Santa Cruz County is a community where compassion meets action, a place where giving back and supporting our most vulnerable neighbors is woven into our community culture. When you volunteer your time and heart, whether you give a little or a lot, you give a gift that benefits everyone—uplifting neighbors who need a hand, enhancing your personal well-being, and nurturing a strong, vibrant community.
This holiday season, the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County invites you to share in the gift of service and well-being for everyone. Let’s make this holiday season a time of meaningful connection, kindness, and community spirit!
December 9-18, Capitola
The Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County has launched its largest Adopt-a-Family program yet – providing gifts and necessities to over 1500 children this holiday season. This project is powered by volunteers and your help is needed to ensure local families have gifts, necessities, and a warm meal for the holidays. Sign up to volunteer today!
County-Wide – Choose what works for you!
The Volunteer Center has curated a list of organizations who need your help feeding our community and caring for our houseless neighbors. There are roles for everyone, from Watsonville to Boulder Creek, from packing to delivery to administrative support. Check this list and find the perfect volunteer job for you!
Ongoing, Watsonville
The Center for Farmworker Families has secured a grant to ensure hundreds of families will have the opportunity to receive gift cards allowing them to shop for their families and they need your help spreading the joy! Join the team of volunteers, hand out holiday gift cards as well as other essential items, and share gratitude with these families for their service to our community.
- Holiday Cards for Isolated Seniors with I You Venture, A Program of Family Service Agency
Ongoing, Volunteer from Home
Bring a moment of happiness to seniors in care facilities! Send a Holiday Greeting Card and help brighten a senior’s day. This is a great project for an organization or for families and a way to put a smile on a seniors face – you can simply write notes in purchased holiday cards, or get creative and make your own.
- Newsletter Wizard Wanted for LifeSpheres
Ongling, Volunteer-at-Home
Lifespheres is looking for someone to help with launching a great newsletter for their nonprofit organization. Someone who has some experience and some technical know-how with newsletters and getting them out to our contacts via email, blog, and social media would be ideal for this role.
- Kindling Hope: Turning Timber into Treasure for Camp Krem
Ongoing, Boulder Creek
Seeking experienced volunteers who can help transform fallen giants into valuable firewood. Your tasks will involve cutting, splitting, and stacking wood from fallen trees at Camp Krem. The firewood you help prepare will be sold, with proceeds supporting Camp Krem’s programs for individuals with disabilities. Together, let’s turn fallen trees into fuel for joy and connection!
- Help Seniors Stay Connected with the Volunteer Center
Ongoing, Volunteer-at-Home
Stay Connected volunteers call or video chat with local seniors who live alone or are otherwise isolated from the community. These calls are more than a wellness check – callers socialize, have conversation about common interests, and connect with each other through meaningful conversation.
- Big Dog Socializers, Fosters, and Walkers with the Santa Cruz SPCA and Humane Society
Ongoing, Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz SPCA and Humane Society has a special need for volunteers who love working with large breed dogs. Volunteers are needed to walk and exercise the dogs on a daily basis. Foster homes that can handle big dogs are especially needed!
- Grant Writer for Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes
Ongoing, Volunteer-at-Home or Watsonville
Are you interested in addressing food insecurity and hunger in your community? Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes is looking for a grant writer to assist in applying for grants and corporate donations. Volunteers with previous grant writing/ professional business writing are highly desired, along with familiarity with Watsonville and Santa Cruz County.
- Support Domestic Violence Survivors with the Walnut Avenue Women’s Shelter
Ongoing, Santa Cruz / Volunteer-at-Home
Volunteers can help provide quality support to survivors of domestic violence through a variety of different volunteer roles, from food drives to fundraising, training to become a hotline volunteer, tabling at community events and more!
The Home for Volunteerism in Santa Cruz County
The Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County connects volunteers, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and community partners for good – because connecting people to causes they care about creates a strong, vibrant community.
We help:
- Connect volunteers to opportunities that match their interests and availability: search available opportunities or register for a volunteer match consultation.
- Recruit and train volunteers for nonprofit organizations.
- Engage businesses and service organizations in service opportunities within the community.
In addition to volunteer engagement and placement, the Volunteer Center administers 19 programs to support community need, as well as seniors, families, youth, mental health, disaster response and government partners, to make Santa Cruz County a happier, healthier place to live. For more information, visit scvolunteercenter.org.
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