Volunteer
Here is a list of organizations that is accepting volunteers, both in-person and remote.
Meals on Wheels Diablo Region
Location: 1300 Civic Dr. Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Contact Information: Volunteer Development Associate, Lee Davenport, (925) 954-8736, ldavenport@mowdr.org or apply online
Website: https://www.mowdiabloregion.org
Volunteer opportunities include delivering meals, being a friendly visitor, caller, or helper, helping at a C.C. Café or administrative work in the office.
AmpleHarvest.org
Location: Global
Contact Information: info@ampleharvest.org
Website: https://ampleharvest.org/
Volunteers are needed for finding food pantries, reaching out to gardeners, and spreading the word. Volunteers can be from anywhere in the country, as AmpleHarvest.org works with gardeners and food pantries all over the country.
Falling Fruit
Location: Global
Contact Information: feedback@fallingfruit.org
Website: http://www.fallingfruit.org
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Falling Fruit is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to mapping urban harvest. On their website they have an interactive map where anyone can feel free to edit and pin the location of the urban edible plants! If you are interested in adding locations or sharing the word about this organization, navigate your way to http://www.fallingfruit.org/ to help the community.
ALL IN
Location: Alameda County; Steering Committee meetings take place the 3rd Wednesday from 1:00-2:30 over Zoom until further notice. More information on meetings is available at this link.
Contact Information: allincommunity@acgov.org OR Executive Director Larissa Estes: larissa.estes@acgov.org
Website: https://www.acgov.org/allin/index.htm
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The goal of ALL IN Alameda County is to address issues poverty through innovation and multi-sectoral collaboration. ALL IN is administratively under the County Administrator’s Office and its Steering Committee is a committee of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors'. ALL IN works with community members, industries, government agencies, and community based organizations to deal with issues such as food insecurity, community engagement and empowerment, workforce and economic development, school readiness, and ensuring children, youth, and families have adequate supports for equitable and sustained health and wellbeing. ALL IN’s major initiatives include Food as Medicine, the ALL IN Eats Circular Food Economy, and providing capacity building support for non-profits and grass roots organizations supporting COVID-related emergency food distribution. ALL IN’s Steering Committee meetings are open to the public and provide an opportunity to learn more about the major initiatives and how to get involved.
Grażyna Fedorowicz
Location: Castro Valley/Hayward/San Leandro
Contact Information: gleaningCV@gmail.com
Grażyna Fedorowicz is a community member who gleans fruit and vegetables from people's yards in Castro Valley, Hayward, and San Leandro and donates the produce to the Dig Deep Farms Food Hub in San Leandro. If you would like to help glean produce in your neighborhood, please send Grażyna an email.
SOS Meals on Wheels
Location: 2235 Polvorosa Avenue #260
San Leandro, CA 94577
Contact Information: (510) 582-1263; info@sosmow.org
Website: https://www.sosmow.org/volunteer
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Meals on Wheels SOS provides resources to senior citizens in Alameda County to combat isolation and hunger. There are so many ways to get involved. You can volunteer to be a meal delivery driver, administrative volunteer, and more. Please refer to the website for the various positions and sign up forms.
Berkeley Open Source
Location: Berkeley, CA
Contact Information: Philip Stark, UC Berkeley Professor/Principal Investigator stark@stat.berkeley.edu, (510) 394-5077
Website: https://forage.berkeley.edu
Forage Berkeley's mission is Interdisciplinary research & ecological literacy to build healthy, healthful food systems. They do research on wild and feral foods in urban ecosystems and on farms; research on soil health and soil carbon sequestration; research on the health impacts of agriculture and how to make the impact positive; research on food security, access, and equity; policy work on food and land use; and public education. Forage Berkeley also organizes an annual event, "Wild/Feral Food Week," to promote harvesting between the rows as a way to improve farm and dietary biodiversity, increase farm revenues, and expand culinary opportunity. To find out more and get involved as a volunteer, fill out this form to be notified when opportunities arise.
