Volunteer
Volunteers are an important community resource. Organizations that serve Portland’s children and families rely on volunteers to share their time and talent; whether it be tutoring a student in a classroom; mentoring a teen with weekly outings; or helping a nonprofit with their professional business skills, volunteers make for a better and stronger city.
Organizations connected to the Portland Children’s Levy are looking for volunteers to bring new ideas, fresh perspective and honed experience to their programs. Retired volunteers are particularly welcome, as they have a vast amount of expertise that would benefit our community.
Are you connected to an organization with volunteer opportunities in the Portland area? Email us at info@portlandchildrenslevy.org to add a listing to this page.
AKA Science
AKA Science is an afterschool science enrichment program for diverse elementary and middle school youth that seeks enthusiastic Class Leaders to facilitate classes using established curriculum and a complete set of supplies at one or more Portland SUN community schools. Each AKA Science class serves 8-15 students between 4th-6th grades. Classes are 60 minutes long—usually held from 3:30PM-4:30PM (depending on the school)–and taught once per week for 7-8 weeks. In addition to teaching AKA Science, SUN schools may have other weekly hours available; including the opportunity to teach other courses and providing student supervision during supper and recess.
Contact: ksechrist@impactnw.org
Black United Fund of Oregon
Serve on the Student Scholarship Evaluation Committee! Help support the selection of student scholars. Utilizing Foundant, an online scholarship management system, completed application packets will be available for your review; committee members will be responsible for providing feedback for each applicant back to the team. Volunteers may also have the opportunity to conduct interviews with applicants. Time Commitment: estimated 20 to 30 hours usually during March and April, including orientation and training for completing the application review and selection.
Contact: melissa@bufor.org
Boys and Girls Aid
Boys & Girls Aid is Oregon’s oldest nonprofit devoted to building lifelong connections for children in foster care. There are many ways you can volunteer with us to make a difference in the foster care system. Provide office and admin support, help us raise funds, deliver or prepare meals at our sites, provide transport to school and appointments, or help us wrap and deliver Holiday gifts!
Contact: volunteer@boysandgirlsaid.org
Boys and Girls Clubs of Portland
Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland is looking for caring, committed volunteers for after school and summer youth development programs. Volunteers may share their time mentoring, coaching, leading a class, tutoring, assisting with daily activities or supporting in other capacities. Apply to be a volunteer today and we will help find a volunteer opportunity that fits your skills, availability and interests.
Contact: GHook@bgcportland.org
CARES Northwest
CARES Northwest is a collaborative, community-based medical program for the assessment, treatment, and prevention of child abuse. Many of the children seen at CARES Northwest, and their caregivers, are missing the invaluable support of family members. Sharing only four hours a week you can provide warm support during especially vulnerable times in their lives. Volunteers staff our waiting rooms and engage with the kiddos we serve. They offer movies from our large collection, play games and sometimes just listen. We welcome your wisdom, life experiences, and nurturance helping children and their families with a little TLC and healing.
Contact: cesummer@lhs.org
College Possible
College Possible makes college admission and success possible for students from low-income backgrounds through an intensive curriculum of coaching and support. We have one-time volunteer projects that range from providing one-on-one coaching to helping stuff envelopes. We also have longer term volunteer opportunities for those interested in helping to garner support and awareness for College Possible. Both the Investment Council and Ambassador Board are seeking new members. Please reach out to Christina for more information—we’d love to have you join us!
Contact: CCarl@CollegePossible.org
Hacienda CDC
Volunteer opportunities are on hold until Fall 2021/January 2022. Hacienda assists youth 5 to 12 with homework and foster positive, supportive relationships in the Expresiones after-school program community center sites along NE Killingsworth Street, and one site in North Portland in the Portsmouth neighborhood. Occasional opportunities for a 1-on-1 tutoring relationship. Hacienda especially needs volunteers to help with math and reading. You do not have to be bilingual, but experience with English language learners is a plus.
Contact: jsarna@haciendacdc.org
Human Solutions
Human solutions provides after school programming and intensive academic support and tutoring for children residing in public housing sites. After school tutoring volunteers would assist with reading for youth in K-2nd grade, facilitate language learning games with 3-5th graders, and/or assist with middle school math. Tutoring takes place in community rooms at Human Solutions housing sites in seven locations around the Mill Park, Cherry Park and Rockwood neighborhoods. No second language skills are necessary for these volunteer positions. However, many of the youth are English Language Learners, so individuals with Russian, Somali, and/or Spanish skills are strongly encouraged to apply.
Contact: volunteer@humansolutions.org
Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO)
We are always looking for volunteers for a variety of roles in the Portland metro area. Some examples of volunteer opportunities are tutoring and helping youth with homework, support at our food pantries through our Hunger Relief program, STEM tutor, youth mentor, and support staff for afterschool programs at 18 different schools. If you have a specific idea in mind for volunteering your time, you can always email us with details of what you wish to do, and we will see if we can accommodate it. A background check will be run on volunteers before they can begin.
