Want to Cook for Others? Provide Breakfast to Residents with the Guest Chef Program at Ascencia
The Guest Chef Program is an incredible way for you to help their efforts, and is a tremendous savings to their operations on a day-to-day basis! Every day at Ascencia's shelter, volunteers prepare and serve hot meals for unhoused families and adults in their Emergency Housing program. For breakfast, lunch, or dinner, their "Guest Chefs" give their time and energy, generously donating food and a great deal of compassion with each plate. Their Guest Chef Teams will plan the menu, purchase, and prepare the ingredients, then cook and serve the meal to their shelter residents. Volunteers in their Guest Chef Program commit to preparing meals for approximately 40 shelter residents on a daily basis. Their Guest Chefs maintain a sanitary kitchen environment, complying with health regulations in the handling of food, including washing of hands and wearing gloves before preparing and serving food. You can help by bringing disposable plates, cups, napkins, forks, spoons, and knives. Don't have time to cook and prepare the meal? Many of their Guest Chefs pick up food from local restaurants! For breakfast, Ascencia needs volunteers to prepare morning-friendly meals like eggs, pancakes, bacon, or quiches, along with beverages such as milk or juice. Guest Chefs should plan to arrive around 5:00 am to ensure the meal is ready for the 6:00 am serving time.
Want to Cook for Others? Provide Lunch to Residents with the Guest Chef Program at Ascencia
The Guest Chef Program is an incredible way for you to help their efforts, and is a tremendous savings to their operations on a day-to-day basis! Every day at Ascencia's shelter, volunteers prepare and serve hot meals for unhoused families and adults in their Emergency Housing program. For breakfast, lunch, or dinner, their "Guest Chefs" give their time and energy, generously donating food and a great deal of compassion with each plate. Their Guest Chef Teams will plan the menu, purchase, and prepare the ingredients, then cook and serve the meal to their shelter residents. Volunteers in their Guest Chef Program commit to preparing meals for approximately 40 shelter residents on a daily basis. Their Guest Chefs maintain a sanitary kitchen environment, complying with health regulations in the handling of food, including washing of hands and wearing gloves before preparing and serving food. You can help by bringing disposable plates, cups, napkins, forks, spoons, and knives. Don't have time to cook and prepare the meal? Many of their Guest Chefs pick up food from local restaurants! For lunch, volunteers can prepare a hot meal or provide Brown Bag Lunches. Brown Bag Lunches must include a sandwich (with at least 10 vegetarian options), fruit, a snack, and a water bottle. The serving time for lunch is 11:00 am, with on-site cooking teams typically arriving around 10:00 am.
Want to Cook for Others? Provide Breakfast to Residents with the Guest Chef Program at Ascencia
The Guest Chef Program is an incredible way for you to help their efforts, and is a tremendous savings to their operations on a day-to-day basis! Every day at Ascencia's shelter, volunteers prepare and serve hot meals for unhoused families and adults in their Emergency Housing program. For breakfast, lunch, or dinner, their "Guest Chefs" give their time and energy, generously donating food and a great deal of compassion with each plate. Their Guest Chef Teams will plan the menu, purchase, and prepare the ingredients, then cook and serve the meal to their shelter residents. Volunteers in their Guest Chef Program commit to preparing meals for approximately 40 shelter residents on a daily basis. Their Guest Chefs maintain a sanitary kitchen environment, complying with health regulations in the handling of food, including washing of hands and wearing gloves before preparing and serving food. You can help by bringing disposable plates, cups, napkins, forks, spoons, and knives. Don't have time to cook and prepare the meal? Many of their Guest Chefs pick up food from local restaurants! For breakfast, Ascencia needs volunteers to prepare morning-friendly meals like eggs, pancakes, bacon, or quiches, along with beverages such as milk or juice. Guest Chefs should plan to arrive around 5:00 am to ensure the meal is ready for the 6:00 am serving time.
Want to Cook for Others? Provide Lunch to Residents with the Guest Chef Program at Ascencia
The Guest Chef Program is an incredible way for you to help their efforts, and is a tremendous savings to their operations on a day-to-day basis! Every day at Ascencia's shelter, volunteers prepare and serve hot meals for unhoused families and adults in their Emergency Housing program. For breakfast, lunch, or dinner, their "Guest Chefs" give their time and energy, generously donating food and a great deal of compassion with each plate. Their Guest Chef Teams will plan the menu, purchase, and prepare the ingredients, then cook and serve the meal to their shelter residents. Volunteers in their Guest Chef Program commit to preparing meals for approximately 40 shelter residents on a daily basis. Their Guest Chefs maintain a sanitary kitchen environment, complying with health regulations in the handling of food, including washing of hands and wearing gloves before preparing and serving food. You can help by bringing disposable plates, cups, napkins, forks, spoons, and knives. Don't have time to cook and prepare the meal? Many of their Guest Chefs pick up food from local restaurants! For lunch, volunteers can prepare a hot meal or provide Brown Bag Lunches. Brown Bag Lunches must include a sandwich (with at least 10 vegetarian options), fruit, a snack, and a water bottle. The serving time for lunch is 11:00 am, with on-site cooking teams typically arriving around 10:00 am.
