
Help your neighbors in need
During the COVID-19 pandemic, San Franciscans have stepped up to help our neighbors. You’ve helped people access food and basic necessities, and have checked in on their well-being.
Your fellow San Franciscans need your help more than ever before. Let’s keep the generosity going.
Support your neighbors by volunteering and donating to San Francisco-based organizations. Your contributions of time and money will help make this challenging time brighter for us all!
How to give
Volunteering
There are many ways to volunteer safely. You can do:
- Individual meal drop-offs
- Phone calls from home
- Outdoor, socially distanced volunteer shifts
If you choose to volunteer in person, remember to check your health, wear your mask, and stay 6 feet apart. We can all stay safe while helping each other.
Donating
You can help your neighbors in need by donating to support organizations and programs that provide food, housing, and other essentials.
Many organizations looking for volunteers will also accept donations!
Ways to volunteer
Virtually or from home
In-person, delivery
In-person, with other people
More volunteering opportunities
Help your neighbor access food
Help your neighbor access food
- Help with TELHI’s food pantry and distribute meals, every Tuesday from 10 am to 2 pm. Sign-up online.
- Prepare grocery bags to distribute at the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House’s food pantry. The pantry operates every Wednesday from 10 am to 2 pm. Sign-up by emailing sjohns35@aol.com.
- Pack food and help distribute meals for seniors with Self-Help for the Elderly by emailing alext@selfhelpelderly.org
- Help with the Bayview Senior Services food pantry on Wednesday and Fridays, and help deliver meals to seniors in the Bayview, Hunters Point, Visitacion Valley, Ingleside, and Western Addition Monday-Friday. Email james.evans@bhpmss.org
- Pack grocery bags and support Youth With a Mission’s food pantry in the Tenderloin every Thursday. Sign up online.
- Prepare, pack, and label meals with Project Open Hand. Shifts are 2 to 3 hours long, Monday to Saturday. Sign up online.
- Volunteer with the Jamestown Community Center food pantry. Sign up online.
- Assemble and distribute meals and essential items to older adults sheltering in place. Volunteer shifts between 10 am to 3 pm every Tuesdayto Friday with the Southwest Community Corporation and the I.T. Bookman Community Corporation by emailing fthibodeaux@itbookmancenter.org
- Prepare meals for Kimochi, Inc.’s nutrition program for seniors. Volunteer times and needs vary, every Monday to Friday. Fill out the volunteer form.
- Help with the food pantry at the Women’s Building in the Mission on Mondays and Thursdays from 8 am to 11 am. Sign up to volunteer.
- Deliver meals to families in the Mission or help with food distribution at the HOMEY headquarters on Saturdays from 8:30 am to 12 pm. To volunteer, email roberto@homey-sf.org
- Call seniors to help them receive grocery deliveries with Golden Gate Senior Services and the Richmond Senior Center. Make 3 to 5 calls per week, flexible days and times. Contact your closest center.
- Bag and distribute groceries every Wednesday from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm in the Richmond at the Richmond District YMCA. Apply to volunteer.
- Distribute food and other essential items in the Mission and Bayview with the Good Samaritan Family Resource Center on Wednesdays from 11:30 am to 2pm and Fridays from 9:30 am to 12 pm. Email mmiguelez@goodsamfrc.org
- Support food delivery with Groceries for Seniors from 8:30 am to 9:30 am on Mondays and Thursdays.
Check-in on your neighbors and stay in touch
Check-in on your neighbors and stay in touch
- Connect with older adults in your neighborhood with weekly 30-minute video or phone calls with Social Call (Covia). Flexible hours. Sign up online.
- Help older adults with grocery trips, meal deliveries, technology support and friendship calls with NEXT Village San Francisco. Flexible hours. Sign up online.
- Check-in by phone with isolated seniors in the Richmond. Make 3 to 5 calls per week, for an average of 10 to 15 minutes per call. Golden Gate Senior Services and the Richmond Senior Center are looking for volunteers who speak Cantonese, Mandarin, or other Chinese dialects. Sign up online.
- Make and receive calls from people who need someone to talk to. Sign up to volunteer with Friendship Line with the Institute on Aging.
- Help older adults stay connected with On Lok’s senior center programs. Provide virtual tech support to help them use online platforms. Learn more online.
Looking for other ways to help?
Looking for other ways to help?
Check out these other organizations:
If you or someone you know is seeking support during the pandemic, contact the SF Department of Disability and Aging Services helpline at 415-355-6700.

About
Help Your Neighbors in Need is part of We Will Recover, a citywide campaign to promote San Francisco’s recovery from COVID-19.