Thrifting is one of my favorite things to do. Salvation Army did not disappoint . Being a curvier…read moregirl I found lots of good stuff. Check it out

The hours posted are 10am-6pm every day. There are a couple of trucks parked and ready to accept…read moredonations. There's space for up to 4 cars at a time to park by the entrance and unload. It's quick, easy, and super convenient, and you can request a donation receipt if needed. This is an outdoor donation drop-off location only. The nearest SA thrift shop is a block away at 1501 Valencia.

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.

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.

We volunteered here this afternoon, and while most of the staff were welcoming and friendly, one…read morestaff member made the experience disappointing. While my colleague and I were sorting through apples, we may have been more selective due to our background in the food industry. When a staff member clarified that the main concern was whether the apples had worms, we understood and adjusted accordingly. However, this staff member was rude when addressing us and later made fun of how we were sorting the apples with another team member. I overheard the conversation firsthand, and it was both uncomfortable and unprofessional.

You can sign up on line and make an appointment to drop off books. It was longer during the…read morepandemic, now it usually takes a few days. It's efficient to drop them off...They seem to have events throughout the city. I don't know a lot about the current organization, except they don't have the Fort Mason book sale anymore, and you can't drop books at the branches, unfortunately.

First time donating here. Really smooth process. You do have to book an appointment which you can…read moreeasily do online and schedule a time for your drop off. I had about two small totes worth of books and DVDs that I simply didn't need anymore. There's a couple parking spaces that you can pull up into and dropping off is really straightforward. They will also provide you with a donation receipt. If you need one I definitely feel like this is a better and local option than donating to like Goodwill.

You know you want to volunteer. You know when someone asks you what you did this weekend, it would…read morebe cool to say, "I helped pack meals for the homebound for Project Open Hand" or "I helped with some cleanup at Literacy for Environmental Justice". But you don't feel like you have enough time. Hands On Bay Area is such a cool vehicle for volunteering without commitment. Sign up, show up, do your 2-3 hours and go home. And if you find a project you really love, you can volunteer every month (most are recurring) or contact the agency to become a regular volunteer. I do wish they had more things I could do with my very young girls. I want to raise them to enjoy volunteering, and most of these projects only welcome older children. But we did do a "With Seniors" visit and a good time was had by all. Our new elderly friend Dorothy really connected with my 5 year old daughter. Meet great people, give back to the community, have fun doing it.

**************** REVIEW 427 ******************…read more I've been with Hands on Bay Area when it was Community Impact in Mountain View in 1999. Hands on Bay Area offer volunteers many options of the volunteer opportunities that match their interests, such as: - Adult education and literacy, - Animal support, - Children & youth (- Enrichment and recreations, tutoring, etc) - Community enrichment, - Environment, - Heath & wellness, - Homelessness and Hungers, You can choose from location different counties such as: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marine, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, & Santa Clara Counties! HOBA has a great website, that user friendly, you can RSVP your project that fits you & they email you the info and also reminder for you! You don't need any skill to volunteer! Hands on Bay Area website makes it really easy to do it & if you are new, they will make you go to an orientation, but it's easy & you get to meet many wonderful hearts just like yourself! So lend a hand, make a different in your community!

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.

North Beach Citizens is an exceptional non profit that truly supports the unhoused and low-income…read morecommunity in our neighborhood. I started volunteering here when I first moved to the area, and it quickly became clear how much positive impact this organization has. Kristie, the Executive Director, leads with compassion, integrity and a deep commitment to the people they serve. The staff and volunteers are warm, dedicated, and always treat everyone with dignity and respect. I'm grateful to be a part of this community and highly recommend supporting North Beach Citizens and the important work they do.

When I lived in North Beach and was involved with community activities, I would visit the NBC…read morestorefront, first on Columbus and then on Kearny streets, and would engage with "citizens" who were involved with the program. I was impressed with the positive effects of the program on the "citizens " with whom I engaged. How lives had improved dramatically. I did in fact became involved with the organization and strongly support the work performed and the long-term benefits to individuals, and in fact, to the community at large. Jeanne Milligan

Volunteered for the first time tonight, and it was great. It was sad to hear that several days a…read moreweek they don't have any volunteers. The only reason I found them was through searching yelp. I was looking for a place to volunteer for Thanksgiving and all the usual places were turning away volunteers, so happy I found this awesome organization. The pros- the kitchen is great! Big, clean, and well equipped. The staff is great, I was very late to my shift and the receptionist was understanding and the kitchen staff welcomed me in and took the time to get me up to speed. The amazing kitchen staff were personable, talented, dedicated and made the experience fun. I got to sample the food and it was delicious! The dinning rooms were so homey and lovely. The families were so appreciative and the kids were so cute! The cons- none. I am inspired to come back again and again.

So impressed by the compassionate treatment of residents here. Truly amazing work on a shoestring…read morebudget.