San Leandro Community Food Bank
Location: 14235 Bancroft Ave, San Leandro, CA 94546
Contact Information: info@slcfp.org
Website: https://www.slcfp.org/
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The San Leandro Community Food Pantry depends on volunteers for their program to run. Many of their volunteers also get food from the pantry. Volunteers can work on the Grocery Rescue Program, where they receive and sort otherwise unwanted items from grocery stores; become a food pantry volunteer by helping to set up, hand out food, and clean up on Thursday evenings from 5:00-8:15 pm. Those interested can schedule a day in advance by emailing the pantry at info@slcfp.org, or see the ads on the San Leandro Kindness Network and VolunteerMatch.org.
Dig Deep Farms & Food Hub
Location: Various farm stands, farms, and food hubs around Alameda County
Contact Information: (510) 626-5789; info@digdeepfarms.com
Website: https://www.acdsal.org/dig-deep-farms
Deep Dig Farms & Food Hub strives to create a culture of food justice and nutrition awareness through community farms, food distribution, commercial kitchen/food truck rentals, and internships and volunteering for underrepresented community members. Dig Deep needs volunteers to receive donations and distribute them to individuals and families in need throughout Alameda County. To sign up, fill out this form.
Telegraph Ministry Center
Location: 5316 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609
Contact Information: (510) 961-4385; telegraphcenter@gmail.com
Website: https://tmcoakland.org/
The Telegraph Community Ministry Center is a food pantry that commits to providing food for residents of Oakland and Alameda County. The Telegraph Community Ministry Center has many volunteer opportunities for a variety of jobs ranging from preparing the food to working in the community garden. They also help volunteers through personal enrichment classes. Please visit http://www.telegraphcenter.com/get-involved/ to get more information.
Meals on Wheels San Francisco
Location: 1375 Fairfax Ave. San Francisco, CA 94124
Contact Information: volunteer@mowsf.org
Website: https://www.mowsf.org
Meals on Wheels San Francisco provides a network of services that allows thousands of seniors the ability to live independently and safely in their homes, offering two home-delivered meals daily to homebound seniors. Additionally, the nonprofit operates a Home-Delivered Groceries program in partnership with SF-Marin Food Bank. Other services offered to seniors include: nutrition counseling, social work and case management services, safety and wellness checks, minor home repair and urgent needs including supplying refrigerators and microwaves for those in need, and friendly social caller programs to reduce isolation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Meals on Wheels San Fransisco is not accepting new volunteers for their programs. Once the situation is deemed safe, they will begin taking in new volunteers again. If you're interested in volunteering at a later date, bookmark https://www.mowsf.org/volunteer for future updates.
Castro Valley Sanitary District
Location: 21040 Marshall St, Castro Valley, CA 94546
Contact Information: Jordan Figueiredo, Zero Waste Specialist: jordan@cvsan.org, (510) 537-0757 ext.112
Website: cvsan.org
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CVSan holds annual fruit gleaning events during Zero Waste Week in February and donates the collected fruit to local food pantries. They also offer supplies and resources for CVSan community members to glean independently, such as pickers. To find out more and get involved, follow this link: https://www.cvsan.org/zero_waste/gleaning.php
Farms to Grow
Location: Oakland, CA
Contact Information: marketing@farmstogrow.com; (510) 379-8600
Website: https://www.farmstogrow.com/getinvolved
Farms to Grow is a nonprofit organization that serves underserved sustainable farmers in the United States, with their focus being on African American farmers. Farms to Grow aims to achieve widespread sustainable agriculture practices through cultural and biological diversity and the agroecological balance of the community.
Farms to Grow recruits volunteers for administrative work, community outreach, graphic arts, grant writing, marketing, research, and more. Volunteers are always welcome and will work towards creating a culture of ethical and sustainable growth for the community. To find out more information, go to the link above. To apply, fill out this Google Form, or email the address above.
...and more!
This list is still growing, with 20+ organizations yet to be added. Check back in soon for new resources!
