Ruth Brinker started Project Open Hand in 1985 to provide meals to neighbors suffering from AIDS…read more Seven neighbors receiving food made with love became her mission where people with AIDS, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses as well as the elderly now receive meals and groceries. Seeing my son's ample free time one summer and the need for volunteers, I signed up my son for 10-15 hours a week. After school started, he continued volunteering 3 hours a week, filling in shifts as needed during breaks including holidays. It's not glamorous work, weighing and vacuum sealing beans, rice, chicken and other groceries, but it's important work: I emphasize that people rely on him to receive nutritious food they might not otherwise have. Giving back, caring about people, making time for others less fortunate, being selfless- these are qualities I've instilled in my son. He now enjoys the work, it feeds his soul. I'm proud he volunteers weekly for Project Open Hand for almost two years.

Here is a gem of a org that doesn't boast enough of its amazing work! they strive to provide some…read moreof the healthiest meals in the community. Big difference from the other non-profit food providers. The times that I have volunteered there, you get a sense that the employees really are passionate about their work.

Very difficult to donate to. Had to schedule on the website, but with the ambiguity on what they…read morewould take I had to make a phone call. Was told they would take office chairs, not desks. Only take 3 beds, no more. They were scheduled to be out in the afternoon (1pm - 4pm). They called at 11 am to say they were 20 minutes away. We had to drop everything to get there. They refused the beds because the rails were composite and did not want to take the chairs. Mind you ALL this furniture was brand new for a corporate house that was never lived in. After a call to the supervisor they took the office chairs not the beds. The couch didn't fit into the garage, it was 6 feet from the door. They would not come into the home to get it. They would only retrieve from the garage. We had to bribe the "volunteers" $20 each to take the couch. Next time, rent a U-Haul and take it to Goodwill. Faster, cheaper and done on your time frame. If Goodwill can't take it, they have dumpster right there.

I want to start off my review stating that most of the workers at St Vincent's are kind,…read morehardworking and lovely people. They should be appreciated and commended for the efforts they put in each day. I went into St Vincent's last week. I was there less than 5 minutes when I overheard one of the employees (I'm guessing the employees are all unpaid volunteers) was speaking to a gentleman extremely rudely, insisting that he was a reseller. She stated they do not sell to resellers, I'm not sure if she meant that specific item or all items. The man stated he was looking at one pair of sunglasses for his wife and the worker exclaimed she didn't understand why he would be looking at sunglasses for his wife without his wife present. The gentleman ended up abruptly leaving. I was appalled hearing her speak to this man in this manner. Who is she to judge? There are resellers everywhere trying to support their families, many single parents and many with children with disabilities trying to make ends meet. It is absolutely none of her business and if this is how St Vincent's runs their charity operation where they've marked up goods beyond what most people can afford and scrutinize the ones who can, I will not be coming any longer and I will also let my friends know to do the same. It is after all resellers that provide a big portion of money for St Vincent's, Goodwill etc. Resellers are not going inside buying up all of the inventory, resellers are very selective and probably buy items that most overlook. With so much going into the landfill, resellers have really helped more than they've hurt. St Vincent mostly sells dingy, outdated, dirty items that have been extremely overpriced. They didn't appear to even be cleaned. Used sheet sets are taped up so customers cannot even determine if they're stained, damaged or unfit for the price. Resellers may be able to offer some help in pricing items so they actually sell. Prices for items should not be determined on any listing prices, instead they should be priced on the sold price if you are trying to compete with eBay or other online reselling platforms. However, if you're trying to be a charity that moves items quickly because you have a huge warehouse full of them, it would probably be best to price your items fairly so the public who can't afford your prices can purchase them or resellers can purchase them, at the end of the day the money is all going to the same cause, right? I'm sure the volunteers work very hard but another situation I've noticed several times and so have others is the way the workers treat each other. Some of the workers are so rude to their coworkers, belittling them in front of customers, being flat out abusive and just being controlling old biddies. I witnessed one customer paying for her items and the worker was trying her best to fit everything into the bag the customer was purchasing while another worker came over to take over insisting that she "let her do it". There's a sign on the door that says " no animals" which is a good idea. Too often than not I've went into stores in the valley with dogs everywhere. Some of them are friendly and the owners have obviously trained them to be in a public place. Unfortunately many are not trained, some are aggressive and some of the owners are not observant to what their dog is doing, rubbing up against other customers, sniffing and licking other customers, lunging at customers etc. St Vincent's maintains this policy for their customers, however not 10 minutes after I was inside, a worker comes out from the back with a dog. Double standards are not a good example of respect for all. I hope that St Vincent's listens to, respects their customers with pricing their items fairly, workers respecting each other & treating each other with overall kindness, especially in front of customers & not turning away paying visitors by deciding who is worthy of purchasing and who isn't. The cleanliness and organization of St Vincent's could also be a focus but that seems secondary to the bigger issues and it's understood that the volunteers work very hard and obviously not enough volunteers for such a huge building.

They Help Me Find A Job before it was a great opportunity to grow and get to know different fieldsread more

Worse place to get help , resources , anything . They don't care about the youth . I had to leave…read morethis shitty place to get on my own and get my stuff together . This place wasn't helpful at all . There in it for the donations and money . Point blank period ! I been here , got services here , and stayed at the youth shelter that has rats and everything you can imagine . This place is shit ! I give this place a negative 1 star

Home Repair in the Bayview area of San Francisco. No construction experience necessary, repair is…read morean all day shift, and you can't choose what kind of work you are doing. We had a fun and exhausting day and had a great crew leader and coordinator that worked with the vibe of our group to make it the most optimal. Our group's task was primering the outside of a home and helping clean the inside. Painting the outside was definitely the craziest part, leaning huge 2 story ladders with the bottom being on an angled sidewalk and made true by jamming scrapwood underneath one leg and the top part leaning on a house that was falling apart. Our crew leader did it with such comfort and confidence it made us feel more confidant about the safety. It was cool to see how a primer layer improved the look of the home and made it feel refreshed. I also enjoyed helping clean the inside, not sharing pictures of those for privacy but it was one of the most interesting houses with amazing history I've ever been inside of. Thanks for the fun experience, it made the end of day beers that much better!

