The demands of the organization seem excessive and restrictive: a resume required in order to meet with other volunteers to write letters to youth, no glass in food donations, no clothing (even new) unless purchased from the a Wishlist from an online retailer which we do not support... The media coverage seems expensive relative to the services provided so we will not give money to this group either.
The 11/2/2015 review is a bit wonky. The date is recent but the writer has the wrong address for this organization so perhaps they know nothing. I volunteer at YOTO and give it full credit!
This organization is a complete fraud! The current Executive Director is simply out for her own fame & gain and has no desire to enhance the service to youth that this organization's mission claims to. The frontline staff of 4 that directly interact with the youth they serve (around 1500) is great and well intentioned, but severaly under-supported and overloaded. But because of the trickle down effect from the Executive Director and Program Director, the staff receives no proper training or direction on what exactly to do with the youth. All this organization ends up doing to support homeless youth is give them access to a food pantry and pay them to get C's or better in school. Incentivizing youth to do the bare minimum to pass is not a proper model for providing services to homeless youth. The community remains blind to this reality because of the constant dog and pony show on display from the executive leadership. Youth, donors and volunteers beware - support other great youth serving organizations instead of wasting your time and money on this one!
YOTODev 08/24/2023
Hi! Thanks for your review. We wanted to clarify a few items. We don't require a resume for volunteer positions; however, there is a brief application for us to learn more about interested volunteers. We accept all shelf-stable, pantry food items (including those stored in glass). We do not accept clothing items other than socks, underwear, or plain undershirts (all new of course!) because we don't have the space to store them. We are very fortunate to have community support including media coverage and reduced rates for the few advertisements we buy each year.