There are many opportunities to get involved with and serve the Northside, Pine Knolls, and Tin Top communities. Learn more about current volunteer opportunities, listed below, and then sign up for a Service Partner Orientation.
We refer to our volunteers as “service partners” because all of these opportunities are partnerships in service with community members who have been doing this work for a very long time.
Volunteer Opportunities
Food Justice
Heavenly Groceries/Comida Celestial is a certified food bank and ministry of St. Joseph CME Church. Service partners pick up and sort food donations, help with set up and clean up, and help distribute grocery items to community members in Chapel Hill.
Contact: cameron@jacksoncenter.info
Oral Histories
The Jackson Center has gathered hundreds of oral histories from community members, housed in the website From the Rock Wall. Service partners help us transcribe oral histories to continue to preserve the past—and the future—of Northside.
Contact: kathryn@jacksoncenter.info
Education
Learning Across Generations passes on local history to the next generation. Service partners help with after-school programs hosted by community partners like the Craig/Gomains Boys & Girls Club, Hargraves Community Center, and the Rogers-Eubanks Neighborhood Association.
Contact: aisha@jacksoncenter.info
Northside News
The Northside News is a monthly print newspaper written, printed, and distributed by the Jackson Center to hundreds of households in Northside and Pine Knolls. Service partners meet at the Jackson Center to fold the papers for their route, and then they deliver their route on foot.
Contact: diana@jacksoncenter.info
Neighborhood Events
We host a variety of neighborhood events to foster celebration and connection. Along with LINK students and Northside Residential Fellows, service partners help us with event setup and takedown as well as support (e.g., serving meals, connecting with neighbors) during community events.
Contact: diana@jacksoncenter.info
Northside Census
MCJC conducts a Northside Census every two years to measure the impact of its housing initiatives in the Northside neighborhood. Service partners go door-to-door to collect neighborhood demographics from a representative sample of households.
Contact: cameron@jacksoncenter.info