I've been on 3 different projects, 2 in Menlo Park (read East Palo Alto) and 1 in Daly City, the…read morecondo development. It's been a lot of fun. I like that they do the safety talk at the start of each day. Also they have safety equipment such as helmets, ear plugs, knee pads. The knee pads are "well used" but are good enough to do the trick. Really nice folks at every site. I'm one to ask a lot of questions, and everyone has been really patient in answering. It's a good volunteer environment. The work itself can be hard work! But it's satisfying, and I was able to take the breaks I needed. It's also fascinating to learn about home construction. I've put down a subfloor, removed old laminate and hardwood flooring, and put down pergo. Plus done some random demolition. I've also seen inside of lots of walls, and have a better sense of how homes were constructed in the 50's. yikes. BTW I learned something important about Habitat. They don't give away houses--they sell them to families at a % of family income over time (30 years?). Then if the family wants to sell, they sell BACK to Habitat, and then they can use their built-up equity to buy something else. The neat thing is that the Habitat system is focused on affordability and smooths out bubbles by basing on salary. (US gov't, are you listening?) Also families that buy from Habitat have to do 500 hours of volunteer work. It's good stuff.

We didn't know anyone but came here for a Christmas day volunteering event (I had to pay to…read morevolunteer to register). Werid huh? It was hard to find parking and the orientation was downstairs in the basement. I was glad to arrive a bit later. We were divided into groups and we went to help assist with the kids. It was actually kind of boring for me but my kids enjoyed it. I felt like there were a lot of downtime. I guess I like to be busy. I appreciated the people who work here and I got to see the inner works of God be placed in the Tenderloin.

Was it the most organized experience? Nope. Was it…read moreexpensive to participate? Nope. Was it meant to cater to your own needs? Nope. Was it an ironic fresh of breath air in the tenderloin district? Absolutely. Serving the community was as simple as offering food and playing bingo with a few residents. It's easy to forget that City Impact is creating opportunities to befriend a complete stranger when you're focused on your own expectations. Thankfully, the mission of City Impact will always be bigger and stronger than the discouragement of those who may never appreciate the mere effort.

Great seeing that food assistance is available for those in need living in the Outer Richmond…read more Fresh Eggs and Produce, plus bagged groceries. Registration might be required so check in for requirements, dates, and hours. I noticed the Food Bank team setting up on Tuesday, and on this date a volunteer advised that new participants could sign up after 3:30pm. But like I said, confirm current status of this location if living in the 94121 zip code.

They have been providing food at my building since the pandemic. I am grateful. Made my life…read morebetter. By fighting malnourishment, they are also fighting pandemic diseases!

It feels so great to be able to help others. I recently discovered City Team SF when I was…read moresearching for NPOs to volunteer with. Many of the food banks are really popular and their times are booked really fast. I noticed City Team had almost all their slots still available the week of, so I created an account and went in this past Saturday. Kimbel is one of the guys who runs City Team SF and he's amazing! My volunteer hour was 9am - 11am, helping serve breakfast and packing to-go orders for those that wanted to take it with them. The work they do here is incredible, they provide breakfast, lunch and dinner M-Sat and they allow people to eat as much as they want. They also have a rack of clothes in the back for people to choose from. I think living in SF, we've seen how bad the homeless issue has become and certainly have our own share of opinions and feelings about it. However volunteering at City Team has really gave me a new perspective, just giving your time and being kind to others really makes a difference in their day. I will definitely come back again, this was a great place to volunteer at, great people I've met. Also, if you have clothes you no longer have use for, you can drop them off here!

After having volunteered for last night's dinner service I can say they have a pretty well run…read moreorganization for feeding the homeless and down and out. Dinner was mashed potatoes ( including the skins ) with a chili mixture topping served with salad. Before dinner they had some musical entertainment and sung some Christian songs. A couple of prayers were thrown in., Also there was a analysis of some scriptures from the bible involving the good samaritan. The mashed potatoes were almost totally consumed and the chili was tasty ( I sneaked a sample after everyone was served ). The salad was appealing and healthy looking. It's nice to volunteer and serve the community. 3 stars for the food. I was surprised by the quality !

Looking for a place to volunteer in SF? Look no further!…read more The Groceries for Seniors program delivers food to seniors in The City who would otherwise go hungry, most of whom live in the Western Addition and China Town. The program is run out of Old St. Mary's Church on California St. by an ex- Haight Ashbury Food Program volunteer, John Meehan. Good people, good cause. Check 'em out and get involved!

I volunteered here back when I lived in San Francisco. My volunteer position was the "Food…read moreWarehouse Person." My duties: - unload groceries from the van - sort and organize all the food - distribute them evenly into grocery bags - hand out the full grocery bags to the seniors waiting outside The volunteers met at 9am in front of the church, and already there was a line of elderly recipients waiting. It broke my heart to see so many hungry people. I know hunger is a major problem in the world, but we don't normally see it right in front of us. The group of volunteers were a diverse bunch and it was fun meeting and greeting them all. I'm definitely volunteering here again when I come back to San Francisco!