volunteer opportunities

You too can help make a difference to someone who needs you. Check our volunteer opportunities below to find out how you can get involved. For more information about the volunteer process or to volunteer, contact (858) 637-3050 or email melindab@jfssd.org. To learn more about volunteering for Jewish Family Service, click here. Start the process online by completing an online volunteer application.

Click on the links below to find a volunteer opportunity

Volunteer to Help Older Adults
Volunteer to Help Adults & Families
Mentoring Opportunities
Volunteer with Refugee Resettlement
Other Opportunities

Volunteer to Help Older Adults

Bikkur Holim—Friendly Visitor Program
Bikkur Holim—Friendly Visitor Program matches friendly volunteers with Jewish isolated and ill individuals. Volunteers make a one-year commitment to visit with their match for approximately four hours a month, providing conversation, support, friendship, and a connection to the Jewish community.

Foodmobile
You can brighten the day of a homebound older adult or younger disabled adult by delivering a warm meal and a smile. Foodmobile volunteers deliver delicious, kosher meals to homebound older adults and younger disabled adults throughout San Diego County, Monday-Friday, 10:30am-1:00pm. Volunteers are often the only daily visits these individuals receive. Meal deliveries and smiles go a long way.

JFS Fix-It Service
Are you handy around the house? JFS Fix-It volunteers assist older adults by making minor home safety repairs, such as installing grab bars and smoke detectors, repairing leaky faucets, and much more. Repairs are made throughout the county and mileage reimbursement is included. Hours are flexible and ongoing.

Older Adult Centers
We have three thriving older adult centers throughout the county that provide a warm environment with social, educational, and recreational programs. Volunteers help greet participants, socialize, staff the coffee cart, serve lunch, lead computer classes, assist in programming, and much more. Our centers are located in the North County Inland, University City, and College Avenue areas. For a complete listing of volunteer opportunities with our Older Adult Centers, please click here.

On the Go - Chaperone
Chaperone one of the many enjoyable excursions for older adults.  Volunteer Chaperones notify excursion participants, manage the outing, and receive free admission to great entertainment and cultural experiences! 

On the Go - Shopping Escort
Ride along with On the Go Shuttles to assist passengers and provide friendly conversation during shopping excursions. Volunteer Shopping Escorts accompany older adults while they shop. Shopping trips are weekly in the North County Inland, University City, and College areas.

On the Go - Rides & Smiles®
Volunteer to help open the car door for an older adult who needs you. Volunteer drivers use their own vehicles to provide rides for older adults to personal and medical appointments. Hours are flexible. You choose who, when and where you drive with our convenient web based scheduling system. Volunteers receive mileage reimbursement.

TeleFriend
Volunteer from the convenience of your own home! Make weekly social phone calls to homebound older adults to help exercise their minds and engage them in the community. Volunteers provide stimulating conversation and friendship to older adults who are otherwise isolated from the community.

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Volunteer to Help Adults & Families

JFS Economic Crisis Response Program
Many members of our community are feeling the effects of the economic crisis. In an effort to meet the growing needs, we've started the JFS Economic Crisis Response Program, providing support, workshops, groups, and counseling to individuals and families affected by the economic crisis. Volunteer leaders are needed to facilitate workshops or provide free consultations in the following areas: budgeting, finances, job searching, job coaching, resume writing, stress reduction and more. For a complete listing of volunteer opportunities with the JFS Economic Crisis Response Program, please click here. For more information about volunteering with Economic Crisis Response, contact (858) 637-3245 or email lindyc@jfssd.org.

Hand Up Youth Food Pantry
The Hand Up Youth Food Pantry feeds hundreds of homeless and hungry individuals and families each month. You can help alleviate hunger by conducting a food drive in your school, business, group, or congregation! We’ll provide you with everything you need, including flyers and food bins. Groups are also encouraged to come into the food pantry on Sundays to assemble food bags and help stock the pantry. Two Sundays a month, volunteers are needed to distribute food to military families at Camp Pendleton and Murphy Canyon Military Housing. Volunteer groups help distribute food and create a fun family day atmosphere for military families by making arts and crafts, playing sports, and more.

