This review is regarding volunteer experiences at the Regional Food Bank…read more I've volunteered at the food bank about 8 times with a service organization (we have an ongoing monthly "date" scheduled with them) and overall my experience there has been positive. The people are generally friendly and flexible. Volunteer duties generally involve sorting and re-packaging donated goods for distribution to local charities. If you're looking for ways to contribute to the community, this is a good place to go. Approximately 75% of the food bank's labor hours are provided by volunteers so they're open and appreciative of volunteers.

This is an excellent place to volunteer. You email them to sign up, they get back to you in a…read morereasonable amount of time. When you show up they are ready for you with a plan and they are thankful for your help. There is plenty of work to do while you are there so you feel like you are making a difference but they do not compel you to stay longer than your assigned shift- which I appreciate. You work hard for the time you are their and they respect your time. They do great work in the community and I am happy to have helped them out on three occasions now. I look forward to returning.

Beyond grateful that this place exists! They were available in a time of need and showed up big for…read moreour family while our son recovered in the hospital. We all need some support sometimes (in our case in the middle of the night in a new city with an injured kid) and it's people who work at places like this that restore faith in humanity.

Ronald McDonald House is an amazing resource for anyone who has to go through the emotional…read morerollercoaster ride of having a sick child in the hospital. This organization provides everything, from housing, to food, to even laundry and transportation. Every volunteer and staff member provides compassionate support to families, and does everything in their power to allow families to stay united during trying times. My friend faced such a situation recently, and I cannot thank Ronald McDonald House of Albany enough for being such a invaluable resource to her. If you have the means, I highly recommend volunteering or donating to this worthy charity. The work they do is beyond words.

This is a treasure chest in a warehouse! The profits go to local ARC and benefit our community in…read moremany ways. They recycle the "waste" furniture from the two colleges in Tuen at the end of each semester. They also recycle STYROFOAM!!! You can't imagine the surprises that you'll find here, including some building materials, vintage solid wood big school desks, videos , old videos, a pocket door frame, window blinds, pedestal sinks, and lots of stuff from the college dorm rooms. &&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&&&&. &&&&& &&&&&&& &&&&&&&& so much stuff fit a great

I've taken my kids here twice and we had a great time on both occasions. We did the Wednesday…read morenight, 6pm, free art studio with Ginger, who is a volunteer art teacher. The first time, we crafted fish sculptures using bottles, glue, fabric, and other materials. The second time the kids made hand puppets with socks, googly eyes, and crafting materials. Then they performed individual shows with them. The kids LOVED being creative, and expressing themselves through art. Ginger was extremely patient, fun loving, and fostered a safe learning environment. The 6pm classes are only an hour and a half, but were laughed through most of it. We'll definitely come back for other Wednesday evening events, and will try to get to some of their weekend ones as well. CREATE is one of those places that every parent should experience with their kid(s). Side note - it's also great fun for a bunch of teenagers or adults who want to bond though creative means.

A community art studio for everyone. We have frequented the Schenectady location. I am not sure…read moreabout wheelchair accessibility and the location is not friendly for kids. But the programming is great.

When I wanted to donate a sofa and matching loveseat that were in very good condition, I contacted…read moreHabitat and left an email message. I received an email back in a reasonable amount of time considering how busy they must be. The person in charge of donations asked me to send a photo (which is totally understandable) before pick up was approved. Shortly after, an appointment time was set for pick up. I had the furniture placed in the garage as requested. The truck came within the designated time, and furniture was taken to the truck efficiently. I would say it was "professional operation." When it was picked up, one of the two men said, "This furniture is in great condition. Thank you for your kind donation and for thinking of us." I was happy to donate to a good cause and will continue to do so. Three years ago we donated oak kitchen cabinets when our kitchen was remodeled. I saw that they were sold for $550. I was pleased to help an organization with such an outstanding mission.

