I love being a BUILD mentor. Once a week, you and two other mentors meet with a group of 4-5 high…read moreschool students and help them develop a business idea. They create a PowerPoint presentation, participate in 3 showcases and submit a written business plan based on their product. This culminates into a business plan competition where they compete against other BUILD teams from nearby high schools. It's held at Stanford's GSB and is a huge accomplishment for the kiddos. My team Star Mentality came in 2nd place and it was amazing to see them present their product with poise, maturity, and humor. The memorable moments include taking them out on a Saturday looking for outfits to wear at the competition or eating dinner with them at Chili's prepping for the showcases. The kids made this an amazing experience. I've volunteered with Big Brothers and Big Sisters since high school and this is an equally awesome program. So awesome, I'm returning as an E2 mentor. I'm getting my team ready to meet a real venture capitalist in order to secure funding to start their business. If you can't commit to mentoring, volunteer to be a tutor. You'll love it!

BUILD is one of the most well funded, connected and professionally run non-profits I've…read moreencountered. I found them through the Cisco Volunteer Fair and what stood out compared to the other after-school program is their huge college acceptance rate and their approach using entrepreneurship to incentivize students that are just bouncing at school. They have branches in the East Bay and Peninsula and I know people who are very dedicated to the cause. Their Peninsula office looks like a tech startup. I signed up to be a mentor. To be a mentor is like applying to school and job all over again. You have a phone interview, need to provide references, and write essays on why you want to be a part of BUILD. They do a background check on you because you're working with children. I volunteered on the Peninsula E1 with Woodside High School paired with a co-mentor with 5 students. Jacyln, the BUILD rep, was there every day and a great resource for us and Mr Moses, the teacher was a great person to reign in the kids. Being a mentor is an exercise time, patience, frustration and exuberance while you're crafting a product, business plan and presentation with them. At the end their hard work is presented at the BPC at Stanford School of Education in a huge hurrah! For Peninsula, if you want a more established system, go to the Sequoia High. But if you want to work with underdogs and be more unscripted then go to Woodside or Carlmont High. The other mentors are very talented and dedicated to the cause. We drive an hour and a half across the bridge from work each Thursday in order to be here. We spend more time on the road we do with our mentees but it's definitely worth it. If we could do this next year we will definitely do the E2-E4 class at their main office which is closer to the 101 Freeway.

St Francis Center is a great place to donate whatever clothing or small kitchen appliances. You are…read morelooking to donate. They allow people in need to fill three bags and it's free of charge to them. This truly helps people who are in need and especially the ones who are starting a new life here in California from other countries. B. Larocque

Wonderful place that helps people in need.. their donation center is lovely and the store they have…read moreis awesome!! Great place

hubby surprised me with a cheese making 101 class at collective roots this weekend. didn't know…read morethat this place existed in east palo alto and must admit was a little wary of the location, but once we got there it felt like we were at someone's private residence. there is a beautiful garden with herbs, vegetables, fruit trees, chicken coop with hens and roosters, and beehives! we made 5 different yogurts and cheeses in our short 3 hour class: -yogurt - went through the steps of yogurt making using culture from store bought yogurt -greek yogurt/yogurt cheese - let the yogurt drain and have a richer yogurt -cultured butter - yogurt culture in fresh butter -ricotta - super easy to make and enjoy -mozzarella - fresh mozzarella in 1 hour the class was enjoyable, we got to meet lots of new people and learned a lot about local produce and cheese making. the best part was using the fruits, herbs, and honey right from the grounds of collective roots! nothing like fresh, local produce. great experience...can't wait for cheese making 102!

From the owner: The Collective Roots Community Garden provides an opportunity for gardening skill-building,…read moreresource sharing, and community empowerment in East Palo Alto, CA. Operated by 501(c)3 non-profit Fresh Approach, the garden offers a place for community members to gain hands-on experience with organic gardening. Through our workshops, volunteer workdays, and community resources, we equip families with the skills and means to grow their own fresh fruits and vegetables. Residents of East Palo Alto can enjoy additional free resources, such as a tool lending library and free seeds, while qualifying residents can apply for free home garden installation and use of garden plots at the Collective Roots garden. By building a strong, sustainable network of local growers, we're improving access to healthy food while helping preserve the food sovereignty of the many cultures that call East Palo Alto their home.

