FYP Volunteer Guide San FranciscoEast BayPeninsulaSouth Bay
Santa Clara County has the region's largest food bank, its most active urban farms, and a network of city-by-city community service agencies, one each in Sunnyvale, Cupertino and Mountain View, that quietly run the food pantries and senior rides for their towns. It also has creeks that need cleaning, hills that need trails, and a lot of adults who want to learn to read.
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, San Jose, countywide. Sort and box produce on a fast-moving line, staff a neighborhood distribution, or deliver groceries to homebound seniors. One-time shifts on the volunteer calendar, a separate track for regulars, ages 12 and up.
Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen, San Jose. Kitchen prep, community garden work, meal service from the food trucks, home delivery, grocery packing. Their own words: individuals and small groups, one-time or recurring. Ages 14 and up. Sign the agreement and book in the portal.
Sacred Heart Community Service, San Jose. Warehouse customer service, sorting donations and bagging produce for the 600 to 800 households served each day, or helping families with energy bill assistance. Flexible shifts; middle schoolers welcome with an adult.
Sunnyvale Community Services, Sunnyvale. Bag groceries, sort produce, keep the warehouse, deliver to homebound seniors. New volunteers usually start with a Wednesday food distribution. Commit to the full shift and wait for confirmation before arriving.
West Valley Community Services, Cupertino. Food sorting and serving, front desk, grocery pickups, senior rides through RYDE, and the back-to-school and holiday gift events. Ongoing, event and family tracks; as little or as much time as you want.
Community Services Agency, Mountain View. Food pantry, senior services, community navigation, and a standing need for drivers on weekdays and Sundays. Ages 14 and up. Request the application packet from the coordinator at 650-968-0836 ext. 108.
Veggielution, East San Jose. Plant, weed, transplant and clean up on the farm, pack farm boxes, or help at the SoFA Pocket Park. Farm days every Friday and Saturday; register for each date. Ages 13 and up, closed-toe shoes.
Valley Verde, San Jose. Nursery and garden work at Homeland Nursery supporting home-gardening programs for low-income families. One-time or ongoing, solo or groups up to five. Register, sign the site waiver, and join the volunteer WhatsApp.
Housing and neighbors without homes
HomeFirst, San Jose, countywide. Serve at shelters, family sites or kitchens, or run a service project from your own location. Ages 18 and up, scheduled in advance, with TB clearance or a background check where required.
Bill Wilson Center, Santa Clara. Done-in-a-day projects, youth workshops and meal prep for the youth and family services agency. Contact the volunteer coordinator at 408-850-6138.
Creeks, trees and open space
Our City Forest, San Jose. Community tree plantings almost every Saturday in planting season, and nursery work growing trees and shrubs most Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Sign up per date on Eventbrite.
Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, preserves around San Jose and Morgan Hill including Coyote Ridge, Rancho Cañada del Oro and Sierra Vista. Trail maintenance, habitat restoration, guided hikes, outreach, visitor services. Trail Masters commit to an event a month and docents to one a quarter; Land Stewards have no stated minimum.
Santa Clara County Parks Volunteer Program, countywide. Weeding parties, monthly trail days and park beautification days need only a profile, a sign-up and a waiver; long-term roles like Trail Watch and docents add a background check and first aid. Ages 14 and up on your own. Sign up on the County volunteer portal.
Grassroots Ecology, Mountain View Shoreline and the Alviso Bufferlands. Plant natives, weed, mulch, water and collect seed at community workdays; planting runs November to February, weeding February to May. One-off, registration required.
Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, San Jose. Creek and trail cleanups, BioBlitz docent shifts at city parks, tabling, and leadership roles for people who stay. Email info@keepcoyotecreekbeautiful.org.
South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition, San Jose. Creek cleanups, habitat restoration, salmon monitoring and water testing. Email info@sbcleancreeks.com for the next event.
Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, countywide. Run bike valet at events, teach safety programs, do outreach, or join a neighborhood advocacy team. One hour at a time is welcome; 20 hours a year earns membership perks.
Reading, tutoring and young people
San José Public Library Partners in Reading, San Jose. One-on-one adult literacy tutoring, ESL, and computer lab help. Three hours a week for at least six months, after orientation, training and a fingerprint check. Ages 18 and up. Call 408-808-3033.
Santa Clara County Library Reading Program, branches in Cupertino, Campbell, Gilroy, Milpitas, Morgan Hill and Los Altos. Adult literacy tutoring, two hours a week for six months, after a mandatory orientation and training. Ages 18 and up.
Reading Partners Silicon Valley, elementary schools around San Jose. One-on-one reading sessions, in person or online, at a consistent weekly time. Orientation and background check, ages 14 and up.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley, clubhouses countywide. Tutoring, homework help, STEM, arts and coaching. Apply, interview, clear a background check and TB test, then a clubhouse orientation.
Civic life and repair
League of Women Voters of San Jose/Santa Clara, covering San Jose, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Morgan Hill and Gilroy. Voter registration at public events, Vote411 candidate research, forums, pros-and-cons ballot talks, and issue committees on climate, policing and governance. Interest form on the page.
Repair Cafe Silicon Valley, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Saratoga and Los Altos, plus Palo Alto. Fixers repair small appliances, lamps, electronics, textiles, jewelry and bikes; coordinators run intake with no repair skills needed; student apprentices from 16 pair with a fixer. Per-event sign-ups.
Seniors and disability
Sourcewise, countywide. Weekly wellness calls as an Ambassador after training, monthly companionship visits with a background check, or Medicare counseling through HICAP after a longer training. Groups run digital literacy classes and home beautification days. Email the application to volunteer@mysourcewise.com.
Silicon Valley Independent Living Center, San Jose and Gilroy. Takes volunteers for a day or on a regular basis; email info@svilc.org to ask what's needed.
Animals
Humane Society Silicon Valley, Milpitas. Animal socialization, adoption matching, pet pantry, fostering, admin. Most roles want a weekly or biweekly six-month commitment and animal-care roles have a waitlist; the laundry shifts are flexible and open now. Ages 18 and up on site.
San José Animal Care Center, San Jose. Direct animal care, enrichment and dog handling for a shelter that sees more than 15,000 animals a year. Mandatory orientation, then application and training; six hours a month for three months. Ages 14 and up with a parent, 18 alone.
Arts and culture
Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose, downtown. Floor volunteers help at special events and facilitate hands-on exploration with kids and families. Email the volunteer coordinator through the page.
San José Museum of Art, downtown. Trained gallery docents, classroom docents who bring Let's Look at Art to Bay Area schools, and the Museum Store Guild. Separate applications for each.
Not listed: Full Circle Farm in Sunnyvale, which appears to have closed; and Martha's Kitchen and Downtown Streets Team San Jose, whose sites we could not reach to confirm current programs. Both are worth a direct call if you're nearby.
Know a South Bay 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.
