Volunteer Opportunities Near Me — The 2020 List!
Do you want to make a difference in your community? The 2020 list of volunteer opportunities in Vancouver WA is here!
Not only is it a new year but it's a new decade, and there are a lot of nonprofit organizations that could really use your helping hands. They need you all year long, so take a look and decide where you might make a difference.
You are already one step closer to strengthening your community, just by reviewing the list!
Everyone has different interests, availability and passions so we’ve narrowed your search by offering four categories to choose from:
- Working With Children and Families
- Working With Mental Health Needs
- Working With the Earth and Environment
- Working With the Hungry
We hope you are able to find an organization that matches your passions so you can make a positive lasting impact on your community. Follow the links to learn more about each organization.
Working With Children and Families
MISSION - Great Life Mentoring cultivates meaningful relationships where children facing adversity – and the adults who mentor them – live happier, healthier lives.
If you are kind, compassionate and committed, picture yourself as a Great Life Mentor. This Research-Based Practice is a national leader of mentoring programs. It serves children who have experienced trauma and receive publicly funded mental healthcare. Children are age 7-18 and live in Clark County, WA. Great Life Mentoring is celebrating 20 years of enriching lives.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Volunteer as a mentor. You’ll receive training and support to help you be successful, and you get to choose the child you match with! This opportunity takes as little as an hour a week but makes a life-long impact.
Boys and Girls Club of America (SW WA)
MISSION - To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
Affiliated since 1906, the Boys and Girls Club of America emphasizes hope and opportunities for their club members. They offer lots of after school programs for children. These programs include sports, education, career development, and much more.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Be an after school tutor or mentor at the Club, or design and implement your own program or special interest.
MISSION - To inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.
Girls INC. gives girls ages 6-18 the skills and self confidence to become leaders in their communities. They accomplish this through their Girls Groups where school age girls and Girls Guide volunteers meet after school and work together to empower each other to reach their full potential.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Become a Girls Guide and help lead your own group. Help with events and empower young women to be confident leaders.
MISSION - To serve children, youth, and families through comprehensive community-based mental health services.
The Children’s Center was established in 1989 and is committed to serving children and families with mental health challenges. They offer a variety of comprehensive mental health programs: child sexual abuse and treatment, the COACHES program, a school based mental health program and more.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Host food drives, help with events/fundraisers, work in their therapy garden, and help prepare weighted stuffed animals.
Educational Opportunities for Children and Families (EOCF)
MISSION - Strengthening children and families through early learning, child development education, and community partnerships.
EOCF has been providing childcare and family support services at no cost to low income and disabled families for over 50 years. They offer Early Head Start, Head Start, early education and assistance, and even youth sport and recreation programs. They help, educate, strengthen and support children and low income families.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Read to children, teach computer classes to parents and staff, help with events, visit centers and share your expertise, and do crafts with children.
Working With Mental Health Needs
Columbia River Mental Health Services
MISSION - Providing behavioral health and recovery services that transform the lives of children, adults, and families in the communities of SW WA.
CRMHS believes: every child is worthy, everyone deserves freedom, anyone can overcome, and lives change here. They offer a variety of adult outpatient, child and family, drug and alcohol, and community services.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Assist with clerical tasks such as organizing, reminder phone calls, and copying. You could also help organize and put on fundraising events with the Columbia River Mental Health Foundation.
MISSION - Helping all people affected by mental illness through education, support, awareness, and advocacy.
NAMI offers their services, free of charge, to individuals and families affected by mental illness. They accomplish their mission through classes and skill programs, support groups, trainings and advocacy programs, to help people better understand mental illness. NAMI relies on fundraising and volunteer support to help those in need.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Lead a mental illness support group, help teach classes, and assist in community outreach.
MISSION - To inspire hope and support life saving changes for people affected by substance use and mental health conditions.
Lifeline Connections strives to provide a safe, confidential, and comfortable place for hope, help, and healing. Lifeline is a treatment center for substance use and mental health conditions. They provide a wide variety of treatment programs for individuals and families.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Help with their mental health camp (Camp Mariposa), be an event photographer, or give administrative/office assistance.
Lutheran Community Services (NW)
MISSION - Partnering with individuals, families, and communities for health, justice, and hope.
At Lutheran Community Services (LCS) they help vulnerable individuals, children, families and immigrants to overcome life challenges and become successful community members. LCS enriches their community by promoting the diversity and strengths of people who have overcome adversity. They teach parenting classes, have after school programs, and provide substance use treatment and mental health counseling to those most in need.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Host a clothing drive, be a crisis response advocate, help with support groups, and much more. Volunteer opportunities come and go. Contact their volunteer coordinator to see more ways you can get involved.
Sea Mar: Community Health Center
MISSION - Committed to providing quality comprehensive health, human, housing, educational and cultural services to diverse communities.
