Dear Serve the City volunteers!

Many things have and are going to happen. We are happy to count you among our members and send you a buffet of infos, thanks and projects. Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Our 16th birthday party at the Irish pub

Thanks to everyone who joined our birthday party on Friday the 18th! We had more than 40 people, many being recognized for their continuous work, along with new friends who wanted to learn more about Serve the City Geneva. It was a wonderful mix of people, and we were truly happy to have everyone with us.

We spoke about the beginnings of Serve the City in Brussels, and how Serve the City Geneva started 16 years ago at a cocktail party. We also highlighted three organisations we’ve worked with since Serve the City Geneva started: Fondation Clair-Bois for persons with multiple severe disabilities, Bioparc (under a different name at first), and the soup kitchen at «Jardin de Montbrillant», sponsored by Carrefour-Rue. Over the years, we’ve also worked with many other service organisations throughout Geneva. Thank you to each and every one of you for being part of this work. Or even looking forward to your first service activity!

Here we go again! – Samedi du Partage

A project we are preparing for is «Samedi du Partage» on the 27th and 28th of November 2026.

90 stores participate this year, and Serve the City Geneva will be responsible for 8 stores in Geneva, needing about 100 volunteers. We hope you can spare three hours to help at one of our locations.

For those who are not familiar with this concept: Fondation Partage started 21 years ago to collect fresh food items that were at the last day of conservation, but still perfect for consumption and distributed them to the associations who give out meals. It is the only food bank in the Canton of Geneva.

During Samedi du Partage, volunteers in the shops invite shoppers to donate food and hygiene products – a staggering 400 tonnes of product are collected in Geneva each year! The donations are then sorted, before being distributed to support more than 2000 people and associations for the next six months.

Registrations are now open – choose your preferred store and time slot, bring family, friends, colleagues, neighbours, spread the word! It’s our biggest event of the year!

Jardin de Montbrillant (soup kitchen)

Now under Mario’s new leadership, is serving lunches to around 300 people from Tuesday to Friday. Serve the City has been providing volunteers for many years now, and the team always needs committed, flexible and motivated volunteers. Thanks to those who are making it run smoothly and welcome to those who want to help this great project!

(More on the sign-up page)

NEW!!! Point d’Eau at Carouge

A second place where homeless people, or those without a washing machine, can take a shower, have a quiet tea or coffee moment, meet people, get advice, do their laundry, has just opened in Carouge. It has no volunteers yet, and is running quite slowly still, but will speed up in the next month and definitely need our help. Hours are flexible between 8h and 12h30.

Ideally 2 volunteers a day Monday to Friday, you can come on your own or sign up with a friend or colleague.

Point d’Eau at Vermont

It has been running for many years. Tatiana is the new person in charge and would happily welcome 1 extra volunteer every day and 2 on Tuesdays. Flexible hours 8h to 12h30.

We have a few volunteers on site already; some slots still need to be filled.

Bioparc

Bioparc is a very special animal sanctuary in Bellevue. STC supported the welcoming of 2352 visitors on the Open Day. During the year, one time a month, a team goes to help cleaning, constructing, repairing the animal’s spaces. Handy with tools? Want to say hello to the wallabies and repair the lynxes place? Sign-up and have a great outdoor Saturday morning with us! Animals, staff and STC volunteers look forward to welcome more volunteers. Your support would make a huge difference in keeping our animals safe and ensuring a positive experience for all visitors.

(Do keep an eye on the website-signups)

Angela Horsford, Project leader Bioparc

How to… for all projects

For all projects:

Newcomers: please register first as a member if you are new to us, then log in to sign-up for events and read the newsletter, about our main projects etc. on http://www.servethecitygeneva.ch.

Seasoned volunteers: Same procedure as every time!

Looking forward to meeting you and many thanks for your continued help and support!

Below is a message we received from STC Global

 STC Youth Forum  9th-11th October 2026, Brussels

We would like as many cities as possible to be there as we are trying to build Serve The City’s youth by bringing them together so that they are part of an active network.

It would be great if STC Geneva is represented at the youth forum.   Anyone can come aged 18 to 32 and  it’s fully funded.

All you have to do is send this link to your volunteers aged 18 to 32.  they can read more about it and sign up directly:  https://www.servethecity.net/events/stc-youth-forum-9th-11th-october-brussels/

The program is seen above..  If two STC volunteers would like a free 3 day trip to Brussels and are from 18 to 32 signup now.. STCG can support 2 signups with complemtary airfare, (perhaps housing) a perdium for food and lodging..  Signup now.. its only about a week away. So sign up.. with any questions you may have. If you change your mind sign up right away to give someone else a chance.

Have a wonderful Week!  Sara:  STC Brussels

The STCG Team

Dear Serve the City Geneva volunteers,

Some things for you – and some things for the others!!

First of all, our Birthday is coming up and you are most welcome to join us for an Apero on Friday the 18^th of September at 18:30 at The Crowned Eagle Irish Pub, rue de Fribourg 3, 1201 Geneva! It’s a thanks for all your past good works and a welcome to all our new members. Please sign up on our website if you can join.