Want to Cook for Others? Provide Dinner to Residents with the Guest Chef Program at Ascencia
The Guest Chef Program is an incredible way for you to help their efforts, and is a tremendous savings to their operations on a day-to-day basis! Every day at Ascencia's shelter, volunteers prepare and serve hot meals for unhoused families and adults in their Emergency Housing program. For breakfast, lunch, or dinner, their "Guest Chefs" give their time and energy, generously donating food and a great deal of compassion with each plate. Their Guest Chef Teams will plan the menu, purchase, and prepare the ingredients, then cook and serve the meal to their shelter residents. Volunteers in their Guest Chef Program commit to preparing meals for approximately 40 shelter residents on a daily basis. Their Guest Chefs maintain a sanitary kitchen environment, complying with health regulations in the handling of food, including washing of hands and wearing gloves before preparing and serving food. You can help by bringing disposable plates, cups, napkins, forks, spoons, and knives. Don't have time to cook and prepare the meal? Many of their Guest Chefs pick up food from local restaurants! For dinner, Guest Chefs are requested to prepare hot, lower-sodium meals for dinner that are rich in protein and/or healthy vegetables, such as stews, chili, pasta, or meatloaf, and must include a vegetarian option. Beverages like water, iced tea, or juice should also be provided. Dinner is served at 6:00 pm, meaning teams should aim to arrive around 5:00 pm to begin meal preparation.
Be a Fundraiser for Door of Hope
Make a meaningful impact while celebrating or pursuing your passions! You can host a birthday fundraiser, add Door of Hope to your wedding charity registry, join their LA Marathon or 5K team, or organize your own fundraising event or campaign. For more details and ideas, contact Melody at volunteer@doorofhope.us.
Be an Ambasador for Door of Hope
You can make an impact in two meaningful ways: 1) gather a group of friends, coworkers, family members, or fellow church members for a private Stories of Hope Shelter Tour to see homelessness in a new light and discover how Door of Hope is transforming lives or 2) serve as a Table Captain and invite guests who can give at least $1,000 to join your table at Door of Hope’s annual fundraising event. For more information on either opportunity, email volunteer@doorofhope.us.
Help Gather Pantry Items for Door of Hope
Help Door of Hope keep their pantry stocked! Many families living in their homes rely on pantry donations to stretch their food budgets and ensure no one goes hungry. Your support makes a direct impact—every can, box, and bag help them provide nutritious meals to those who need it most. For a complete list of needed items, email items@doorofhope.us.
Build Laundry Kits with Project Ropa
Help create laundry kits for Project Ropa to directly distribute to those in need in the Los Angeles area. This is a great activity for children to get involved with. The majority of the people they serve can't afford to wash their clothing. Part of the barrier is the cost of laundry detergent. You can help by creating laundry kits. All kits can be mailed to them at: Project Ropa, 2851 W 120th Street, Suite E #566, Hawthorne, CA 90250 or dropped off at their warehouse in Gardena, CA. They accept donation drop offs at their warehouse on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am-3pm and on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month from 10am-1pm. They are closed on all major holidays. Their warehouse address is: 13970 Van Ness Avenue, Gardena, CA 90249. If mailing please include a note with your full name and email address in the package. Please note: They are unable to provide verification of remote volunteer work for community service hours. They can only do so for in-person volunteer work.
Assemble Hygiene Kits with Project Ropa
Project Ropa is a nonprofit organization that helps restore dignity, rekindle optimism and empower the lives of people experiencing homelessness by providing clean clothes, hygiene kits and drinking water in a safe, humane and dignified way. Help create hygiene kits for them to distribute to people in need in the Los Angeles area. This is a great activity for children to get involved with. This activity can be done remotely by putting together items in a bag (paper bag, tote bag or reusable grocery bag are preferred). Please note: Items for the hygiene kits will not be provided by Project Ropa. They recommend reaching out to your network of friends and family to source the items. All items can be travel-size or full-size. All kits can be mailed to Project Ropa at: Project Ropa, 2851 W 120th Street, Suite E #566, Hawthorne, CA 90250 or dropped off at their warehouse in Gardena, CA. Drop off hours at their warehouse are Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 9am-3pm and on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month from 10am-1pm. They are closed on all bank holidays. Their warehouse address is: 13970 Van Ness Avenue, Gardena, CA 90249. If mailing please include a note with your full name and email address in the package. Please note: They are unable to provide verification of remote volunteer work for community service hours. They can only do so for in-person volunteering.
