September 2019 - Silicon Valley 

 
NAMIWalks Silicon Valley 2019
NAMI Silicon Valley

Date/Time(s): Varies by opportunity between September 5 and September 21

Location(s):
  • NAMI SCC Offices, 1150 S. Bascom Ave. Suite 24, San Jose, for pre-event volunteering
  • Guadalupe Gardens Arena Green, N Autumn St @ W. Santa Clara St., San Jose, for event day volunteers
Ages: All ages are welcome

Time Commitment: Varies by position

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Silicon Valley offers practical experience, support, education, comfort, and understanding to anyone concerned about mental illnesses and their treatment in Santa Clara County. NAMIWalks is the nation's largest mental health awareness and fundraising event. NAMI Walks Silicon Valley is looking for volunteers of all ages throughout the month of September to help with event promotion, preparation and event day activities - including set up, registration and fun activities like the selfie station or helping to live stream the event!

Contact:  Shanna Webb, swebb@namisantaclara.org, 408.453.0400. To sign up, visit the NAMIWalks Silicon Valley Volunteer Page. Choose a slot to volunteer, click the Volunteer button and provide the required information.
https://namisantaclara.org

 
National Coastal Clean Up Day in San Jose
Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful

Date/Time: Saturday, September 21, 9am - noon

Location: 1001 E Capitol Expy, San Jose

Ages: Families with children of all ages are welcome. If under 13, a parent must be present.

Time Commitment: Three hours

Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful works with community members, groups and agencies to reclaim, restore, and beautify Coyote Creek. We do this by taking care of the creek, helping people to learn more about it, and offering ways to enjoy the creek. National Coastal Clean Up Day is an annual favorite, and we want to clean up the creek of as much trash as we can to reduce plastics and other debris that will flow downstream. Come out, enjoy nature, and help prevent trash from reaching our Bay.

Contact: Deb Kramer, deb@keepcoyotecreekbeautiful.org, 408.372.7053. Registration is available online.
www.keepcoyotecreekbeautiful.org


 
Volunteer at Arastradero Preserve: Habitat Restoration
Grass Roots Ecology

Date/Time: Saturday, September 14, 9am - noon

Location: Pearson-Arastradero Preserve, 1530 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto. Walk past the information kiosk in the parking lot, down the concrete path through the gateway garden. Check in with staff next to the first brown building on your left.

Ages: Volunteers age 12 & under require an accompanying adult. Youth under 18 must have their legal guardian approve the waiver on their behalf.

Time Commitment: Three hours

Volunteers should expect to engage in a variety of hands-on activities that enrich the environment and protect the wildlife who call the preserve home. Saturday morning workdays are typically larger group meetups (10-20 people), and tasks are often varied and teamwork-oriented. Participants will have the opportunity to mingle with fellow volunteers, observe flora and fauna, and learn restoration skills such as planting, weeding, watering, or mulching. Saturday mornings bring many visitors to the preserve, including hikers, bikers, dogs (on-leash), and the occasional horse, creating a lively and energetic environment.  
 
Prepare for Working Outdoors:
  • Water bottle
  • Long pants, long sleeves recommended
  • Sturdy closed-toe shoes that can get dirty
  • Hat/sunscreen or rain gear/boots
  • Plan for potential exposure to sun, poison oak, ticks
Gloves, tools, and light snacks will be provided.
 
Contact:  melisa@grassrootsecology.org. Registration is available online.
https://www.grassrootsecology.org

 
Help Feed the Hungry
Ecumenical Hunger Program (EHP Cares)

Date/Time(s):
  • Monday - Friday, 9:30am - 12:30pm and 1:30 - 4:30pm
  • Wednesdays, 9:30am - 12:30pm and 1:30 - 5:30pm
  • Third Saturday of every month 11am - 1pm 
Location: Ecumenical Hunger Program, 2411 Pulgas Avenue, East Palo Alto

Ages: Families with children age six and older are welcome to volunteer.

Time Commitment: Three to four-hour shifts. Volunteers can work half shifts as needed.

EHP Cares provides emergency food, clothing, household essentials, support programs, and referral services for families in need. Volunteers are needed to help sort and prepare food for emergency food boxes, and to help sort and hang gently used clothing and other items in our Community Closet warehouse. We also need help with computer input, phone calls, gardening, and special projects.
 
Contact: To sign up to volunteer or if you have any questions, contact the volunteer coordinator, 650.323.7781, Ext. 3000. Send volunteer requests to outreach@ehpcares.org
www.ehpcares.org

 
Sunday Friends' Programs for Very Low-Income Families
Sunday Friends

Date/Time: Saturday, September 21, 9am - noon

Location: Meadows Elementary, 1250 Taper Ln, San Jose

Ages: Families with children age eight and older are welcome to participate. Youth under the age of 14 may only volunteer if they come with an adult.

Time Commitment: Three hours

Since 1997, Sunday Friends has been offering day-long programs on Sundays that bring together very low-income families to work together, learn together, earn together, make spending decisions together and share in the healthy, warm, productive, mutually-supportive community. Sunday Friends is a wonderful place for families to volunteer together working alongside other families. Families with younger children (under age 14) can help by joining in on art, cooking and educational games. Families with teens can help with art, cooking, writing, educational games, and other projects, or serve together as Shopping Guides.