Some emergency requests are also awaiting your signups:

Bioparc has 3 days in which they need our help this month so sign up on the website, if you can:

• Saturday 5th – prepare park and enclosures for the Open day 9-1
• Saturday 19th – 17:00-18:30 assembling tables and chairs for the Open day
• Sunday 20th – 9:30-17h – offering slots of 2 hours or more to support parking, keeping animals safe from visitors and more. Lunch and drinks are provided. IF YOU CANNOT MAKE IT PLEASE SHARE THE INFORMATION AS WE WISH TO WIDEN THE COMMUNITIES UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT AND WHO BIOPARC IS – Free entry to the public that day!!!

Carrefour Rue needs help for their two “Points d’eau”: One in Vermont (starting today) and one in Carouge (starting on the 7^th of September) where they provide showers, laundry and some health services (doctor, dentist) to those in needs. Volunteers will provide help in the smooth running of services, welcoming the benefactors and cleaning up. Open from Monday to Friday from 7h30 to 12h30.

The Refettorio restaurant has a very big shortage of helpers for preparing and serving food.  Please find more details in their newsletter here.

Many thanks!

the STC team

Dear volunteers and STCG members!

Spring is beckoning and things are blooming! New missions await you.

We hope all is well with you and we’ll meet soon at one of our partners events,

Especially Samedi du Partage (Save the date!) needs to mobilise many volunteers. Without you, this project wouldn’t be possible. So, have a look at our sign-up page, choose a place, a date and a time slot, talk about it around you and come in numbers!

Big thanks for your engagement from the beneficiaries, may they have 2 or 4 legs!

The Upcoming Big Event – Samedi du Partage

A little earlier as usual this year (and the same weekend as Geneva Marathon…), Friday 8 and Saturday 9 May. Once again Serve the City will be managing 8 stores across Geneva, Meyrin, Versoix and Chavannes for the summer edition of the important twice-a-year «Samedi du Partage» food bank collection. We will need 100 volunteers to collect food and hygiene products for the beneficiaries. Registrations are open on our website – choose your preferred store and time slot! Bring friends and family!

During Samedi du Partage, over 90 stores in the Geneva canton invite shoppers to donate food and hygiene products – a staggering 400 tonnes of product are collected in Geneva each year! The donations are sorted over the following 2 months, before being distributed to support more than 2000 people and associations for the next six months.

Bioparc is alive and kicking as ever!

We got a request from the Bioparc: there is the team that goes constructing with Angela and of course, the yearly open doors function with many different tasks. But there is also a need for a more regular mission. Can we help Bioparc with some of our volunteers?

We would need a project manager for the task called Bioparc Protection Request. And several other volunteers, too, to be regularly available on Wednesdays and/or weekends for a couple hours. Please do signup on our website and let us know at what «frequency» you could come to this very special zoo. (You’ll find Tobias’, the Bioparc director, letter further down on this page).

A note from the Salvation Army

The Salvation Army Geneva has written to us in answer to our proposition to work with them.

Here some elements:

• Only long term engagements (3 months minimum)
• Regular weekly or monthly activities e.g. 1x week, 2x month)
• Shifts from 2 to 4 hours
• Morning, lunch time, evenings
• One-person assignments or in a group of maximum 4 persons
• In groups with the other volunteers (not necessarily STCG members)

If you are available on the long run, once or even twice a week, earliest shift starting at 9a.m., there are several places and missions to fill.

One of our old stomping grounds: “Jardin de Montbrillant” soup kitchen

Part of the Carrefour Rue network, the soup kitchen at Jardin de Montbrillant has been doing very well since the renovation.

There is a great group of volunteers already in place, but they could use some reinforcements. Other associations, churches and companies send people, but we from STCG are the most constant volunteers, coming in at least 3 or 4 days a week for sometimes 300 lunches. The serving needs more servers (and no, not the blinking beeping ones!)! Having extra help is always a good thing. Please do go on the website signup page for availabilities.

The «Refettorio» Restaurant project

The restaurant situated in the brand-new, if not shapely, building at Rue de Lyon 120 is serving 60 meals to his beneficiaries in the evening. For lunch, the restaurant serves a first class meal to paying guests (to very reasonable prices, compared to the quality), way of financing the charity project. This is certainly making a difference to many in Geneva these days. A number of you have already been signing up the past 2 months and we look forward to continuing our support. Want to have a scrumptious meal in an agreeable setting with nice people and be useful to the community at the same time? Then come join us!

For all projects: register first, and once you have, log in to sign up for events on http://www.ServeTheCityGeneva.ch

Many thanks for your continued help and support

The STCG Team

P.S. Here is the message Tobias Blaha, director of Bioparc, sent to STCG:

Dear Serve the City,

I hope this message finds you well.

Since our Bioparc has been growing in popularity (also thanks to you STCG), thanks a million!

We have increasingly been facing major challenges. […]

Specifically, we would need a team of 5 volunteers every Wednesday and on weekends when the weather is nice, to help protect our animals from visitors who access them without permission […].

Would this be something Serve the City could help us with? Your support would make a huge difference in keeping our animals safe and ensuring a positive experience for all visitors.

Thank you very much for considering this, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Warm regards,

Tobias