The 38th Annual Rake Up Boise™ will be November 11, 2023.
Thousands of volunteers rake yards for veteran, disabled, and senior neighbors each November. Rake Up Boise™ is a beloved fall tradition for many families and one of the largest volunteer events in the Northwest.
Volunteer To Help
Form a team to rake neighbors' yards, serve your community, and have fun! You can create your own team of 5-20 people, or we can help find a team for you.
Make A Donation
These proceeds will go toward covering the costs of this year's Rake Up Boise™ and you will be entered in a raffle to win some awesome prizes!
Rake My Yard
Must be over 65 or disabled and unable to maintain your yard due to physical or financial constraints.
For more info, call 208-258-6222 or email rakeupboise@nwboise.org
Thank you 2022 Sponsors!
“Dear RUB, Your service has been invaluable for us. We are a retired couple on one acre (lots of trees). We are without local family help and RUB has been wonderful. Last year's group was an architectural firm with students who were delightful. Together we got up 50 bags. It was such fun, too!”
Bill and Andrea Sawyer
“Rake Up Boise™ is an event I look forward to every year. Not only does this event impact the folks who he help, but it personally impacted me. It created a bond between myself any my colleagues...Being a part of this as a volunteer showed me how easy it is to give back to others. I never thought that spending a few hours raking up leaves would bring so much joy to others in the community.”
-Michelle, Rake Up Boise™ volunteer and committee member
"Thank you so much to all of the wonderful volunteers that came out to my home today and raked all those pesky leaves!
You have no idea how very much I appreciate you all, and the effort you put in helping us, the seniors, in our community. I love Boise and its community, always helping and reaching out when help is needed."
- Victoria 2021 Rake Up Boise™ Recipient
"Had a great day with our office giving back to the community today! Rake Up Boise™ is an amazing way to give back and we were able to help three different families today!"
2021 Rake Up Boise™ volunteer
"Rake Up Boise™ is not only beneficial for the recipient, but also for the business that puts together a team. If you want culture in your office, put a bunch of employees in a yard of leaves and watch the teamwork, love, and happiness soar."
2021 Rake Up Boise Volunteer
FAQ's for Teams
We provide leaf bags. Teams will need to bring their own rakes, gloves, etc.
Coordinating such a large-scale event requires administration and marketing fees. Thank you for supporting this work. You can donate more if you’d like! And if your business is interesting in Sponsoring, please click the Sponsor button for more information.
There is no set time to begin raking. It is the team captain's responsibility to set the time of raking and notify the resident. Most teams rake in the morning.
We will notify you approximately two weeks in advance via email. After you receive your assignment(s), please contact your homeowner(s) and arrange a time you will be raking.
Yes! Although we encourage you to rake on November 12, you may rake the week before or after. All yards must be complete by the end of November. Please put the date you will rake on your team application. You will also need to let the resident know what day you'll be raking.
We will give you a number to text if you need more bags and a runner will drop some off to you as soon as possible.
Please return all unused bags to NeighborWorks® Boise office: 3380 W Americana Terrance, Suite 120 by the end of November.
You are not obligated to rake if there is animal waste in the yard. Please let us know if that is the case and we will inform the homeowner why their yard wasn’t raked.
If possible, we ask that all teams reschedule with their homeowner and get the raking done as soon as possible. If unable to reschedule, please let Rake Up Boise™ staff know.
FAQ's for Residents
Recipients must be 65 years or older or disabled and live in Boise, Garden City, Eagle, or Meridian.
Note: If you live in Meridian, please contact Rake Up Meridian at (208) 685-7748 or kmcdannel@republicservices.com
Applications are online or call 208-258-6222 to have an application mailed to you.
Yes, please send in an application this year. You must apply every year to have your yard raked.
Unless you hear from us, you can assume your application has been chosen. You will be notified by the team captain within one week of raking about when they will come to rake.
No, you don't have to be home. Let your team know that you won't be home, confine your animal and keep the gate unlocked so they can rake.
Please confine your animal during the time that the volunteers are at your home. Also, make sure all animal droppings are picked up. If there is animal waste in the yard, the volunteers will not rake your yard.
The teams are only responsible to rake your leaves once. However, talk to the team captain to see if they will go back to your home to help rake your leaves a second time.
We encourage teams to rake on November 13. If teams need to, they can rake on a different day and will let you know. Some need to rake during the week to accommodate their schedules.