Help Make Snack Bags for PATH’s Homelessness Outreach Team
Help PATH build relationships with neighbors experiencing homelessness! This a perfect opportunity to get a group together and get directly involved in making a difference! This opportunity would involve you or your group hosting a drive or purchasing non-perishable snacks, and then assembling the items into brown paper bags. PATH street outreach teams distribute the Snack Bags to their neighbors experiencing homelessness. Please note: Drop offs must be scheduled in advance.
Donate to the Welcome Home Kits for Families Wishlist with PATH
Say “Welcome Home!” to newly housed individuals and families! This program empowers volunteers to collect new household items to benefit PATH clients, so that those moving off the streets and into permanent homes have all the basics they need. Many of the individuals PATH serves have limited income and often need help with basic necessities once they secure housing. Help give them a warm welcome into their new home with some basic household items to get them started. By putting together Welcome Home Kits that include much-needed household items, you are ensuring clients feel at home, and have all the tools to stay housed. This volunteer project is great for faith groups, companies, philanthropic committees, schools, families, and individuals who want to rally friends for a good cause!
Donate Care Kits for PATH’s Homelessness Outreach Team
Help PATH build relationships with our neighbors experiencing homelessness! Care Kits include new travel sized hygiene items and non-perishable snacks for neighbors living on the streets. PATH street outreach teams distribute Care Kits to their neighbors experiencing homelessness and use them as an engagement tool to build relationships while connecting their unhoused neighbors to housing resources. For more information, please visit the link.
Help Communities in Crisis in the U.S. and Around the World and Donate Now at CORE
There are so many humanitarian emergencies constantly happening within the United States and all over the globe today – it can feel overwhelming to know how to help. That’s why CORE has created their annual Emergency Fund*. Your gift today allows their trained emergency response team to deploy – wherever and whenever disaster-stricken families need help the most. Your gift allows CORE to be a long-lasting organization always ready to respond. These CORE funds also maintain the critical assistance toward their longer-term programs in California, Georgia, North Carolina, Ukraine, Haiti, and Sudan.
Donate to Support Bolsa Chica Conservancy
Wetlands are one of many habitats that encompass a watershed and provide a crucial connection between land and the ocean. They also provide functions, known as ecosystem services, that are vital not only to the native and migratory species that inhabit them, but to humans as well. Some of these important functions include: mitigation of climate change by trapping carbon dioxide (carbon sink), serving as a buffer zone during flooding events, maintaining water supplies by replenishing aquifers and filtering water that passes through, and providing essential habitat for plants and wildlife. You can help protect the Bolsa Chica wetlands, its threatened species and their habitats, while at the same time supporting the education of thousands of K-12 students with your donation to the Bolsa Chica Conservancy today. Your support of the Bolsa Chica Conservancy’s STEM-based educational programs on wetland science, watersheds, coastal ecology, environmental sustainability, and habitat restoration will make a world of difference to students in need.
Purchase and Assemble Snack Bags for Asencia
Purchase and assemble snack bags for Ascencia's Outreach Case Managers to hand out while out in the field! Collect non-perishable snacks and drinks like protein bars, chips, water, sports drinks, etc., pack them into Ziploc bags, and donate them to Ascencia! Snack bags go quick, so the more the merrier.
Support Ascencia by Providing Administrative Support
Support Ascencia by providing administrative or organizational support. Work in their admin office to complete tasks such as data entry, filing, writing thank you cards, organizing the donation closet and food pantry, and more.
Purchase and Assemble Hygiene Kits for Asencia
Purchase and assemble hygiene kits for Ascencia's Outreach Case Managers to hand out while out in the field! You can host a donation drive to collect items, or purchase travel sized hygiene materials. Assemble them into Ziploc bags at home and schedule a drop-off!
Make Brown Bag Lunches for Asencia’s Clients
Ascencia is asking for volunteers to make brown bag lunches for clients in the shelter to supplement meals not covered by guest chef, or for street outreach to pass out to individuals on the streets. Lunches can include PB&J sandwiches, fruit, chips, protein bars, water, etc.
Host a Food Pantry Drive for Ascencia’s Clients
Donate dry goods, canned food, and breakfast items for Ascencia's food pantry in their Access Center. This food helps to supplement meals in their emergency shelter and help their housed clients with immediate needs. Items must be unexpired and unopened.
Featured Projects
Help Make Holiday Meal Baskets for the PATH Community
PATH (People Assisting the Homeless),
PATHvolunteers@epath.org,
(323) 644-2200
Help PATH meet their goal to assemble and distribute over 800 Holiday Meal Baskets to those in need. Help make sure that everyone in the community – housed and unhoused – can enjoy a special meal! By donating items to the food drive, you will help provide enough food to assemble “Holiday Meal Boxes” to help PATH teams enrich the holiday experience of members of the community. The relationships you help build with food donations can be vital in helping neighbors feel secure and supported. Email PATH at PATHVolunteers@epath.org to schedule a date/time to drop-off or shop the Amazon Link: https://a.co/hBgLUY7 and food will be delivered directly to PATH.
