Volunteer Opportunities
L'Oréal Paris helped us create a great 90-second intro video. Watch the video above to learn more about our work!
👋 WELCOME
Create something meaningful for people affected by cancer. Items contributed are included in our cancer care kits distributed to patients nationwide and are eligible for community service hours.
Before You Start
- We do not accept pre-packed care kits or bags. Instead, please choose one of our approved volunteer projects below. We will use your donated items to assemble our own care kits for cancer patients and caregivers. If you wish to assemble kits on your own, please donate them directly to your local hospitals or other designated organizations.
- Our care kits primarily serve adults affected by cancer, so we are unable to accept items intended for babies or children.
🙏 6-STEP VOLUNTEER PROCESS
We believe in making service as easy and accessible as possible for anyone of any age. Please follow these 6 steps for a successful volunteering experience with Kits to Heart!
Step 1: Read the Guidelines
We pride ourselves on high-quality work that appropriately uplifts and encourages recipients. Before starting any project, please read and adhere to our guidelines and FAQs.
Step 2: Choose Activities & Prepare Materials
Choose which activities you would like to work on, and carefully read the instructions using the links below. Each project is updated depending on current needs.
Donation Status Key
🆘 Low Stock = Urgently Needed
✴️ Almost Full = Moderate Need (Still Appreciated!)
❎ Temporarily Closed = Please Hold Donations. Due to limited storage space, we kindly ask that you hold onto these items until this category reopens.
* = Denotes the activity is ineligible for service hours for those seeking them
❎ Origami — pre-approval required
❎ Lucky Painted Rocks — SIGN UP FOR FREE ROCK PICK-UP
Step 3: Complete Your Project(s)
Start working any time at your convenience from anywhere! Unless otherwise noted, all opportunities are ongoing and conducted remotely, with no immediate deadlines for when you should work on or submit items.
Please be mindful of any stated monthly maximums for each project. To help us manage our limited storage space, maximums apply to each month's submission and may not be combined across multiple months. If no maximum is listed for a project, you're welcome to submit as many items as you'd like. As always, we value quality over quantity.
Step 4: Submit Your Contact Information
Once completed, please let us know how to reach you by filling this out! Even if you don’t need service hours, the form allows us to know how to reach you to thank you for your donation.
If submitting as a group seeking service hours, please use this group submission template, and navigate to the File menu > Make a Copy OR Download.
Step 5: Package and Send Your Items
Package your items in one cardboard/paper box or bag that includes the above submission information printed out, OR with the information written clearly.
💡 Tip: To help reduce waste, please avoid using new Ziploc bags when submitting items. Instead, consider using paper bags or clean, recycled/reused containers whenever possible.
Mail your package to:
Kits to Heart
6941 Crossfield Ct
Clarksville, MD 21029
To drop off at the same address:
Leave the items at the front door at any time—though please try to avoid doing so during inclement weather. Outside of business hours is OK, and scheduling a time is not needed, as this is a residence and submissions are brought in as soon as possible, usually within a few hours.
Step 6: Wait for Processing
Please wait at least 2 weeks for us to receive, process, and email you to confirm receipt. If you are requesting service verification (e.g., a signed form or letter), we will include the verification in this email. We work on a volunteer basis and appreciate your patience and kindness.
Need Service Hours?
Please read our service verification policy.
Have Questions?
If it has been more than two weeks since the items should have arrived, then please feel free to check in with us, as there is a chance that due to the volume of submissions, the package may have been missed.
If you've triple-checked all steps, guidelines, and FAQs and still have questions, please email volunteer@kitstoheart.org
In the meantime, please feel free to follow @kitstoheart and learn about our impact. Thank you!
✍️ VOLUNTEER TESTIMONIALS
"This was an amazing, low-stress, fun experience! Enjoyed 100% of it."
"This was so fun to do with friends, and I loved making all these cards!"
"This was my first attempt at rock painting, and it was a wonderful and fun experience! I appreciate the instructions, guidance, and links provided—they were very helpful and easy to follow. It has been a true honor to create these small tokens of hope. Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to your care kits. I hope these painted rocks bring a moment of peace and a reminder of strength to every patient who receives one."
"Your opportunities are always so fun and accessible! Thank you!"
"I love this project!! I have done cards before, and this time I wanted to try rocks! I love that you can be so creative and colorful!!"