Contact: volunteer@sundayfriends.org. Volunteers must first schedule a telephone interview before they can volunteer. Interviews are held Monday through Friday. Click here for new volunteer registration form.

 
Make Friends and Help Out at Hearts & Minds Activity Center
Hearts & Minds Activity Center

Date/Time: Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 6pm and Saturday from 9am to 5pm. We offer flexible scheduling throughout the week based on your needs and other commitments.

Location: 2380 Enborg Ln., San José

Ages: Families with children age 11 and older are welcome to volunteer

Time Commitment: Varies

The mission of the Hearts & Minds Activity Center is to enrich the lives of people affected by Alzheimer's and related conditions by providing safe, nurturing, intergenerational services and support. The Center provides ongoing volunteer opportunities on both weekdays and weekends. Volunteers at the Center work directly with clients, engaging in fun activities, games, crafts, and meaningful conversations. Volunteers must fulfill the following requirements prior to their first placement:
  • Provide documentation of a negative TB test taken within the last year
  • Obtain a parental signature (if under the age of eighteen) or, if under the age of 15, be accompanied by an adult
  • Attend a one-hour orientation at the Alzheimer's Activity Center. There are no set dates for the orientations; contact the organization to find a date and time that works with your schedule.
Contact: Michelle, michelle@hearts-minds.org. To learn more, please fill put the online volunteer registration form.
https://www.heartsandmindsactivitycenter.org/  

Burlingame Bayfront Clean Up
San Mateo County Health

Date/Time: Saturday, September 21, 9am - noon

Location: Burlingame Bay Front, 150 Anza Blvd @ Airport Blvd (meet behind Embassy Suites Hotel)

 

Ages: Families with children ages eight and older are welcome. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Time Commitment: Three hours

Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) is an annual waterway and land cleanup held on the third Saturday of September. Cleanups are held all over San Mateo County, at beaches, creeks, waterways, parks, and neighborhoods. Families are encouraged to bring their children, as this family-friendly event is a great opportunity to learn about litter and how to prevent pollution from ending up in our local streets and waterways. Please bring your own bucket and water bottle to help make a bigger pollution prevention impact at the event!
 
Contact: Laura.suarez@veolia.com, 650.333.5984. Registration is available online.  

 
Bag Lunches for the Hungry
Samaritan House

Date/Time: Saturdays and Sundays in September, 9am - noon

Location: 4031 Pacific Blvd, San Mateo

Ages: Volunteers must be age 12 or older and be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Time Commitment: Three hour shifts

Samaritan House is leading the fight against poverty in San Mateo County. Parent and child teams of volunteers are needed to help to fill brown grocery bags with supplies to give to our clients when our pantry opens on Mondays.

Contact:  Ricky Davis, rdavis@samaritanhousesanmateo.org 650.294.4331. Spaces for this role are very limited so please check in to see if we have vacancies.
https://samaritanhousesanmateo.org/

Host Your Own Winter Coat Drive
One Warm Coat

Date/Time: Flexible

Location: Click here for a list of drop off locations around the Bay Area.

Ages: Any age can participate. Great for the whole family!

Time Commitment: Varies

Hosting your own Warm Coat Drive is fun, easy, and rewarding for the whole family! Click here for simple instructions on how to begin, register and drop off your donations 

Contact:  For questions about this opportunity, click here to email, or call 877.663.9276.
www.onewarmcoat.org

 
Donate Your Hair!
Wigs for Kids

Date/Time: Flexible

Location: Hair donations should be mailed to:
Wigs for Kids - Hair Donations
24231 Center Ridge Road
Westlake, Ohio 44145

Ages: Any age can participate

Time Commitment: Varies

Many kids get a fresh fall hair cut each year. This year, try donating your hair to Wigs for Kids, a nonprofit organization that helps make wigs for children who have lost their hair due to illness. Click here for haircut donation guidelines and a few simple steps to complete the donating process.


Contact: Wigs for Kids contact request form.
www.WigsforKids.org

 
Check out our featured Project of the Month! 


EXPLORE our growing list of at-home projects you can do whenever you're ready, each with conversation starters, book ideas, and more!
 
 
Start the School Year with Lessons in "Upstanding" for Others

DGT offers a unique way to teach big-hearted lessons that encourage kindness and upstanding for others. DGT's "Upstanders" e-book is just $4.99 in our online store. Or, become a member (for just $29.99) and receive all three of our Big-Hearted E-books (including Exploring Nature and Hosting a Mini Family Service Fair) for free! As always, your purchase supports DGT and helps us offer free and budget-friendly resources to families nationwide.

 

 

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This list was compiled by Doing Good Together™ (www.doinggoodtogether.org)
 When calling to volunteer for any of the opportunities listed above, please let the coordinator know you found it through this listing. You are encouraged to ask any questions you may have of the sponsoring organization before committing to a project.
Disclaimer: This list is provided as a service to families. Inclusion of organizations in this listing does not imply affiliation, endorsement or quality assurance on the part of Doing Good Together.™ Doing Good Together™ bears no responsibility whatsoever for the activities and actions of the listed organizations. 
                                                                            

                                                                                                     © 2019 Doing Good Together™