Volunteer Opportunities for Kids

General Opportunities

United Way of King County
Has many different kinds of volunteer opportunities, including one-time and ongoing projects.   

Volunteermatch.org
Helps match volunteers up with interests and location.

Treehouse for Kids
A retail-like store (clothing brand) environment where foster children and their caregivers shop for free for new and used items. Contact: Yvette, 206-267-5117, volunteer@treehouseforkids.org

Lifelong Aids Alliance
Clothing bank and other services. Located one block from SAAS. Contact: 206-957-1653.

Volunteer Chore Service
Offers individual and/or group projects, chores for elderly and disabled people.

Jubilee Women’s Center
A center serving women in the Capitol Hill area. They are looking for help with community meals, organizing photos, gardening and working in the clothing boutique. Contact: 206-324-1244 or karikristine@hotmail.com

Food Banks and Serving Food

Food LifeLine
Serves as a link between surplus food sources and hungry people. Food LifeLine accepts bulk food donations that are too large to be handled at neighborhood food banks, sorts and repackages the food into family-sized packages, then distributes the packages to food banks, meal programs and shelters. Contact: Denise Mulenga at 206-545-6600 x 247.

Northwest Harvest
Has both a warehouse and food banks always in need of help.

Millionair Club
Serves meals in the Pioneer Square area. 

St. Mary’s Food Bank
Very close to SAAS, open weekends. Contact: 206- 324-7100 x 23.

University District Food Bank
Needs help with repackaging bulk items, distribution and preparation of food bags. Contact: 206-523-7060.

Boom Town Café
Help with cooking, serving and cleaning. Contact: 206-625-2989, info@boomtowncafe.org

El Centro de la Raza
This agency on Beacon Hill needs help with childcare, tutoring, the food bank, their elderly meal program, yard work and Internet assistance. Contact: 206-329-9442.

Family Works
Located in the Wallingford area; help is needed in the food bank and with childcare. Contact: 206-694-6726, jakew@fremontpublic.org

First Avenue Service Center
The center is located in Belltown and needs help with their meal/food service program as well as with sorting clothes. Contact: 206-441-8405.

Trinity Thrift Shop
Located at 609 8th Avenue downtown; this shop provides a place where those in need can buy clothing and other necessities at a cost they can afford. Trinity Thrift Shop needs volunteers to serve as store clerk and help with sorting and marking clothes. Contact: 206-313-0952.

There are food banks in nearly every neighborhood and they always welcome help of almost all ages, and they require little training. Look in your neighborhood social services information directory or on Google for food banks in your area.


Children

Children’s Home Society of Washington
Needs childcare and tutoring help in the Lake City area. Contact: 206-364-7930.

Meredith Matthews YMCA
Has many programs during the summer and is located near Madison Street and 23rd Avenue. Contact: Sonja, 206-322-6969.

Campfire
There are many, many fun and interesting projects and camps (not all service -- some for fun) that you can sign up for for free.

Boyer Children’s Clinic
Work as a teacher’s aid with children with cerebral palsy and other neurological disabilities. Contact: 206-325-8477, info@boyercc.org.

Atlantic Street Center
They have a summer camp program and also need help with childcare. Contact: 206-329-2050 x 127, ginger@atlanticstreet.org

Crisis Clinic -- Teen Link
This clinic supports youth through educational outreach programs and an anonymous, confidential and non-judgmental help line answered by youth. Receive training in becoming a TeenLink phone worker, work on the Peer Advisor board or take on other interesting jobs. Contact: 206-461-3210, info@crisisclinic.org

Fauntleroy Community Service Agency
Work with young children as a teacher's assistant by reading stories, baby rocking or outdoor recreation. Must be 16 years old. Contact: 206-932-9590.

Catholic Community Services/Sacred Heart Shelter
This shelter on lower Queen Anne serves families and single women. They are looking for help in the children’s program and with special projects. Contact: 206-285-7489 or shs@teleport.com

Seattle Young People’s Project
Learn tools to speak out on issues (in your neighborhoods and communities) to positively change the conditions that affect you. You can start your own project or work on the Youth Art Gallery, Young Women’s Conference, Hop Show or other interesting projects. Located in the Central Area. Contact: 206-860-9606, sypp@speakeasy.org

YouthCare
This agency serves homeless youth. They need help with the food/clothing/hygiene bank, clerical work, coordinating donations and lots of other jobs. Contact: 206.694-4500 x 1222, jef.nobbe@youthcare.org

Somali Community Service of Seattle
This program assists immigrants from Somalia or other people from the horn of Africa. They need help with tutoring and summer youth programs. Contact: 206-760-1181.


Hospital Opportunities

Harborview Medical Center
Summer Teen Volunteer Program, ages 14-18. Volunteers can read to children receiving treatment, Wednesdays 8 a.m.-5 p.m., work in the gift shop, compile information and computer literature searches, do data entry, work with statistics, work in specific clinics, and help with general office work in many departments. Contact: 206-731-3547.

Swedish Hospital
Needs volunteers in their First Hill, Providence and Ballard Campuses. There are opportunities in every department of the hospital. Opportunities include: flower, newspaper and magazine delivery, clerical support, gift shop sales associate, Pet Partners, and Patient Visitors. Contact: Sherry Williams, 206-386-2090, at First Hill Campus, Pinky Herrera, 206-320-2611, at Providence Campus, or Colleen Morgan, 206-781-6227, at the Ballard Campus.

