AN HOUR FOR CHANGE / CITY GUIDE
Check first. Community Partnership Program (CPP) is the no-permit route.
United States
Find a partner running volunteer shifts in your area. They coordinate the activity, permissions and supplies.
Choose an activity, check the local guidance, gather your team and organize a one-hour event.
Sign up by 11/29/2026 · Permit by 11/09/2026
December sunset: 4:35 pm · Average high: 46°F
Research confidence: Medium
Street, lot and block cleanups need no permit: the city lends the tools and collects the bags. In city parks, a group needs a permit only for 50+ people, tents, sound, signs, food, portable toilets or city services.
Community Partnership Program (CPP)
Free loan of litter grabbers, brooms, rakes, shovels and paper trash bags, plus a scheduled pickup of your bagged trash. Open to businesses and community groups citywide, for streets, lots, parks and playgrounds.
How: Online supply request form (or call 215-685-9558). Pick up at 4000 N. American St., Wed–Fri 9 am–1 pm, with photo ID.
Love Your Park (Fairmount Park Conservancy) sends free solo cleanup kits while supplies last. Its big Fall Service weekend is November 13–15, before the event window.
https://www.phila.gov/programs/community-partnership-program/
Office: Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Stewardship Office (PPRstewardship@phila.gov, 215-683-3679) for park events; Special Events Office for large events
Lead time: 30 days (Friends and community group park permit); 90 days for a full special event
Insurance: None for a CPP cleanup. Any Parks & Rec permit needs liability insurance; special events need $1M naming the City of Philadelphia.
Fee: CPP is free. Park permits add an application fee (+$25 if filed under 30 days out); special events $25, or $75 under 90 days.
Official rules: https://www.phila.gov/services/permits-violations-licenses/apply-for-a-permit/event-permits/events-in-a-city-park-field-or-rec-center/get-a-friends-and-community-group-event-permit/
CPP trash pickups run Saturdays 9 am–1 pm, so a weekday cleanup must hold bags for Saturday or arrange collection with Streets Sanitation. The CPP form must arrive a week before pickup and tools go back by the next Wednesday. Unconfirmed: whether a CPP-supported cleanup inside a park counts as 'city services' needing a park permit. Ask PPRstewardship@phila.gov.
https://www.phila.gov/programs/community-partnership-program/
https://www.phila.gov/media/20251119113611/CPP-Supply-Request-Form-2025.pdf
https://www.phila.gov/services/permits-violations-licenses/apply-for-a-permit/event-permits/events-in-a-city-park-field-or-rec-center/get-a-friends-and-community-group-event-permit/
https://www.phila.gov/departments/philadelphia-parks-recreation/about/rules-and-regulations/
https://www.phila.gov/services/permits-violations-licenses/apply-for-a-permit/event-permits/large-scale-special-events/get-a-special-event-permit/
Explore local organizations offering volunteer opportunities. Confirm December availability directly with the partner.
Warehouse repack and Community Kitchen shifts on its online calendar. Register groups via volunteer@philabundance.org. No custom times; full shifts drop off the calendar.
Meal-prep kitchen shifts for up to 15 people. Books 1–2 months ahead. Corporate tiers start at $500; community groups free.
Food-box packing. Groups must be 10+ and use the group inquiry (volunteer@sharefoodprogram.org).
Review the forms and local guidance for your activity before you apply.
Borrow tools and bags and book a bagged-trash pickup. Submit at least a week before your pickup date.
Paper version of the same request; fax 215-685-9557.
Only if your park event has 50+ people, tents, sound, signs, food or city services. Call 215-683-3679 to check the date, then apply 30+ days out with insurance.
Choose a format that suits your group, December weather and available preparation time.
For remote teammates, bad weather, or anyone who wants to use their work skills.
A staff-led project run through the city's parks department or a local conservancy, such as mulching, planting or trail work. The partner handles the permission.
Hands-on work where everyone finishes something they can see. Blankets go to shelters, children's hospitals or animal shelters.
A fast, practical hour. Get the shelter to agree before you plan anything, because many can only accept food made in permitted kitchens.
Needs the least preparation and works for any group size or location, including remote teams. It works well for people who can't do physical work.
This works well when food bank shifts are booked up. You collect in advance, sort during the hour, and the food bank gets exactly what it asked for.
Collecting happens before the event day, and the hour itself is for sorting and packing. It fits December well in every Northern Hemisphere city. In Sydney and Melbourne it's summer, so collect summer essentials instead, such as hats, sunscreen and water bottles.
Can run in any office, meeting room or café back room, whatever the weather. The team builds kits on an assembly line and one person delivers them to a shelter or outreach group.
The partner runs the work, so hosts only handle headcount and logistics. December is the busiest month, which makes it the hardest to book.
The simplest option with the most to show for it. Most of our researched cities lend the gear and haul the bags away, so no permit is needed for a small group.