This review is for ReStore, the store front for used furniture and recycled fixtures and appliances…read morethat Habitat for Humanity runs in downtown Schenectady. Habitat itself is an outstanding organization and does great work. The H for H offices are located on Pearl, so this should be recategorized in Yelp as Home Furnishings / Retail Furniture, not Contractor Services. First off, hours: Thursday 10-6, Friday and Saturday 10-3. Tip: if you come early on Thursday, you'll have your best chance of getting pick of the new stock for the week, since they're closed the other days but continue to collect donations. So this is basically a thrift store specializing in furniture. It's everything you'd expect from a place that runs on donations. The stock is not by any means new or in style, but they do a good job in filtering out items so you don't have any dirty or unusually smelly items. Some of the items I looked at were broken or had significant flaws, but they for the most part seem to have filtered out truly unusable stuff. They do have a little bit of everything, and the repurposed fixtures (including doors and windows) are probably the cheapest you'll find anywhere. I had a little difficulty at first getting appropriate help - there were many volunteers but they had to find the chief guy in charge to do pricing for me, and they kept asking me the same questions about the items I picked out (as to whether they belonged in a set or not, like that matters for very used furniture) - but it's hard to quibble with volunteers on the basis of the service. They tried, even if they weren't as organized about things as they could be. Be patient with this sort of thing if you go in. If Design on a Dime ever does a Schenectady show, they'll love it here. I have a lot of fun speculating about previous owners of many of these items. (I really got a hoot about the five-piece living room set I saw on my most recent visit, where there was a built-in Stereophonic Console in the corner table unit. 1966, here we come!!) I also urge you if you do go, round up on your purchases and throw the extra money into the donation kitty. This group builds houses for people, and does it in a way that brings the people who will live in the house and own it into the building process. It may be unfortunate that this is needed, but it is, and doing a little shopping here can help this effort while helping yourself. One caveat: from the blank expressions I got when I asked if they check for bed bugs on the furniture upholstery, I'm going to guess that they do not do their own screening here. So given the reality of bed bugs and older pieces of furniture, I urge you to check for yourself. This is true for any used furniture these days. Update: adding a fourth star after multiple visits - the stock really does zing in and out (well, some of it) and Thursday mornings are definitely your best bet. The second floor, which I neglected earlier, has miscellaneous small fixtures, lamps, plumbing stuff, and so forth.

One Heart A Million Beats Inc has been active in the community since 2020 doing amazing things from…read morefeeding, Toys for Tots, free hygiene product give. aways and so much more.

A excellent place for a visit. The gift shop has a large selection of hand crafted products…read moreavailable that are created by the Many talented residents of Camphill Village. There is a woodworking shop, weavery and enamel shop. tha

This is an extraordinary place. Based on the anthroposophical ideals of Rudolf Steiner (founder of…read moreWaldorf schools), Camphill Village is an intentional community on 600+ acres a few miles from the village of Copake, NY. Established in the 60's, among other things there's a cafe and shop that sells food and crafts grown and made here. Dairy products, candles, beautiful stained glass and other handcrafted goods are all made on site. Licensed by the state of New York, Camphill Village is a nurturing place where special needs individuals (as well as anyone) can grow and experience the joy of contributing to a healthy, positive community. Their sauna is the perfect thing for New England winters! With a focus on physical health and spiritual wealth, no illegal drugs or alcohol are permitted. I say illegal because-fear not-the cafe serves excellent stumptown coffee, with cream from cows that live at Camphill village. Many different people come here from all over the world to live and work. Basically a hippie commune with ambition. A healing, happy place with a strong guiding philosophy and many idealistic individuals. Go visit their cafe, (closed Sundays and Mondays) checkout the book and crafts shop, and walk around in the rolling hills and pastures of Camphill Village.

As a student at Berkshire community college and choosing BEAT as my first internship. I have…read moreenjoyed everything and all the stuff they do for people and the environment. I've been taught so much working with and I will keep learning. Thank u

From the owner: BEAT works with you to protect the environment for wildlife in support of the natural world that…read moresustains us all. We believe an informed, engaged citizenry is the environment's best protection. We mobilize local citizen-scientists & volunteers to restore and maintain the ecological integrity of our region.

Awesome location incredible home all the amenities you could want- comfy towels butter soft linens…read more The fluffiest pillows. Looooooved it Great trails cute towns with lots to offer . Will def be back

I didn't want to leave. The view from the picture window is breathtaking. The home has more space…read morethan even our large group could fill. If you are a yogi, you can enjoy your own private studio on the ground floor. My family enjoyed walking the property and visiting all the best Berkshire spots, which are all within ten minutes drive.