FYP Volunteer Guide San FranciscoEast BayPeninsulaSouth Bay
The Peninsula's volunteer scene is quieter than the city's and easy to underestimate. It runs through a handful of long-established agencies in San Mateo, Menlo Park and East Palo Alto that feed and house people every day of the week, and through an unusually strong set of habitat groups working the coast, the creeks and the open space preserves in the hills.
Each entry says what you would actually do and what the organization asks of you. One-time means you can book a shift this week. Commitment means orientation, usually a background check, and a schedule you keep. Everything here is open to individuals.
Food
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, distributions and home delivery across San Mateo County. Sort and box produce, staff a neighborhood distribution, or deliver groceries to homebound seniors. One-time shifts on the registration calendar, no orientation, ages 12 and up. Register in advance; no walk-ins.
Samaritan House, San Mateo. Prep, package and distribute food in the kitchen and pantry, deliver mobile meals, or help with admin, translation and healthcare support. The kitchen asks for a weekly shift for at least four weeks. Email the volunteer coordinator or call 650-347-3648.
St. Anthony's Padua Dining Room, Menlo Park. Prepare and serve the daily meal, sort produce, or clean up, six days a week from about 8:30 to 1. Email paduadiningroom@gmail.com or call 650-365-9664 to arrange a start.
Ecumenical Hunger Program, East Palo Alto. Sort and pack food boxes, work the first-Tuesday produce distribution, serve the Wednesday evening meal, staff the clothing closet, or weed and plant in the garden. Email volunteers@ehpcares.org to set a time.
Housing and families in crisis
LifeMoves, Menlo Park, shelters across San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Provide meals at a shelter, host a donation drive for bedding, toiletries or business clothing, or support the summer camp for children. Sign up through the form on the page.
CORA, San Mateo. Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse takes volunteers for events, specialized skills, and direct service with survivors, including court accompaniment and farmers' market outreach. Direct service requires the state-mandated domestic violence training, which has a fee, and mostly weekday hours. Join their Bloomerang page for openings.
Coast, creeks and open space
Grassroots Ecology, Palo Alto, sites across the Peninsula. Hands-on habitat work, plus naturalist and community science events. One-off events with no commitment; registration required through the calendar.
Acterra, Palo Alto. Event help for home electrification and food sustainability programs, including the Green@Home Tour, or longer-term support in advocacy, youth education and communications. Both one-time and ongoing.
Pacific Beach Coalition, Pacifica, with cleanups in Daly City, Half Moon Bay, Montara and Foster City. Monthly beach and creek cleanups, 9 to 11 on rotating weekend mornings at Rockaway, Linda Mar, Sharp Park, Mussel Rock and more. Pre-register and sign the waiver, then just show up.
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, preserves throughout San Mateo County. Trail maintenance and invasive removal on single-day projects they describe as ideal for busy people, or trained docent roles for the long haul. Book a single-day project through the volunteer portal.
San Mateo County Parks Volunteer Stewardship, Coyote Point, Huddart, Wunderlich, Devil's Slide and others. Invasive removal, native planting, seed collection. No experience needed, tools and training provided. One-time events, register on Eventbrite. Coastal Cleanup Day is September 19.
Reading, tutoring and young people
Reading Partners, partner elementary schools. One-on-one reading tutoring, a little over an hour a week at a consistent time, with orientation and a background check. Choose your region on the page and check which Peninsula schools are active this year.
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula, Redwood City, Menlo Park and East Palo Alto. Tutoring at least an hour a week for six weeks, sports coaching, special events, or bagging groceries at the East Palo Alto clubhouse food distribution. Ages 14 and up with a background check.
Ravenswood Classroom Partners, East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park. In-classroom tutoring in literacy and math for TK through fifth grade, an hour a week in the same classroom for the full school year. No experience needed; they train you. Apply through Volgistics.
Project READ Redwood City, Redwood City Public Library. Adult and child literacy tutoring, one to two hours a week, after a three-session training. Teen tutors welcome with a one-session training.
Project Read South San Francisco, South San Francisco Public Library. Adult literacy tutoring tailored to your learner, one to two hours a week for six months, after training. Ages 18 and up.
Civic life and repair
League of Women Voters of South San Mateo County, Redwood City, covering the south county including East Palo Alto and Menlo Park. Voter registration tables at community fairs, get-out-the-vote postcard parties, election support. A few hours or the whole season. Fill in the general volunteer form.
Repair Cafe Silicon Valley, Palo Alto events at the Museum of American Heritage, plus rotating sites south. Fixers repair small appliances, lamps, electronics, textiles, jewelry and bikes; coordinators greet clients and run intake with no repair skills needed. Per-event sign-ups, monthly.
Seniors
Peninsula Volunteers, Menlo Park. Meals on Wheels drivers and packers, care companions at Rosener House, tech tutors and cafe help at Little House, and RIDE PVI transportation. Weekday roles, most done by 3 in the afternoon; application required. Call 650-326-0665.
Animals
Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA, Burlingame. Roles in nearly every department, from animal care to adoption support. A real commitment: two to four hours a week for a year for adults, with a small fee for the volunteer pack.
Pets In Need, Redwood City and Palo Alto. Exercise the animals, introduce them to families, clean, assist with medical care. Weekly roles are two hours a week for four months, with the next recruitment in September 2026; drop-in roles include weekend Doggy Day Out and a daily welcome desk.
Arts and culture
Palo Alto Art Center, Palo Alto. Assist instructors in kids' and teen classes, or lead weekly gallery tours for elementary field trips as a Project LOOK docent. Ongoing by session, ages 12 and up; adults need a background check and TB test.
Hiller Aviation Museum, San Carlos. Restoration shop Tuesdays and Thursdays, library and archives, gallery guides on a weekly four-hour shift, and teen programs for 14 to 18. Orientation, then training with an active volunteer.
If you'd rather browse
Thrive Alliance job board, Redwood City. The San Mateo County nonprofit network's free listing of jobs and volunteer openings across the sector. Sign up for notifications.
Not listed: CuriOdyssey in San Mateo, which has paused volunteer applications and says they will reopen soon; and a few groups whose programs we could not confirm, including Palo Alto Humane Society and the Sequoia Healthcare District.
Know a Peninsula organization we missed, or spot something here that has changed? Tell us. We would rather fix it than be wrong in public.
Last verified: September 2026.
