Volunteer Programs

At the IHN Food Coop, volunteers play a key role in powering our mission. We are committed to creating pathways to our volunteers’ success and communities’ well-being.

The IHN Food Coop partners with community services organizations nationwide and offers diverse volunteer service opportunities: designing nutritious food menus, supporting local urban farms, organizing annual food drives, writing holiday cards to lower-income families, advocating through social media, and more.

Whether you want to volunteer during your leisure time or participate in project management and develop/contribute leadership, we will support you in making your desired impact! Opportunities are also available to become a Coop board member. 

Not ready to start volunteering yet? Sign up for our newsletter and follow project opportunities updates.

Our Programs

Chinese Heritage and Identity through Food And Nutrition (CHIFAN) Project

The Chinese Heritage and Identity through Food And Nutrition (CHIFAN) Project is an initiative to educate Chinese-American youth about the importance of cultural foods and food intake diversity. Initially piloted in the Summer of 2022 by an IHN MS Program alumna in a small preschool in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, the CHIFAN Project has since expanded, officially becoming one of the IHN Food Coop’s lead initiatives. 

Through a specially curated curriculum incorporating foods and cultural aspects commonly associated with Chinese cuisine and heritage, the CHIFAN Project focuses on delivering nutrition education lessons in select public schools’ after-school programs in Flushing, Queens. CHIFAN Project members are heavily involved in the process of curriculum development and delivery, with volunteers drafting, finalizing, and delivering weekly lessons throughout both the fall and spring semesters. Currently, the CHIFAN Project has developed curriculums for Pre-K and K-2 age groups, with a hope to expand to older age groups in the future.  

Please email chifan.ihn.foodcoop@gmail.com for more information regarding programming, collaborators, or how to get involved.

Harlem Grown

Harlem Grown is a fantastic organization that uses mentorship, sustainable agriculture, and hands-on urban farming to educate individuals in Harlem. They primarily focus on elementary school-aged children so that they can emphasize these values from an early age. Through fundraising, Harlem Grown has been able to turn patches of unused land in Harlem into beautiful urban farms. The food grown there is tended to by members of the community for members of the community. This creates a sustainable produce source in a food desert and allows for the community's self-sufficiency. Tony Hillery is the amazing mind behind this organization, and he has been coming to the IHN annually to speak to the current cohort about his project. We enjoy joining them for yoga and gardening over the summer months and look forward to where this partnership can go!

Mom and Me

This project aims to help underserved parents and babies to navigate the resources necessary for children’s optimal growth and development. We understand it is very demanding to be new parents trying to locate reliable resources while struggling with financial and social challenges. Through multiple meetings and discussions with a pediatrician and team members, we created this comprehensive guideline, including resources and some critical information about infancy and childhood. The guideline contains the following topics: how to promote physical growth via playing and interaction, where to find support for caregivers, when to introduce solid food as well as cope with infancy feeding difficulties, and last but not least; most miniature milestones for kids to achieve before certain ages. We hope this guideline can help the community we serve. 

Project Rousseau

Project Rousseau is a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower youth in communities with the greatest need to reach their full potential and pursue and excel in higher education. Project Rousseau students typically come from families with an average income of less than $12,000. A growing portion of their student body is comprised of recent arrivals to the United States, Native American Reservation students, or those who have had involvement with the juvenile justice system.

IHN Food Coop x Project Rousseau Virtual Food Drive and Holiday Cards Writing

For the holiday seasons, the IHN Food Coop organizes virtual food drives among the alumni and student network to support food-insecure teens and their families. It also recruits help from the Institute of Human Nutrition students to send holiday cards to Project Rousseau students. After reading Project Rousseau student biographies to get to know their family backgrounds, passions, and aspirations, the IHN students handwrite personalized letters to Project Rosseau students, sharing their own stories and encouraging the student’s academic endeavors. The food coop network has donated over $3,000 in food items through the virtual food drive. We look forward to spreading some more holiday cheer with Project Rousseau in the future.