Contact: volunteer@irco.org
Impact NW
Urban Opportunities is a job readiness and training program that serves under-resourced youth in challenged Portland-area high schools. As a way to broaden student exposure to the community, Impact regularly invites volunteers from the community from a wide range of backgrounds in education, training, job and career. Volunteers empower youth by offering skills and tips about school and work and provide opportunities in the classroom and community for youth to practice newly honed skills. Volunteer roles that support students as they learn to navigate the complicated task of job search and retention, include Guest Speakers, Mock Interviewers, and Student Internship Supervisors.
Contact: scramer@impactnw.org
Meals on Wheels People
The Meals 4 Kids program serves children and families within the City of Portland experiencing food insecurity. As a Delivery Driver, you will deliver a week’s worth of meals to approximately 8 families within the city. Lifting up to 25lbs repetitively, carrying cooler bags and gallons of milk up and down apartment building stairs and SUV or vehicle with back seats down required. “Cleaners 4 Kids” will assist in cleaning reusable bags after volunteer delivery drivers return from their route and wipe down bags. Disposable gloves and cleaning supplies will be provided.
Contact: Maritza.perez@mowp.org
Metropolitan Family Service
AARP Experience Corps is an intergenerational program hosted by Metropolitan Family Service. Volunteers who are 50+ help children become great readers before finishing third grade by helping them practice reading and developing a supportive relationship. Tutors might tutor virtually or in-person in select Eastside, North Portland and Milwaukie public schools. Volunteers commit to four or more hours per week throughout the school year. Those able to commit eight hours or more may receive a monthly stipend. No formal experience is needed, just the desire to help children succeed. Training and ongoing support provided.
Contact: maruskal@mfs.email
Morrison Child and Family Services
Our Community Ambassador volunteer program is a great opportunity for anyone who is passionate about playing a role in helping provide more safe and stable homes for foster youth. Volunteers serve as strong advocates in their community about the work that Morrison Foster Care is doing, and can work with foster care staff in a variety of ways by supporting foster parent recruitment and appreciation efforts. Ultimately, we are most excited to work with YOU to figure out how your unique interests and skills can be used to support the work that we are doing! Will you join us?
Contact: fostercare@morrisonkids.org
Neighborhood House
Volunteer in our Food Pantry! The Neighborhood House provides healthy and culturally-specific food to over 2,000 individuals each month. Our most needed volunteer positions are in the pantry and with the bulk food assistance shifts. In-pantry volunteers stock shelves, receive donations, prep food boxes and help clients “shop” in the pantry. Bulk food volunteers prep 10-50 boxes in a 2hr shift, load a truck and then drive in their own car to the apartment community to help unload the truck and deliver boxes.
Contact: volunteer@nhpdx.org
Oregon Food Bank
At Oregon Food Bank, we believe food is a basic human right, and volunteers are integral to achieving our mission of eliminating hunger and its root causes… because no one should be hungry. Opportunities range from in-person activities like packaging food and maintaining our learning gardens, to distributing food and supporting community outreach from home by phone- and text-banking. We welcome individuals and small groups from businesses, schools and community organizations at our Portland and Beaverton warehouses, and at partner agencies in the Portland metro area. Most shifts are 2-3 hours long and some require lifting boxes up to 40lbs.
Contact: volunteer@oregonfoodbank.org
Oregon MESA
MESA equips teachers to help underserved middle and high school students excel in STEM through hands-on invention education. We empower students to problem-solve, communicate and collaborate, prepping them to be talented leaders for the future. With the right network of support, our youth are capable of unlocking solutions to the toughest problems, such as eliminating poverty and disease, conserving finite resources, and creating renewable energy sources. When you volunteer, we’re able to expand our service areas, extend our programming and offer life-changing opportunities to more students. For the 21-22 school year, our volunteer programs will provide virtual and in-person opportunities.
Contact: ormesa.tt@gmail.com
Portland Tennis & Education
Volunteers are vital to the success of PT&E’s program. Our after school program runs Mon through Thur from 3–6pm, following PPS’s academic calendar. You will be a “coach” alongside one of our staff instructors, and you will participate in tennis practice, provide homework help, and support facilitation of educational and enrichment activities in various capacities depending on the unique skills you bring to the table. Some volunteers will be strong tennis players and will help facilitate the on-court lessons, while some may learn tennis alongside our students and focus on active support in other activities like homework help.
Contact: volunteers@ptande.org
Refugee Care Collective
Refugee Care Collective is a nonprofit organization that serves diverse populations of refugees resettled in Oregon, empowering them to rebuild their lives and step more fully into self-sustainability. Our mentorship programs provide long-term support over the course of one year to families and youth, and we’re looking for adult volunteers in the Portland metro area interested in walking alongside our new neighbors. The mentor serves as a role model and advocate for a junior high or high school student, spending 2-3 hours per week meeting with one another. In addition, consider building a Restart Kit with essential household items to welcome a newly arriving family.
Contact: info@refugeecare.org
Volunteers of America Oregon
Family Relief Nursery provides essential services for families with children six weeks to five years old, including parent education, therapeutic classrooms, home visitation, and other wrap-around services as a part of our early childhood programming. They are a prevention and intervention program that provides essential services at no cost, helping families establish safe, stable home environments. We welcome volunteers as classroom assistants to work with the children.
Contact: volunteer@voaor.org