Want to Volunteer but Not Sure Where to Start?!
Ideas for in-Person and Virtual Volunteer Opportunities
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?” – Martin Luther King, Jr. This quote really resonated with us this October. With many traditional Fall and Halloween activities on the back burner due to COVID, volunteering can be a great way to fill your time as well as your heart. At SDHR Consulting, we have always encouraged volunteering as a part of our dedication to our 3 C’s: Clients, Colleagues, and Community. Learn more about our 3 C’s as well as our company values on our Values + Culture page.
There are so many ways to volunteer, many of which require no money and can be performed in your PJs at home!! COVID may be causing us to be socially distant, but we don’t need to forfeit volunteer opportunities. Below is a sample of a list of volunteer opportunities local to San Diego:
In-Person Volunteer Opportunities
- Thanksgiving Food Distribution Prep
- Pack Produce Boxes
- Propagation and Potting Help
- Volunteer Driver for Food Donations
- Father Joe’s Villages
- Mama’s Kitchen
- Serving Seniors
- Distributing Meals for San Diego Unified School District
- Food Sort and Distribution for the Salvation Army
- Meals on Wheels
- 2021 San Diego Padres Home Games Volunteer
- USS Midway Volunteer Opportunities
- Surfrider Foundation Beach Cleanups
- Emilio Nares Foundation
- Outdoor Outreach
- Helen Woodward Animal Center
Virtual Volunteer Opportunities
- Bookshare – Scan and edit scans of ebooks for individuals with reading disabilities.
- Career Village – Answer questions asked by students about a specific career field that you have experience in. All you need is your LinkedIn account to start helping students!
- Learning Ally – Choose from a list of volunteer opportunities that include narrating ebooks and providing feedback.
- UPchieve – Help low-income students by coaching them through counseling, tutoring, academic motivation, and more!
- Adopt a Nursing Home – Write letters to a nursing home you get matched within Texas or call local nursing homes around your community and write letters to the tenants.
- Wildwatch Kenya – Help identify and count the giraffes and other wildlife living in our field conservation sites in Northern Kenya.
- San Diego Center for Children – Explore a list of virtual volunteer and donation opportunities that help children as well as essential workers.
- The Smithsonian Institution – Virtually volunteer for the “world’s largest museum, education, and research complex” by transcribing historical documents and updating relevant Wikipedia articles.
Our Team Volunteering!
My husband and I Direct a Flag Football program here in our hometown and its 100% volunteer-based which our season is from Sept-Nov every Saturday. Also, I recently volunteered with our Church for “Serve Day” where we went to a poverty neighborhood and fixed up their trailers (landscaping and handyman work like fixing appliances, roofs, doors, etc), passed out cookies, provided lunch for the community that day, and our church purchased a brand new trailer for one family!”
-Emmily Hunter, SDHRC Recruiter
SDHRC HR Consultant, Laura, consistently volunteers and she did not let COVID get in the way! Laura has turned volunteering into a family event with various organizations that she has dedicated her time and resources to. Over the past few months, she has created sack lunches to donate to interfaith community services, made dog toys for the San Diego Humane Society, and helped identify giraffes in an online project for the San Diego Zoo.
SDHRC Recruiter, Beth, has volunteered for her local humane society for over 4 years! Beth clearly has a soft spot in her heart for animals of all sizes! Just a single day after starting to volunteer at the humane society, Beth and her daughter, Alyssa, adopted this adorable kitten, Mateo.
SDHRC Graphic Designer, Baylee, has written letters to residents at local nursing homes since the start of COVID. “Writing these letters is such a simple thing that I can do to hopefully bring a smile to a senior’s face! I write about my wishes and hopes for them as well as share a little insight into my life. I always leave my address in case they want to write back and become pen pals!”
SDHRC HR Consultant, Traci, completed a presentation along with CEO, Julie, for the TAYworks Youth Academy. “We partnered with the Council For Supplier Diversity and assisted in presenting an informative workshop for the TAYWorks Youth Academy. The 8-week workshop was designed to provide youth between the ages of 16 and 24 with information on how to develop important workplace skills. Many Transitional Age Youth (TAY) have experienced challenges in their lives, from foster care, to homeless and/or have mental health issues. The goal was to assist them with a smoother transition into the workforce which in turn will help them to meet their goals of having a better life.”
About the Author
Baylee Olsen, “Delightful Designer”
Baylee Olsen is a talented designer who has been with SDHRC for 1 year. A recent graduate from UCSD in Visual Arts Speculative Design, Baylee is instrumental in the design and branding of SDHRC’s most favored campaigns, service offering brochures, and webpages.
