HomelessHelp.netGet Help

Volunteer

Find a place to volunteer near you

Enter your city or zip — or share your location — and we'll list shelters and resources near you that accept volunteers. Each one has a phone number and website: call ahead to ask about their current volunteer needs.

Within:

    Before you call

    • Ask what they need this week — not what they need in general. Volunteer needs shift constantly. They might need a meal-shift filler tonight, mock-interviewers next Tuesday, or just a sock drive any time.
    • Commit to a time, not "whenever I'm free" — shelters get flaky one-time volunteers all day. Showing up on the same shift weekly for a month is worth more than ten one-off visits.
    • Don't bring stuff they didn't ask for — used clothes are the most-donated and least-needed item in almost every shelter. Cash, new socks, and hygiene supplies are usually what they actually want. See our donation guide.
    • Be flexible about what "volunteering" means — for some shelters the best help is administrative (translation, grant writing, IT). Ask what their biggest unmet need is, not just whether they need meal servers.