Give to the Crime Survivors Resource Center’s Thanksgiving Drive
Crime Survivors Resource Center,
info@crime survivors.org,
(844) 853-4673
Help make Thanksgiving Day a festive occation for families in need. Your donatoin will help Crime Survivors Resource Center purchase grocery store gift cards for all the fixins needed by families. There are many ways to help including sponsoring a family and hosting a corportate challange.
Host a Thanksgiving Food Drive For Families at Union Station Homeless Services
Union Station Homeless Services,
volunteer@unionstationhs.org,
(626) 240-0720
Make a difference this Thanksgiving and host a food drive in your community! Collect items like stuffing, mashed potatoes, Velveeta cheese, and more. USHS kindly request all items be dropped off one of the locations listed on their website no later than November 18th.
Help Host a Thanksgiving Celebration at PATH
PATH (People Assisting the Homeless),
PATHvolunteers@epath.org,
(323) 644-2200
Participate in an on-site volunteer activity to celebrate Thanksgiving with PATH residents. They are looking for individuals and/or groups who can donate some or all of the following items and help organize PATH Thanksgiving celebrations: Bring a Thanksgiving meal to serve to PATH residents ($1500-$3000), Bring Thanksgiving-inspired desserts (approx. $250-$275), Bring/play group games (Bingo, Uno, Trivia), Organize a raffle-prize giveaway. Date/Time: TBD based on site and group/individual availability. You can take a special role in making this Thanksgiving special for many members of the PATH Community. Please sign-up and reach out to learn more about this holiday opportunity! Email them at: PATHVolunteers@epath.org
Help Donate Turkeys For Families at Union Station Homeless Services
Union Station Homeless Services,
volunteer@unionstationhs.org,
(626) 240-0720
Help USHS collect 750 frozen turkeys for families in need this Thanksgiving! Drop off days will be Nov. 17th and 18th.
Take Photographs for A Place Called Home’s Thanksgiving Event
A Place Called Home,
volunteer@apch.org,
(323) 232-7653
Volunteer will serve as event photographer to capture photos in shot list provided by A Place Called Home. Volunteer will provide 6-8 edited select shots to APCH within 48 hours after the event, and will provide full take edited shots to APCH within 5 business days after the event. APCH will credit photography as desired in publications.
Help Setup, Facilitate and Breakdown A Place Called Homes Thanksgiving Distribution & Dinner Event
A Place Called Home,
volunteer@apch.org,
(323) 232-7653
Volunteers will support all aspects of event setup, facilitation and breakdown alongside the A Place Called Hometeam to help create a welcoming, festive environment as APCH welcomes hundreds of South Central families and neighbors to the APCH campus for their annual Thanksgiving event. In addition to celebrating community, this event provides hundreds of turkeys and grocery bags with all the Thanksgiving fixings for members of their South Central community. Please Note: Role may include moving, bending, walking, light-medium lifting and extended periods of standing. Please let the APCH team know if there is anything they can do to make this project more comfortable for you.
Join Us for Big Sunday’s Annual Thanksgiving Stuffing Event!
Big Sunday,
info@bigsunday.org,
3235499944
Each year we collect and pack big bags full of Thanksgiving dinner for thousands of people! We need folks to donate food, as well as pack everything up and distribute it. And yes, everyone is invited to join together for a community breakfast, too! A true festival of gratitude. We also need folks to lead food collections in their community!
Host a Winter Holiday Celebration at PATH
PATH (People Assisting the Homeless),
PATHvolunteers@epath.org,
(323) 644-2200
ueroHelp make the holiday season bright for PATH residents by hosting a Winter Holiday celebration at one of their sites! They are encouraging the community to get involved in celebrating this holiday season with those at PATH residences who may need an extra support and encouragement during this especially trying time. By hosting a holiday celebration, you have the opportunity to: Sponsor a meal/snack to provide for community celebration,Bring cookies and decorate them in holiday-inspired themes (approx. $250-$275), Bring Holiday decorations and decorate common room of PATH building, Host a holiday movie night and bring popcorn and treats for guests, Bring group games (Bingo, card games, trivia, etc.) to play with residents, Organize a raffle-prize giveaway. Date/Time: December 1st – December 12th – TBD based on site and group/individual availability. Please email them at PATHVolunteers@epath.org for available dates and locations if you are interested in bringing the holiday spirit to the community and ensuring that everyone – housed or unhoused – can enjoy a festive and cheerful holiday. Kids Welcome: Varys by site.