Dwight Hall’s Service Series: Connecting Students to Service Opportunities

The Dwight Hall Service Series now connects Yalies with six community service projects: Sunrise Cafe, the New Haven Tutoring Initiative, the Community Soup Kitchen, Co-Op After School, the Dwight Hall Clothing Sort, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Each of these programs provides support to the New Haven community, with assistance ranging from free meals to connecting New Haven elementary school students with Yale mentors. 

The Service Series began in January of 2023 to facilitate weekly volunteering trips to Sunrise Cafe, a soup kitchen. Today, Dwight Hall continues to work with Sunrise Cafe and has added four new service opportunities. With each initiative having an assigned Dwight Hall Volunteer Coordinator, Service Series makes the process to sign up to volunteer as easy as possible. The volunteering schedule allows students to sign up for available time slots and connects prospective volunteers with each project’s coordinator. 

Sunrise Cafe 

Sunrise Cafe is a restaurant-style soup kitchen that offers “a rotating menu of fresh, warm, nutritious home-cooked food.” Located at 57 Olive Street, Sunrise Cafe provides a cozy environment decorated with white tablecloths and flowers. Sunrise Cafe has been operating since 2015 and has grown to serve over 36,000 breakfasts each year and welcome up to 240 guests each morning. 

Every Monday and Tuesday morning of the academic year, volunteers like Ben Reilly ’27 M.A.R., go to Sunrise Cafe, which serves breakfast to guests in a restaurant-style setting. Volunteers meet at Phelps Gate at six in the morning and walk together to Wooster Square, where they serve meals, take orders, and engage with the local community. 

Originally the volunteer coordinator of Sunrise Cafe, Ben now serves on the Board of Directors at Sunrise Cafe. When asked about his experience, he stated that “Sunrise Cafe has given me the ability to connect with the community and has [allowed me] to build relationships that go beyond the standard set of relationships expected.” He continued, stating that Sunrise Cafe has allowed him to meet fellow Yale students and individuals who have volunteered for over 40 years and those who have persevered on the streets and understand the complexity of New Haven. 

Looking forward, Ben stated that one of the incoming initiatives for Sunrise Cafe is to increase their fundraising efforts so that the organization can continue to provide meals and increase their support of the individuals across New Haven. To learn more about the organization and see how to get involved, visit its website.  

The New Haven Tutoring Initiative 

The New Haven Tutoring Initiative (NHTI) is dedicated to increasing literacy and quantitative skills among New Haven students through high-quality tutoring. NHTI has operated since 2023 focusing on three main areas: after school and summer programming frequency, community events, and empowering parents to support their children’s education. The Initiative operates under New Haven Reads, a nonprofit organization that, since its founding in 2001 with administrative support from Project 55 and Dwight Hall in 2002, has supported more than 10,000 students and distributed over 2.8 million books throughout the community—with the help of more than 12,000 dedicated volunteers. 

The Community Soup Kitchen 

The Community Soup Kitchen (CSK) “provides healthy and nutritious meals to all who walk through its doors,” states its website. Volunteers help give out the meals and groceries Mondays and Fridays from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM. CSK’s website states “[s]ince our founding in 1977, we have operated at our present location continuously, without interruption. Community Soup Kitchen is located in downtown New Haven, CT, using the dining room, commercial kitchen, and other facilities of Christ Church Episcopal.” Dwight Hall is proud to continue partnering with CSK to achieve its mission of feeding those in need. 

Co-Op After School Volunteering 

Operated as a partnership among Co-Op High School and Dwight Hall since 2009, Co-Op After School (CAS) is the largest high school after-school program in the state of Connecticut. CAS annually provides more than 300 high school students with free, innovative after-school programming at the arts-based high school in downtown New Haven. “Through tutoring, workshops, and community building activities, the program’s commitment extends beyond academics to create a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment, ensuring that students can thrive both personally and academically.” 

Volunteers primarily assist with students’ homework and exam preparation, and the program is evolving to meet broader student interests, incorporating language learning, book clubs, and film discussions. 

Co-Op After School (CAS) Volunteering is led by volunteer coordinator Emma Qiao ’29 and CAS Program Director Paul Bryant Hudson, who are enthusiastic about the chance to work with high school students and foster a community where Yale students are excited to participate. For further information on how to get involved, email Emma directly at emma.qiao@yale.edu. 

Dwight Hall Clothing Sort 

Hosted biweekly, the Dwight Hall Clothing Sort gathers volunteers to separate and prepare clothing. Dwight Hall works with local groups, including Loaves and Fishes, Community Soup Kitchen, the New Haven Pride Center, and others, to distribute the clothing to local community members. 

Gloria McComas, a dual MPH/PA student at Yale, facilitates the program throughout the academic year, during which volunteers come to Dwight Hall on Mondays bimonthly to sort through donated clothes.  

When asked about her engagement as the clothing sort coordinator, Gloria stated the following: “As a recently returned Peace Corps volunteer, it was very important to me to establish community and keep service centered in my life when starting as a new graduate student this fall. I wanted to be not just a student at Yale, but a member of the New Haven community, as well.” She continued by stating, “I quickly found that Dwight Hall was the place I needed to be, and I am grateful to have formed connections with local leaders who continue to teach me how I can best be of service to New Haven.”  

Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentorship 

Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) seeks “caring Yale students to become ‘Bigs’ – mentors who support the dreams of, listen to, and empower students. Mentors are paired with students from Truman Elementary School and drive, with support from BBBS, to the school to meet with their mentees.  

Every Thursday, a consistent group of Yale volunteers, led by Volunteer Coordinator Jessica Navarro ’27, mentor students at Truman School through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Connecticut (BBBS). From homework assistance to bracelet making and trivia, BBBS volunteers spend the semester fostering trust, confidence, and joy, while helping inspire young people from underrepresented backgrounds to reach their full potential. 

Volunteer coordinator Jessica has been a Big Sib with BBBS since her first year and is working to get even more Yale students involved in this impactful program. 

. . . 

Through the Dwight Hall Service Series, Yalies have access to an organized way to connect with volunteering opportunities. To inquire about Service Series volunteering opportunities, reach out to Service Series Coordinator Alessandra Pappalardi ’27 (alessandra.pappalardi@yale.edu). 

The Service Series is part of the Engage pillar of Dwight Hall’s Engage, Grow, and Advance program delivery model. Through the opportunities, each volunteer contributes to a broader culture of service that fosters lasting relationships and meaningful change in New Haven. 

Students interested in getting involved may view and register for upcoming Service Series opportunities here.