by Amruta Kale

Have you ever been curious about preparing taxes or helping others to maximize their tax credits and benefits? Then you should check out volunteering with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA), which offers free tax help for low- to moderate- income people who cannot prepare their own taxes.

In one of the most impressive efforts of the Food Bank’s volunteers, our citywide Tax Assistance Program is largely operated by individuals who donate their time through the IRS’s VITA program. (We also have volunteers who dedicate their time for three and a half months at a time working with elementary-school students for CookShop Classroom, not to mention Food Bank volunteers were at 100 plus events at the 2009 Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival.) With 14 sites in all five boroughs, our program is one of the largest and most reputable in the nation. The Food Bank’s Tax Assistance sites are conveniently located in banks and neighborhood centers in communities like Sunset Park, Harlem, Jackson Heights and Fordham just to name a few.

Volunteers, who receive IRS certification, help screen clients for special credits including the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit. You can get involved with this great program by filling out our online volunteer application. The next step in becoming a VITA volunteer is to take an self-guided, online training course to learn basic tax laws. This is followed by one-day in-person training to learn tax software and run through tax returns.

More than 260 supporters volunteered for the 2010 tax season. By the end of the season, these volunteers will help bring millions of dollars in tax refunds and credits to our city’s working poor.