I have been on several volunteering trips together with 20-25 other volunteers from the Bay Area to…read morehelp with tech-related and light construction projects in Santa Barbara, Honduras where footsteps run most of the programs to benefit economic orphans (adding some pictures below). All of the trips were great, and I have very good memories. This non-profit is rather small and thrives on volunteering groups helping as they have a lot of needs. The work you do depends on the skills of each volunteer. I am a techie, so I helped to install network equipment, and fix old computers, other people did painting or helped with kid-related activities. I took my then 10-year-old son on my second trip, and he really enjoyed it as this is a family-friendly type of volunteering (on that trip we had 13 adults and 12 kids), it also was eye-opening for him to see how people who are less fortunate live as we had the opportunity to walk some of the kids home, and see they live in little shacks with no electricity, running water or sewer (adding a picture of one of the nicer homes where one of the families lives that invited us to take a look inside). The trip was very well organized, and we felt safe and welcomed by the locals. We stayed in a hotel that had air conditioning and ate very good meals (portions are smaller than in the US but way more healthy as they cook everything from scratch). The work was not really hard, but we felt we were making an impact. There is free time after dinner, and we got to know the other volunteers (we played a lot of board and card games at night, and shared stories). Overall I would describe it as a vacation with a purpose. Would definitely go again in the future if the opportunity comes...

From the owner: Footsteps Missions is a nonprofit organization that connects people around the world with partners…read morein developing countries who can use their help, training, and administration to help create meaningful short-term mission trips that will both meet the "real" needs of those being served and empower the lives of those serving. Here are some of the programs we are currently running: *Discovery Trips *Garden Of Love And Hope Centers *Girl's Residential Home *Job Skills Training Center *Dental/Medical Clinic *Farming Co-Op *English As A Second Language Camps Please check our Website for more information

Absolutely beautiful new location!! Very welcoming for humans and cats, I am proud to be a…read morevolunteer at Nine lives and advocate for feline welfare. Nine Lives is a huge part of our community and so grateful, we are so lucky to have this business in our city. Thank you Nine Lives! Highly recommend for Vaccines, Spay & Neutering, and Adoption center.

I brought in a tom stray cat. He is super sweet. We finally caught him. I had an appointment to get…read morethe neutering done and all his shots up to date. They put some ointment on his face to heal looks like he got into a fight with some other animal. His face looks like it is healing nicely. The staff were very friendly. Found out he was around 10 years old. Very accommodating.

Second Harvest of Silicon Valley is truly one of the most impactful and well‑run organizations in…read moreour community. Every interaction I've had with them whether donating, volunteering, or simply learning more about their programs has left me inspired and grateful that such a dedicated team is working to fight hunger right here at home. What stands out most is their professionalism and compassion. The staff and volunteers treat every client with dignity, and you can feel how deeply they care about making sure families have access to healthy, nutritious food. Their operations are incredibly organized, and the scale at which they serve the community is nothing short of impressive. I also appreciate how transparent they are about where donations go and how efficiently they use their resources. It's rare to see an organization combine heart, innovation, and operational excellence so seamlessly. If you're considering supporting a local nonprofit, volunteering your time, or looking for a meaningful way to give back, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley is an outstanding choice. They are making a real difference every single day.

