us as a Miami Bentley dealer, but that's just us on the surface. In reality, we're advocates for our South Florida communities and neighborhoods, fighters for peace and defenders of those in need-- we just happen to also sell some of the best luxury cars in the world. If you'd like to learn more about our community service initiatives, or if you'd like to discuss opportunities about sponsoring a charitable organization or event in Miami, contact us at (786) 577-5218. We'd be privileged to help you change South Florida for the better.