Puget Sound Blood Center
Has planned many blood drives throughout the Seattle area during the summer and needs help with registering and greeting volunteer blood donors. Volunteer help is also needed at the Central Donor Center making phone calls, doing data entry, putting together educational packets and other clerical and computer work. Contact: Jamie, 1-800-366-2831, x 2967 or email: wyjuanam@psbc.org

University of Washington
Teen Program places teens in clinics, nursing units and administrative offices. Work for 4 hours per week during summer. Contact: 206-598-4218.

Alpha Spring Meadow Homes
This agency serves individuals with developmental disabilities. They need kitchen assistance and help with yard work, and arts and crafts. Contact: 206-284-9130 or jrroxby@aol.com

Outdoor Opportunities in the Puget Sound Area

Washington Trails Association
Has week long camping volunteer vacations in the Cascade Mountains. Participants learn about building and maintaining hiking trails in a safe, teamwork-oriented environment.

Seattle Parks and Recreation
Many outdoor work projects all around the Seattle area. Contact: Ken Turner at KenO.Turner@seattle.gov

Outdoors For All
Is an outdoor recreational program that offers outdoor activities to persons with disabilities. Their mission is to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities by providing opportunities to participate in year round outdoor recreational activities such as cycling, hiking, canoeing, bowling, field trips and much more. There is still plenty of space at Outdoors For All’s upcoming spring break day camps for children and adults with or without disabilities. Contact: HeidiCunningham@outdoorsforall.org, 425-462-0978 x206.

Habitat For Humanity
Assist in building homes in several locations in Washington and/or throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Northwest Youth Corps
Work, serve, learn and earn service credit.

Mountains To Sound Greenway
Is an environmentally minded organization that has helped to create a 100 mile hiking/biking trail that stretches from Seattle to Cle Elum. There are lots of opportunities for habitat restoration, tree planting and trail building. Contact: sally.kentch@mtsgreenway.org

City of Seattle Urban Creeks Legacy
Work to help restore urban creeks in the downtown area. Contact: 206-684-7655.

Friends of P-Patch
Help with lots of projects in a community garden all around the Seattle area. Contact: 206-684-0264.

Seattle Audubon Society
Work as a nature Camp Teen Leader or help with bird watching, or with office jobs. Contact: 206-523-8243 x 12, lorraineh@seattleaudubon.org

Working with Elders

ElderHealth
Located in several neighborhoods in the Seattle area; this is an organization that runs several day programs for elderly folks. They are looking for volunteers to work as activity helpers and lunch servers. Contact: 206-224-3790 or PatLewis@elderhelath.org

Pike Market Senior Center/Food Bank
Serves the basic needs of the older, low-income population in the Pike Place Market and downtown neighborhood.

Wallingford Community Senior Center
Contact: 206-461-7825.

Hearthstone
Contact: 206-517-2258.

Parkshore Retirement Home
Contact: 206-720-2181.


Animals

Homeward Pet
Animal shelter needs volunteers to care for and socialize cats and dogs. Contact: 425-488-4444.

Seattle Animal Shelter
Has many volunteer opportunities.

 

World Travel

EarthWatch
Field Research on six continents. 

Rustic Pathways
Offers community service, language immersion and adventure programs to Costa Rica, Australia, New Zealand, the Fiji Islands, Vietnam, Thailand, South Africa and India. Departure dates every Tuesday starting June 13 and ending August 15.

Global Works
Service/Adventure and Travel around the world.

Deer Hill Expeditions
Wilderness/Service/Native Cultures.

Opportunities for Students Under 14 Years Old

YouthCare
Homeless youth, food, clothing, hygiene bank and lots of other jobs. Contact: 206-694-4500 x 1222.

Youth Volunteer Corps/Camp Fire Boys and Girls
Tutors and lots of other jobs. Contact: 206-325-7922.

Boyer Children's Clinic
Clinic serving children with cerebral palsy or other neuromuscular disorders. Contact: 206-325-8477, info@boyercc.org

Books for Kids
Book sorting and counting, book drives. Contact: 206-461-8345.

Treehouse
Clothing bank for youth. Contact: Toni, 206-767-7000 x 201.

Children's Home Society
Child care help, tutor: Contact: 206-364-7930.

Boys and Girls Clubs of King County
Many diverse opportunities. Contact: 206-461-3890.

Food and clothing banks usually are happy to have students under the age of 14 work at their facilities. There are food banks in nearly every neighborhood, and they require little training. Look in your neighborhood social services information directory or on Google for food banks in your area.

Catholic Community Services/Sacred Heart Shelter
This shelter on lower Queen Anne serves families and single women. They are looking for help in the children’s program and with special projects. Contact: 206-285-7489 or shs@teleport.com

Trinity Thrift Shop
Located at 609 8th Ave. downtown, this shop provides a place where those in need can buy clothing and other necessities at a cost they can afford. Trinity Thrift Shop needs volunteer help as a store clerk and sorting and marking clothes. Contact: 206-313-0952.

Jubilee Women’s Center
A center serving women in the Capitol Hill area. They are looking for help with community meals, organizing photos, gardening and working in the clothing boutique. Contact: 206-324-1244 or karikristine@hotmail.com

University District Food Bank
Needs help repackaging bulk items and with distribution and preparation of food bags. Contact: 206-523-7060.

Rustic Pathways
Has an American style overnight camp, Camp Rustic, in the heart of Costa Rica. Typical camp activities (swimming, volleyball, arts and crafts, etc.) are combined with unique opportunities (community service with the park system, Spanish language class, etc.).