I have incurable cancer. I have been through chemo and have lingering serious side effects so…read moregetting to a food pantry is hard not to mention. I don't have a car. I found Second Harvest Food Bank delivers food to the door. So I applied and they have been delivering to my door when they don't send lazy delivery drivers that leave my food outside my apartment building for everyone to get, or in the lobby or in the mail room to leave my food to rot. Even if I could go to the lobby or mail room, I can't lift my box and bring it up five floors. Not to mention, I don't get notification that the food box has even been delivered so I don't know if it's been delivered to the lobby, mail room, or left outside. I have called several times explaining I am not getting my food boxes, even though they send out another food box 5 days later, I shouldn't have to wait five extra days for food. Not to mention 7 out of 10 times I get my box it's loaded with rotten fruit and vegetables full of mold. To which by the way I am highly allergic to food mold. I have called. I have spoke to supervisors. I have spoken to several different people at Second Harvest Food Bank. They apologize. Which I appreciate, but that doesn't help me with my food. They said if you don't want to receive moldy fruit and vegetables come and pick up the box yourself. Nice I would if I could. I'm sure others with my health issues and my age would attest to the fact that we would do a lot of things if we were physically capable of doing it. So apologies fall on deaf ears because I still don't receive my food boxes when I should and like I said half the time the food is rotten full of mold. Shaking my head because I see the commercials and I see people donating to which I appreciate. I see people in their cars in line getting all this beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables not to mention holiday boxes to which I don't receive a holiday box I don't get anything to celebrate Easter, Thanksgiving no turkey, no Christmas box just beans and rice is what people who get their food delivered get along with moldy fruit and vegetables. I guess that is Second Harvest Food Bank's way of saying happy holidays. You don't get a holiday box you don't need to celebrate a holiday.

We go to this location for our work training seminars. Nice clean spot with parking.read more

REVIEWER # 1 Are you a non-profit agency and looking for…read morespace? Well listen up because I have the place for you! Sobrato Center for Nonprofits offers business/agency with tons of great spacious rooms for you to conduct your business. The best part about this.....IT'S FREE! YES! FREEEE!!! I first heard about this building when I came for a meeting with one of the nonprofit agencies and the building is very easy to find. You will see a sign once before you drive into the parking lot. PARKING: Nothing to worry about! There is tons of parking here! I can't definitely say that is not an issue. BUSINESS HOURS: I am not sure about weekends however the weekday shouldn't be an issue for you to come and use the facility. I would encourage that you call before and reserve the room because I can definitely see the rooms being booked weeks in advance. BUSINESS CURRENTLY IN THE BUILDING: -New Teacher Center -4Cs -CASA of San Mateo County -My New Red Shoes and many more organizations! Check this place out and utilize it if you are a nonprofit agency looking for space to conduct meetings! REVIEW 162/196

This is a cultural treasure - chock full of Carolyn Hoskin's amazing collection of music, art,…read moresports, and more lifting up Black history and culture - I especially love the Michelle Obama section! Please check it out - and allow some time to really walk around. And thank you to the museum for hosting so many community events, making it a central part of the community.

Wow! What a wonderful experience We are so lucky to have a Black History Museum on the Peninsula!…read moreI have never seen anything like this before. Please visit and you will be blown away by the artifacts that the owner has collected for over 30 years! Visited yesterday and really enjoyed the "history" and "black inventors" sections the most. You'll find a music, sports, military, Obama section and more! Chatted with the owner and her son and they are very nice and doing something great for the community. Highly recommend planning a trip over for a day of learning!

Fun place to shop--great prices, great merchandise, great group of volunteers. All proceeds go…read morebenefit Peninsula Family Services.

Clean and bright and free of junk. Prices are great. I've found lots of nice things here over the…read moreyears.

As a transplant to the Bay Area I was looking for ways to better connect to the community and make…read moresome positive friendship along the way. Little did I know that I would be in for a transformative ride. I've gained invaluable training and have had opportunities to step into leadership roles to refine my leadership skills. I'm a better version of myself as a Junior Leaguer and I can proudly share that this is an incredible community of women who believe in each other and collaborate to build up a better community! Don't hesitate to reach out for info. Explore the Membership opportunity. It's a treasure!

The Junior League is a wonderful charity to support. I have been a member for many years, When I…read moremoved to London, I transferred my membership to the Junior League of London. When I moved to Portland, Oregon, I joined the league in Portland. When I moved back to the SF Bay Area, I transferred my membership back to the Jr. League of Palo Alto. I am currently a Sustainer Emeritus of the Jr. League of Palo Alto! Judy Palm