Volunteer with us to get your Building Bridges shirt!

Summer is Coming! Volunteer With SSP

We are excited to debut our Building Bridges shirt design for SSP's summer program! Each summer volunteer will get their very own shirt with this design (concept by Ace Fleming, Youth Advisory Council member). Read on for volunteer opportunities!

Summer Program: Join us in San Diego or Del Norte County

It’s not too late to sign up to volunteer with SSP for a week this summer! No matter your life stage or experience level, there’s a place for you to join us and serve with our community partners. 

Volunteers seeking hands-on service projects in a team environment are invited to join us for a full week of the SSP experience. Space is available for you to join in San Diego’s South Bay, CA and Del Norte County, CA between late June and early August. Check out our current availability to see when and where you can join:

Looking for more of a leadership volunteer role? Join us as a Staff-in-Training (SIT) for a week! SITs shadow staff each day during the week, getting a taste of what food, construction, spiritual life, and site directing roles are like in action. To serve, you must be 18 or older, and have graduated from high school (or GED) by July.

We are seeking SITs for both sites throughout July and the first week of August to learn from and support staff teams. Please reach out to learn more!

Thank you to iHealth Labs for providing SSP with 3-in-1 COVID-19/flu tests to ensure our programs can run safely this summer! Quick identification of positive cases ensures we can mitigate the spread of illness in the summer program’s high-exposure environment. In-kind donations like these make a significant difference in SSP’s effectiveness and community impact - thank you!

Staff Training in Sacramento: June 11-21

Next Wednesday, 13 summer staff arrive at St. Mark's UMC in Sacramento to begin 10 days of training before they head out to site. We have a few volunteer needs we are looking to fill:

• Wednesday, June 11 through Sunday, June 15: 
• Help prepare breakfast, lunch, or dinner, led by our Kitchen Manager
• Thursday, June 19:
• 8 am - 12 pm: Load cargo vans & trucks at the SSP office 

You can also simply join us for a few meals! Our Food Service Coordinators need practice cooking for larger groups, so bring friends for a delicious home-cooked meal and meet the summer staff. Please RSVP for the following mealtimes so we know to expect you:

• Wednesday, June 18
• 8 am - Breakfast
• 5 pm - Dinner (followed by songtime at 6:30 pm)
• Thursday, June 19
• 8 am - Breakfast
• 5:30 pm - Dinner

Staff training is one of the busiest and most fun times of the year at SSP. We hope you will join us as you're able! Reach out to let us know how you'd like ot be involved.

Celebrate SSP's 50th Anniversary on October 25!

Join us for our 50th Year of Service Celebration this October!

With just under five months to go until our 50th Year of Service Celebration in Sacramento, the weekend is taking shape! We’re excited for our venue for the big party on Saturday, October 25: The Garden at the Line; an open-air food hall featuring some of the region’s favorite eats and drinks. We’ll have the whole space to ourselves, and there’s plenty of room for you to join.

To help cover event costs, tickets cost $75 per adult (21+) and $25 per youth or young adult (under 21). We are offering discounted scholarship tickets to make this event accessible to everyone. Purchase your tickets today!

We’re also seeking donations for a silent auction during the big event. Sports tickets, gift cards, gift baskets, and beverages are some great ideas. Please reach out if you have an item or service you’d like to donate!

Don’t forget: there is a full weekend of anniversary activities!

• Open house on Friday night at SSP’s office and warehouse
• Day of Service on Saturday morning
• Fun walk/run and attending a local SSP church on Sunday morning

Expect a range of fun, smaller gatherings throughout the weekend. Let us know what events you plan to attend when you purchase your tickets.

Beyond the Alleyways: See SSP's Sacramento Work!

Check out a new short film about a big project SSP contributed to in North Sacramento!

Last month, SSP program staff had the opportunity to attend the premiere of Beyond the Alleyways, a short documentary about North Sacramento’s Dixieanne Neighborhood Clean & Green Alleys project.

The documentary includes a peek at many parts of the project, including SSP’s role in installing the 10 permeable paver art medallions featured, interviews with neighbors, as well as an overview of the area's history. A Caltrans Clean California grant funded this project. Give it a watch to learn about this project’s story! 

Quick Links

Board of Directors Openings: SSP welcomes new members to our Board each October. Candidates must be passionate about SSP’s mission and purpose, with an emphasis on strategy and governance. The board needs a diversity of life experiences, skills, faith identities, ages, genders, and ethnicities. Adults are invited to first participate in an SSP committee, which includes outreach, resource development, finance, and DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, & belonging). Youth board members are selected from the Youth Advisory Council (apps for the 2025-26 school year open in July). Learn about serving on the SSP Board or committees.

AmeriCorps NCCC is Back: We are pleased to learn that AmeriCorps NCCC has been able to resume recruitment for future NCCC programs! Service in AmeriCorps NCCC is a great way for young adults to gain new skills and experiences with strengthening communities (just like SSP’s mission). SSP has benefited from hosting NCCC teams since 2022. Applications are due June 30 (June 15 for Team Leaders).

California Climate Action Corps Fellows: Are you interested in climate change, volunteer engagement, and community resilience? SSP is now hiring four full-time Community Sustainability Fellows, part of the California Climate Action Corps (CCAC). Fellows will serve 1700+ hours from September 2025 to August 2026. Fellows must be 18 or older, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and be a US Citizen, US National, or lawful US resident to participate. CCAC provides meaningful opportunities for everyone to take climate action. Register for an info session and apply by July 31.

Job Listing: Clark County Methodist Youth Cooperative Director: UMCs in Clark County, Washington, are seeking a director for their youth cooperative. This person would help churches to create, develop, and maintain relationships with families, youth, and community partners. The position is salaried at 20 hours a week at $35 per hour. Please email your application to Rev. Kim Poer by June 18. See job description for details.