Table of Contents
Maybe you have some extra time on your hands, or maybe you’re just in the giving spirit. All we know is there are more than enough great causes in San Diego to donate your time to. Whether you’re an animal lover, an artsy type, a natural mentor, or an outdoor enthusiast — there’s a nearby volunteer opportunity for you.
Here are 45 ways to get involved in America’s Finest City.
If you have a passion for community members in need
- Feeding San Diego | Help relieve hunger by sorting and packing produce for families in need, support a local distribution site, or call donors.
- San Diego Food Bank | Head to the Miramar or North County facilities to help clean + pack fresh produce for distribution, inspect and label donations, and assemble packages for San Diegans facing food insecurity.
- Meals on Wheels | Deliver meals — and human connection — to seniors across the county, many of whom are isolated or homebound.
- Alpha Project | Organize donation drives for essential supplies like shampoo, toothbrushes, blankets, socks, shoes, and bottled water to distribute to locals experiencing homelessness.
- Mama’s Kitchen | Deliver meals along a specific route to San Diegans at risk of malnutrition due to critical illnesses, help plate dishes, assemble grocery bags, or help with office + phone support.
- Jewish Family Service | Deliver meals, keep older adults company, support youth and families, or help refugees feel more at home.
- San Diego Rescue Mission | Help with lunch or dinner service, community outreach, warehouse food organization, or teach a class to help SD’s most vulnerable populations.
If you’re an animal lover
- San Diego Humane Society | Support the daily care of shelter animals, foster a pet, or help with community engagement.
- Rancho Coastal Humane Society | Sign up to be an Animal Companion and help keep dogs, cats, and rabbits mentally and physically healthy as they wait for forever homes.
- Lions Tigers & Bears | Care for the big cats and bears at the exotic wildlife sanctuary, help plan a fundraiser, or build infrastructure to support the facility in Alpine.
- Helen Woodward Animal Center | Walk the animals, lend a hand at a local event, or help in the office.
- The Rescue House | Love kitties? This opportunity is the cat’s meow.
- Second Chance Dog Rescue | Volunteer at adoption events, transport animals to veterinarians, help with social media, or aid in community outreach.
If you live + breathe San Diego
- Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego | Step up to care for families whose children are hospitalized by providing the comforts of home — meals, activities, hospitality — to make an overwhelming situation more manageable.
- Comic-Con Museum | Provide support for guest experiences and bring your pop culture expertise, passion, and personality to the one-of-a-kind museum in Balboa Park.
- Kitchens for Good | Help at the pre-loved kitchenware shop, man the nonprofit’s food cart at The Rady Shell, or work the front-of-house at apprentice-run mock restaurants.
- Monarch School | Tutor in math and literacy, support classrooms, and help make this a place of hope for unsheltered local students.
- Father Joe’s Villages | Serve meals, tutor kids, or help with maintenance and beautification projects.
For the outdoorsy types
- I Love a Clean San Diego | Join monthly cleanup events and help keep San Diego beautiful via this organization, around since 1954.
- San Diego Coastkeeper | Participate in a beach or neighborhood cleanup to remove trash before it floats into our coastal waters.
- Surfrider Foundation of San Diego County | Take part in beach cleanups, help advocate for eco-friendly policies, monitor beach preservation and access, or tap into the organization’s water testing and education program.
- Balboa Park Rose Garden Corps | Stop and smell the roses — and help keep the Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden beautiful for generations to come; weekly volunteer shifts are March-November.
- Mission Trails Regional Park | Answer questions about the trails, activities, and programs at the Visitor Center, help with habitat restoration projects, or train to become a trail guide.
- County of San Diego Parks & Recreation | Become a campground or park host and help visitors with information and services, patrol local parks, or help preserve and archive the history of county parks.
The artsy types
- San Diego Museum of Art | Assist visitors at the front desk or at special events, help with projects, serve in the art reference library, or train to become a docent.
- ICA San Diego | Greet visitors, conduct tours, answer questions, and share info about artworks, artists, programs and events.
- ArtWalk San Diego | Be part of the grand celebration of arts and culture — volunteer for the annual art festivals in Little Italy, Liberty Station + Carlsbad.
Natural-born teachers + mentors
- Just In Time Foster Youth | Share important life lessons with foster youth — from grocery shopping to budgeting — by facilitating workshops, forging friendships + providing emotional support.
- YMCA of San Diego | Support programs + special events, coach youth sports, or raise funds to make our communities better.
- Make-A-Wish of San Diego | Make a child’s dream a reality as a “wish granter,” volunteer as a translator or interpreter, help at special events, and use your special skills for good.
- Reality Changers | Tutor students in grades 8-12 and help local youths achieve their goal of going to college.
If you want to be there for abuse victims
- Casa de Amparo | Organize special activities for kids impacted by child abuse + neglect, help at the holiday donation center, or clean and landscape campuses.
- WRC | Provide crisis intervention and resources to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, help at a local shelter, mentor children, or support the organization’s thrift store.
- Home Start | Sort thrift store donations, help with garden projects, or provide tax assistance while helping to strengthen families impacted by abuse and neglect.
For handy individuals
- San Diego Habitat for Humanity | Build homes — and hope — for those in need.
- USS Midway Museum | Maintain and restore historic aircraft aboard the iconic naval aircraft carrier on San Diego Bay.
- ElderHelp of San Diego | Help with grocery shopping, mail sorting, companionship visits, light gardening, home maintenance projects, pet care, and rides to appointments or errands for seniors.
Self-proclaimed bibliophiles
- San Diego Public Library | Process new books and audio materials, tutor adults, enter data, work in the office, or help with literacy programs.
- San Diego Council on Literacy | Tutor adults, youth and families via literacy programs.
- Words Alive! | Read to kids and teens, deliver books, or prepare crafts for families as you inspire a love of reading for underserved locals.
- Traveling Stories | Read virtually to kids in grades 1-3 and mentor them to build literacy skills.
If you’re passionate about supporting local community groups
- United Way of San Diego | Sort items at the food pantry, read to kids, and help with toy and food drives.
- SD Refugee Tutoring | Work 1:1 with refugee students on foundational skills like English and math via educational games at this City Heights organization.
- Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego: Refugee + Immigrant Services | Mentor a newly-arrived family, assist a case manager, or help at shelters providing support to migrants and asylum seekers.
- Border Angels | Lend a hand at volunteer events including water drops + day laborer outreach for this organization that advocates for human rights, immigration reform, and social justice with a focus on the US-Mexico border.
