As we near December, kickoff the holiday season by giving back. Help spread the holiday cheer and give back to your community during the holidays by volunteering. Many great volunteer opportunities exist during this time of year, so we wanted to highlight a handful sf.citi’s amazing nonprofit partners. These volunteer opportunities have something for everyone; they include both individual and group programs and range from donation drives to wrapping and delivering holiday gifts.
Larkin Street Youth Services
Individual:
Winter Festival Support at 134 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco.
A community event for our young people that includes music, games, and activities.
- Friday, December 22nd, 3:00-6:00pm
décor/set-up/kitchen prep - Monday, December 25th, 8:30am-noon
kitchen prep/activities/greeter - Monday, December 25th, 11:30am-3:30pm
kitchen prep/activities/greeter/clean-up
Group:
Each group opportunity is 2 hours long and a one-time commitment. Group options can be planned for most Mondays-Fridays in December and are needed throughout the month.
Holiday Support (up to 15 people)
We always need additional support during the holiday season. You can host a gift drive (attached is the flyer), sign up to wrap presents, make gift tags or join us on-site for holiday events.
Clothing Closet: Donations/Organizing (up to 15 people)
Our clothing closet provides professional and casual clothing for young people and is available to all of those who visit our drop-in center. We are in constant need of new items and re-organization since this is used daily. You are welcome to bring items of your own to donate, host a clothing drive, or just come and organize what’s on site! Note: we don’t accept any clothing with holes or stains.
Food Support (up to 5 people)
10:30am arrival time, this shift involves prepping/serving lunch in our drop-in center. Individuals will be working with our cook and she will direct the group accordingly. This service is extremely important and provides hot meals for our youth. If you are bringing catered food than the same time frame applies as we need to make sure lunch is served by noon and sometimes items need to be heated/prepared.
Contact Clare Armbruster at carmbruster@larkinstreetyouth.org to sign up or learn more.
Meals on Wheels San Francisco
Mid-Market Gift Delivery
Wrap and deliver holiday gifts to seniors throughout the Tenderloin & SoMa.
Wednesday, December 13th at WeWork 25 Taylor Street 3rd Floor (Mezzanine level)
- Shifts are one hour in length, anytime between 10am and 3pm.
- There will be offering coffee, bagels, and pastries for the morning shift and lunch for the afternoon shifts.
Contact by December 11th with Kathy Stirling at kstirling@mowsf.org or 415-343-1288 to sign up or learn more.
Hamilton Families
Tree Decorating Party at Transitional Program at 1631 Hayes Street, San Francisco.
- Thursday, December 14 from 5:30-7:30 pm
Help set up, support and clean up
Transitional Program Holiday Party at 1631 Hayes Street, San Francisco.
- Thursday, December 21 from 5:30-7:30 pm
Help set up, support and clean up
Contact Christina Alton at calton@hamiltonfamilies.org to sign up or learn more.
Jewish Vocational Service (JVS)
Volunteer with JVS at 225 Bush Street, Suite 400.
JVS is looking for Bay Area professionals to volunteer with job seekers by conducting mock interviews and reviewing resumes at their office.
- Wednesday, December 20, 2pm – 5pm
- Monday, January 29, 9am – 12pm
- Thursday, February 22, 9am – 12pm
Corporate groups can feel free to suggest other dates/times.
Contact Sesa Pabalan at spabalan@jvs.org or call (415) 782-6241 to sign up or learn more.
United Way Bay Area
Holiday Volunteering
United Way Bay Area (UWBA) works with many community partners throughout the region who share our poverty fighting goals. Corporate volunteers are invited to support us and our partners by taking part in volunteer opportunities during the holiday season.
Holiday Book Drive for SparkPoint Families
SparkPoint Centers are one-stop financial, career support, and education centers where families have access to a full range of services. SparkPoint pairs clients with a financial coach who helps create a step-by-step plan to achieve financial goals that include securing a good job, getting out of debt, going back to school, and saving money.
During the holiday season, SparkPoint centers are looking for donated or new books that families can read together. A list of suggested books around financial literacy are attached.
Contact Ena Yasuhara Li at eyasuhara@uwba.org to sign up or learn more.
Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities
Earn It! Keep It! Save It!
Volunteer with Earn It! Keep It! Save It! (EKS) for a long-term opportunity starting in the new year! EKS is a volunteer-driven program that prepared 72,000 tax returns last year for Bay Area residents in need.
Join us for free training in January to become a volunteer tax preparer, greeter, or interpreter! All volunteers will be asked to commit to volunteer throughout the tax season from January through mid-April and will be assigned a location within their desired county.
Sign up to volunteer with Earn It! Keep It! Save It! at http://bit.ly/2AOTbbl
On Track Event
On Track exposes San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) students to a variety of career paths, encouraging greater engagement in school. Developed in partnership with the SFUSD African-American Achievement & Leadership initiative, this event consists of.
- Hands-On Career Exhibits: youth can engage in and learn more about industry and career pathways available to them.
- Coaching: volunteers provide coaching sessions around workforce and education decisions.
- Educational and wrap-around services: students can learn about information to help support their academic success.
We are looking for volunteers for #1 and #2 above (to provide exhibits and to act as education/career coaches). Up to 10 Exhibitors and up to 20 volunteer coaches are needed.
Contact Larry Berry at lberry@uwba.org to sign up or learn more.
Career Exploration for Youth
Opportunities exist throughout the year to help youth and young adults at various high schools and community-based organizations explore their career options and practice their interviewing skills.
Contact Larry Berry at lberry@uwba.org to sign up or learn more.
Contact Lori Alkire at volunteer@uwba.org if you have any questions.
