Established in 1997 to galvanize volunteerism on a regular basis, A Time to Help stages monthly projects to aid the needy and promote unity in metro Detroit.
Since then, more than 200 monthly projects have been completed by thousands of volunteers, ranging from building houses, delivering meals, beautifying city streets, running adoption fairs, repairing homeless shelters, packing food, and hosting an annual Christmas party to a shelter for battered women.
Mitch Albom and WJR co-host Ken Brown lead each monthly project, usually held on Saturdays between 9AM – noon. Volunteers can sign up for one, two or all, and there are no requirements, except that, for most events, volunteers should be at least 18 years of age. Older teenagers can come if accompanied by at least one adult supervisor for every four of them.
Do you have a suggestion for a project, or have a question about volunteering? Contact us at atimetohelp.detroit@gmail.com.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Volunteer with Us
A Busy Spring for A Time to Help
A Time to Help Cass Community Social Services
Help support Cass Community Social Services sustainability initiatives! Volunteers will sort bins and boxes full of secure documents to prepare them for shredding as others run the sorted documents through an industrial shredder.
Event Date/Time: Saturday, March 29, 2025 9:00 am to noon.
Volunteers Needed: 8 – 15
Location: Cass Community Social Services, 12025 Woodrow Wilson St, Detroit, MI 48206 | Map
Attire / info: Dress warmly as that part of the building is not well heated.
Sign up at Bloomerang Volunteer: https://volunteer.bloomerang.co/JE/gorl7b46fv775s
A Time to Help Focus: HOPE
Focus: HOPE provides food to over 42,000 limited-income seniors in and around Detroit. Each month, every one of those seniors receives a box of food which contains healthy groupings of nonperishable foods. They rely on volunteers to pack the vast majority of this food, so both individuals and volunteer groups are always welcome!
Project scope: Volunteers work together in groups of up to 30-40 per assembly line, cutting stock and then placing canned foods into Focus: HOPE boxes as they roll by. Volunteers may also unwrap and unbox pallets of food, collapse boxes for recycling and dispose of plastic waste. These tasks require moderate levels of activity, bending and lifting. A full line of volunteers is usually able to pack 500-1000 boxes of food for seniors!
Event Date/Time: Wednesday, April 2, 2025 9:00 am to noon.
Volunteers Needed: 15
Location: Focus: HOPE, 1400 Oakman Blvd,Detroit, 48238 | Map
Attire / info: Comfortable attire and shoes are welcome. The warehouse temperature may fluctuate with the seasons, so layers are encouraged. Volunteers are prohibited from wearing open-toed shoes, sleeveless shirts, short shorts or exposing midriff. Please keep valuables at home, in your car or on your person. We recommend you bring work gloves.
Sign up at Bloomerang Volunteer: https://volunteer.bloomerang.co:443/JE/7tp4dmu5itpkpv
A Time to Help SAY Play Field Refresh! – CANCELLED
Join SAY Play staff at The Stafford Football Field and parking lot spring refresh! The cleanup will take place focusing on the Stafford Football Field entranceway, bus parking area, and the back building and parking lot. The primary tasks will include the removal of small rocks, weeds, and trash, to enhance safety and improve the overall appearance of these areas.
Project scope:
In the Stafford Football Field entranceway & bus parking area:
- Remove small rocks and debris from the rock pathway that leads to the field. These small rocks have spilled onto the bus parking area as well.
- Sweep and clear dirt buildup from walkways.
- Pick up any trash in the area.
Back parking lot:
- Remove trash, discarded materials, and litter.
- Pull and dispose of weeds growing on gates & fence line.
- Remove small rocks and gravel.
Event Date/Time: Saturday, May 3, 2025 | 9:00 am to noon.
Volunteers Needed: 25-55
Attire/Other Info: Dress for outdoor work and safety.
Location: SAY Detroit Play Center | 19320 Van Dyke Avenue, Detroit, MI 48234 | Map
A Time to Help Motown Soup
A Time to Help returns to Motown Soup! A volunteer-driven nonprofit, Motown Soup produces and sells products such as soup and dips to benefit nonprofits and community organizations that feed the homeless and hungry. Volunteers will be working in teams packaging various mixes.
Event Date/Time: Wednesday, May 10, 2025 9:00 am to noon.
Volunteers Needed: 25-30
Location: Motown Soup is located at 45160 Van Dyke Ave., Utica, MI 48317 (corner of Hall Road and Van Dyke), in the lower level of Trinity Lutheran Church. | Map
Parking: Free parking in lot adjacent to the church.
Attire/Other Info: All volunteers will be outfitted in aprons, hair nets/caps and food safety gloves on location. The store will be open following the project.
Sign up at Bloomerang Volunteer: https://volunteer.bloomerang.co:443/JE/xj3e1sgj932paa
Questions for all events: Email wendy@saydetroit.org
These are registration-only events through Bloomerang Volunteer – please be sure to sign up and select the shift in STEP 2 of registration. Please don’t attend and unregister if you don’t feel well.
NOTE: Bloomerang Volunteer is a pretty robust platform and there’s a lot of cool little things we’ll be able to do together — and, it has a mobile app! If you’d like video overviews, you can watch this. If you like to dig into FAQs, you can get started here.
