volunteer

opportunities

Volunteering

with UNRWA USA

Volunteering with UNRWA USA is the perfect opportunity to turn your support for Palestine refugees into action.

The Gaza 5K is our signature event and comes to cities around the US. This is the program for you if you are located in or near Washington DC, Seattle and/or NYC and want to go above and beyond showing up on race day. Volunteers are an integral part of the Gaza 5Ks, providing logistical and outreach support.  

Apply to volunteer
Group of five women standing outdoors at a registration table, with stacks of event T-shirts in front of them. The women are smiling and wearing blue shirts with the UNRWA logo, and some are wearing headscarves. The T-shirts on the table read "GazA 5K" and "Washington DC." There are trees and a park in the background.

Apply to be a

Gaza 5K Volunteer

We’re looking for folks aged 18 and older who can serve the
following roles on-site at our NYC Gaza 5K on Sunday, October 12, 2025:

  • Crowd control: Help direct attendee arrival and ensure morning lines are orderly.

  • Food: Breakfast set-up, coffee/tea station; replenish supplies, keep the area tidy, waste/recycling collection.

  • Fundraising prizes: Distribute awards and prizes to fundraisers.

  • Packet pick-up detail-oriented folks, this is you!): Distribute race bibs and bags.

  • Photo booth: Set up and engage early arrivals to take photos and post to social media; Keep excitement up!

  • Water halfway point: Prep water station; hand out water at the halfway point along the race.

  • Advocacy/awareness: Support activities that raise awareness about Palestine refugees + UNRWA programs.

Apply to volunteer

Tell us about yourself to match
your skills with our volunteer needs!

Group of young people celebrating outdoor event, wearing blue UNWUA t-shirts, some are holding medals, smiling and posing for the photo on a street with trees in the background.

In addition to the satisfaction
of knowing you did something
awesome for kids in Gaza, volunteers get:

  • An UNRWA USA shirt

  • Breakfast

  • Free access to the event

  • Our endless gratitude!

Young woman in a blue United Nations shirt smiling, wearing a brown hijab with a small flag pin, outdoors on grass with tents and people in background.

meet mariama,
new york

Gaza 5K
volunteer spotlight

“I volunteered with UNRWA USA
at the Gaza 5K as a way to
support the Palestinian people.

What is beautiful about the 5K
is that people of all backgrounds
unite in solidarity with
Palestine refugees by engaging
in community and running for a cause.

The event evokes the resilience
and hope embedded in
Palestinian culture, and it's crucial
that we as a global community support the Gaza 5K and the
UNRWA mental health program
as a form of allyship,
showing Palestinians that we care.”