Project SARAH Family Law Attorneys
Project SARAH offers a monthly legal clinic for individuals who have experienced or are experiencing domestic abuse. Volunteer family law attorneys (remove:are needed to) meet with clients to provide legal advice, as appropriate; prepare legal documents; and explain the legal system regarding family law matters including divorce, custody, alimony and more. Volunteer attorneys will be given a private room to conduct one-on-one consultations with clients.

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Mentoring Opportunities

Jewish BIGPals
Jewish BIGPals matches children ages 6-16 from Jewish single parent or non-traditional families with a Jewish mentor from the community. No special skills are needed to be a mentor...just the willingness to care and spend time with someone who needs you. Volunteers make a one-year commitment and meet with their Little Pal twice per month.

Guiding Adolescent Parents (formally known as Mentoring Mothers)
Guiding Adolescent Parents (GAP) matches mature experienced mothers and fathers with new teenage parents to help with the transition into parenthood. A GAP Mentor is a role model, a confidant, a friend—someone who has been there, knows the challenges of parenthood, and has the skills and knowledge to offer guidance. Mentors undergo special trainings on how to be as supportive as possible. Volunteers commit to a minimum of one year, and visit with their mentee two times per month.

Volunteer with Refugee Resettlement

Jewish Family Service resettles nearly 500 refugees and asylees from around the world. While escaping persecution, many arriving refugees now face new challenges adjusting to their lives here in the US: finding a job, learning English, navigating public institutions, and supporting their families, while adjusting to a new culture in a new land. To address the cultural adjustment difficulties facing newcomers, JFS offers many volunteer opportunities to accommodate the growing need. Volunteers are needed to help with administrative support, serve as Friendly Match mentors, furniture scouts, translators, tutors, and much more. For a complete list of volunteer opportunities in Refugee Resettlement, please click here.

Newly arrived refugee families often arrive in San Diego with the clothes on their backs and a few personal belongings. Refugee Resettlement volunteers aide JFS in creating a warm and welcoming arrival to San Diego. For more information about volunteering with Refugee Resettlement, contact (858) 637-3366 or email kristyc@jfssd.org.

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Other Opportunities

JFS Speaker's Bureau
Help us educate our community about our vital programs and services. Volunteers with firsthand knowledge and personal stories about Jewish Family Service go to various events and meetings throughout the county to speak about the many programs and services we offer.

Run for the Hungry
Our 5K/10K walk/run on Thanksgiving Day attracts more than four thousand participants and 200 volunteers each year. Proceeds of the race benefit our Foodmobile program and the San Diego Food Bank. A lead volunteer is needed to represent JFS at monthly meetings and carry through with agency assignments including engaging the community in team recruitment, recruiting volunteers, soliciting sponsorships by writing letters and making community connections, maintaining a sponsorship database, and much more.

Embrace-a-Family
Each year, over 500 families seek assistance for gifts during the holiday season. With your support, we can create a joyous holiday for thousands of children and individuals. “Embracers” donate items off of family wish lists and donate them to JFS. Embracers receive a family number and a family story so they know where their donations are going. Embracers are needed anywhere from October to December to meet Embrace-a-Family donation deadlines. For more information contact (858) 637-3050 or email melindab@jfssd.org.

Specialized Volunteer Opportunities
JFS needs your expertise! In addition to our ongoing volunteer recruitment efforts, we are always looking for volunteers that have special skills or talents they would be willing to share. Do you have social work experience? Do you enjoy photography? Are you an event planner or an attorney who can lend your expertise? Do you enjoy special projects? We can always use your specialized abilities to support our volunteer programs and encourage you to contact us if you are interested in sharing them.

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