Sea Mar supports diverse communities without any regard to sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, immigrations status, gender, or ability to pay for services. They don’t just offer mental/behavioral health services, they also offer preventative health, medical and dental care, community and service learning, and even long term care.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Be a care coordinator, medical assistant, or administrative assistant, or greet community members as they visit.
Working With the Earth and Environment
MISSION - Inspiring people to improve the world around them by planting trees together.
Friends of Trees has a simple solution to achieve their mission: people planting trees together. They grow healthy communities through neighborhood plantings, green space plantings, and tree care and maintenance. They do it, while bringing people and communities together.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Be a tree planter, truck driver, crew leader, bike planter, or a summer tree simpector. Look at their events calendar and register for a planting near you!
Water Resources Education Center
MISSION - To teach people of all ages how to better care for and make wise decisions about water.
The city of Vancouver established the Water Resources Education Center in 1996, to help teach and show community members how to use water wisely. They provide fun educational programs about earth science, water, and animals. They also put on events to educate and entertain. Admission at the center is always free!
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Guide activities, teach about environmental resources, and support them with their special events.
MISSION - Providing information about ways to live sustainably at home and encouraging leaving a light footprint on the earth by living in a way that reduces impacts on our natural world.
Clark County Green Neighbors wants to educate community members how-to reduce, ruse, recycle and protect the natural environment. They have countless educational programs and opportunities about living sustainably. They put on events to promote, advocate, educate, and entertain community members about how they can help protect the Earth.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Become a master composter or recycler volunteer, work in their natural garden, or contribute to their Recycled Arts Festival.
MISSION - Restoring the Salmon Creek watershed by proactively addressing its problems with volunteer power.
Clark Public Utilities’ Stream Team is committed to restoring the Salmon Creek watershed. Their program has been driven by the power of amazing volunteers since 1992. Every year they put on an Earth Day Fest. They have planted over 15,000 trees and removed thousands of pounds of invasive plants along the watershed on their annual Fest since 1999.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Pick up trash along the stream, remove invasive plants hurting the ecosystem, help and contribute to their art contests, or assist with plantings.
Citizens Climate Lobby- Vancouver Chapter
MISSION - To provide a respectful, non-partisan approach to climate education.
The Citizens Climate Lobby builds political support for climate action through education, lobbying, and advocacy. Their solution to climate change is democracy. Lobbying for prices on pollution and finding alternative innovative energy sources is their work. This organization believes that people are good, democracy works and they stand for a solution to climate change, not to protest other solutions.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Become a climate advocate and meet with congressional leaders, write letters to editors and op eds, meet with local media, and educate your community about this issue.
Working With the Hungry
MISSION - To alleviate hunger and its root causes.
The Clark County Food Bank strives to be a positive influence on their community. They have a vision to inspire and grow a network of community health, and a mission to provide emergency food relief to families, by implementing a preventive stance on hunger. Their food bank collects and distributes food. They are involved with farming and gardening, with local farmers, and with community outreach, advocacy, and nutrition education.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Work in the food bank and sort and inspect donations. Care for crops in their local farms. Help teach nutrition education and cooking classes.
MISSION - To nourish families and children and demonstrate strong stewardship of the resources entrusted to us as we serve the community.
FISH offers a “full meal deal” to their shoppers. This deal involves a 3-5 day food supply to families in need, once a month. At FISH they stress the importance of educating and advocating about the needs of the hungry. Their food bank is set up like a grocery store, providing free emergency food for over 45 years.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Collect, stock, and organize food donations. Transport donations. Greet and register clients. Distribute food boxes to clients.
MISSION - To feed and equip people in our community to break the cycles of poverty.
One Life Food Pantry is a grocery style food bank that offers programs; to enrich their community and break the cycle of poverty. They care for the homeless by providing them with food, clothing, hygiene care products, and much more. They also offer nutrition education opportunities and have a Giving Garden that grows organic fruits and vegetables that serves as a source of food donations, and also an educational learning garden to teach how community members can grow foods at home.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Become a nutrition meal coordinator or a volunteer shopper and help clients shop. Work in their Giving Garden, stock shelves, and much more.
MISSION - To improve the quality of life for people living with AIDS/HIV in SW WA.
Martha’s Pantry started in the 1980’s when AIDS was heavily impacting the LGBTQ community. Concerned community members would distribute food to affected people. It is now an organization that "welcomes all and helps all." They distribute food, personal hygiene and toiletry items, clothing, household cleaning items, pet foods and toys, and paper and plastic goods to those in need.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Work directly in the pantry. or help with fundraisers/events.
The Center: Clark County Adventist Community Services
MISSION - To reach people with God’s love by nourishing the body, informing the mind, and strengthening the spirit through charitable, educational, and health ministries.
In 1968 the Seventh-day Adventist Church saw a great need, and built an organization, and center, dedicated to helping. The Center provides clothing and food to Clark County members in need, and educates with workshops about gardening and the environment.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - The Center has various volunteer opportunities, like helping around the center, or with events and workshops. They also receive donated items.
Thank you for volunteering in the community and making our world a better place!