Volunteer with Seniors

Make a positive impact and build connections with your community by volunteering with seniors. You can choose from a variety of volunteer opportunities located at the North Berkeley Senior Center, South Berkeley Senior Center, or at the Meals on Wheels office. Volunteers gain job experience and community service hours, and make meaningful connections with staff, seniors, and fellow volunteers.

volunteer opportunities

There are many ways you can help seniors in Berkeley—choose one that aligns with your interests and schedule. Learn more about regular volunteer opportunities below. We also welcome ideas for other ways to support our seniors. Reach out if you have a class you want to teach, or some other way you are interested in helping.

Prepare and distribute groceries for the Mercy Brown Bag program

Location: South Berkeley Senior Center
Shifts available on: 1st and 3rd Fridays, 9 am – 11 am

Help ensure that seniors with a low income have access to fresh and nutritious food. Volunteers are needed to pack groceries into bags and to distribute the bags to seniors.

Prepare and serve meals at our dining hall

Location: South Berkeley Senior Center
Shifts available on: Thursdays, 11 am – 1 pm

Location: North Berkeley Senior Center
Shifts available on: Wednesdays, 11 am – 1 pm

The Senior Center meal program is an opportunity for members of our community to gather and enjoy a hot meal, prepared fresh. Volunteers help prepare meals in the kitchen and serve meals to seniors at our dining hall.

Prepare and distribute food for Grab and Go program

Location: South Berkeley Senior Center
Shifts available on: Tuesdays, 8 am-12 pm

Seniors can pick up nutritious meals curbside through the Grab and Go program. Volunteers are needed to prepare the packaged meals and distribute to participants.

Prepare and deliver food for Meals on Wheels program

Location: Meals on Wheels office, 1925 9th St., Berkeley
Shifts available on: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 8 am – 10 am or 10 am – 12 pm

Meals on Wheels delivers nutritious meals to around 200 homebound seniors across Berkeley. Volunteers help pack and deliver meals. You can choose to pack meals from 8 am – 10 am, deliver meals from 10 am – 12 pm, or do both.

You can expect to make 8-15 deliveries during your shift, which should take about an hour driving. You can also request a walking or biking route to make deliveries without a car.

General support at the Senior Centers

Location: North Berkeley Senior Center
Shifts available: Monday, Wednesday - Friday, 9 am -3 pm

Location: South Berkeley Senior Center
Shifts available: Monday -Thursday, 9 am -3 pm

Support with general needs, such as front desk, office work, special projects (e.g. Center surveys and senior registration), coffee bar, paratransit services, or teaching a course.

Volunteer requirements

You must be 18 or older to volunteer on your own. Volunteers under 18 are also welcome with adult supervision.

To volunteer, you must provide proof of up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination. You are up-to-date on vaccinations if you meet one of the following conditions:

• It has been less than two months since you received the initial dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or
• It has been less than five months since you received the second dose of the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna initial series, or
• You have received a booster.

For the safety of our staff, seniors, and fellow volunteers, please wear a mask while volunteering.

To volunteer as a driver with Meals on Wheels, you will need a valid driver’s license, a vehicle, and current auto insurance. You should be able to lift at least 25 lbs.

Application process

To start volunteering, please reach out to us by phone or email:

Volunteer at the North Berkeley Senior Center

• (510) 981-5193
• seniors@cityofberkeley.info

Volunteer at the South Berkeley Senior Center

• (510) 981-5202
• seniors@cityofberkeley.info

Volunteer with Meals on Wheels

• (510) 981-5250
• mealsonwheels@cityofberkeley.info

We will ask you to fill out a volunteer application form. As part of the application, we will ask you to give consent for us to run a background check. Once those steps are complete, we will coordinate a day for your first shift!

We ask volunteers to commit to at least one shift each week. If you aren’t able to commit to a weekly shift, you can still sign up to be “on call.” We will contact you if we are short on volunteers to see if you’re able to come in.

Volunteer for the length of time that works for your life. You can have a big impact whether you're with us for a few months or a few years.