Charities across San Diego had to undergo massive changes to accommodate problems related to the corona virus. These changes, coupled with a dwindling number of active volunteers, have caused a massive shift in how these organizations can operate. Because of this, we wanted to take some time to highlight local charities that are accepting various levels of volunteers and donations.
Note: We understand that times are tough, only volunteer or donate if you have the means. If you’re unable to, that’s fine! You can read about these charities so you know about them later when things are more stable or you can share them on social media to increase awareness. Additionally, if you are high risk, sick, or have been around sick people, there are digital volunteer options available, please use those to best take care of yourself and your community.
General Volunteering
Getting Food to those who Need it – Mama’s Kitchen is a non-profit located just east of South Park. Their mission is to deliver nutritious meals to community members who are too sick to shop for themselves. Their goal is to help families stay healthy, preserve dignity, and stick together by providing free. culturally appropriate. home-delivered meals and nutrition education. They need volunteers who can deliver meals, compile groceries, plate meals, and manage their phoneline/provide administrative support.
Click here to see more information about how they’re staying safe and how to volunteer!
English Education and Literacy – San Diego Literacy’s goal is to fill service gaps in literacy programs and provide tailored literacy classes to families, children, and adults, all while instilling the importance of literacy as a whole! Their volunteers are expected to donate 2-4 hours a week after they complete their 12-15 hour training (That’s right! You get trained to teach!!). After training is complete, volunteers usually specialize in family literacy, adult education (GED, ESL, or basic ed), youth and children (1 on 1 tutoring), or ESL instruction.
Here’s how you can start volunteering today!
Nature Preservation – The San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy is looking for volunteers who can help with habitat restoration, trail maintenance, and wildlife monitoring. This is a great way to get out and do your part for the beautiful nature that surrounds San Diego.
The SDRVC offers a lot of unique opportunities, click here to learn more!
Expertise Volunteering
The charities listed below require specific skillsets for volunteers. Feel free to send these links to people you know that might be qualified to help!
Dance and Dance Education – The San Diego Dance Theater is hosting online classes through the pandemic and they’re accepting volunteers to teach, create costumes, manage their social media, and do graphic design! So many options! Their mission is to provide equal access to arts education and bring joy to the art of dance.
If you’re skilled in any of their fields check out their website here.
The League of Amazing Programmers – They’re more than an awesome name, the League of Amazing Programmers is a wonderful organization that looks to empower young people with the power of computer science! This after school program teaches students between 5th and 12th grade how to code in Java. The program ends with the Oracle Professional Certification Exam, giving students a leg up on finding entry level positions in the computer science world or in pursuing a degree in STEM.
If you know Java and want to help teach it, click here!
STEM Education – The Ocean Discovery Institute is looking for experienced STEM professionals and mentors to help students achieve success in STEM. Ocean Discovery Institute offers tutoring programs for elementary to high school STEM. Community members in the STEM field can even volunteer to give presentations on their career, giving young people an idea of what they can do if they decide to pursue a career in STEM. The Ocean Discovery Institute also hosts office hours where the local community can interact directly with a scientist as well as a mentorship program where a STEM professional is paired with a high school student looking to pursue STEM education.
Interested? Click here!
Donating Money
All of the previous charities are also accepting monetary donations if you lack the time or the skillset to help directly. There are also dozens of other wonderful charities currently looking for donations to help mitigate the impact Covid-19 had on their day-to-day operations.
Art Reach is one of my favorite charities within San Diego. They provide children with access to visual art education and resources so that all children can express themselves and practice art! While they normally accept volunteers, their current needs involve monetary and art resource donations.
Check their website for more information!
The San Diego Center for Children is a nonprofit founded with the intent to provide therapy, education, and foster care related services to children and families who suffer with mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders. Their mission is to improve the livelihood of kids through direct action and systemic change and are truly worth supporting.
To learn more about how you can help them, click here.
This is a small list of charities within San Diego. There are dozens more that are a simple search away. It might be difficult to tell if charities are active right now—which is why I suggest you check their social media pages to see if they’re posting about upcoming events or needs.
If you’re able to help out, thank you! Feel free to share this article or any of the links to encourage other community members who are able to help as well.
Stay safe out there!