Volunteer

By volunteering your time, passion, and skills, you are helping us end homelessness in Austin together.

Volunteers are helping create a more vibrant Austin for all as they partner with staff members and clients to build well-being. Whether it’s serving a nutritious lunch, working with clients directly to achieve their life goals, or supporting staff members to make our programs even stronger, you are helping end homelessness together.

Use the form below to tell us where you’re interested in volunteering and a staff member will follow up with you within two business days. Please note that all volunteer opportunities arise on an as-needed basis, and if our current offerings do not match your desired service, we can keep you in our database and contact you when they do.

Sign Up to Volunteer

Current Volunteer Opportunities

Hygiene Care Kits - These kits will help individuals experiencing homelessness who come to Caritas of Austin to access hygiene products. Project consists of filling plastic bags with the following items: shampoo, conditioner, toilet paper (if available), body wash, razors, deodorant. These kits will be handed out to our walk-in clients. Sharing this project on your personal social media is greatly appreciated!

Snack Care Kits - These kits will help individuals experiencing homelessness who come to Caritas of Austin to access healthy snacks.
Project consists of filling plastic bags with the following items (if not all are available, as many as you can find): granola bars, Slim Jims, dried fruit, nuts, crackers, water bottles, Emergen-C or Vitamin C packets. These items will be handed out to our walk-in clients. Sharing this project on your personal social media is greatly appreciated!

That Time of the Month Packs - These kits will help individuals experiencing homelessness who come to Caritas of Austin to access needed period products.
Project consists of filling plastic bags with the following items: 5 regular flow tampons, 5 heavy flow tampons, 10 pads, 5 panty liners, new underwear, a hot pad, hand sanitizer, disposable wipes, chocolate or candy, and a biodegradable disposable bag. Sharing this project on your personal social media is greatly appreciated!

Winter Care Kits - These kits will help individuals experiencing homelessness who come to Caritas of Austin to access needed winter weather supplies.
Project consists of filling plastic bags with the following item: winter gloves/mittens, scarf, beanie, socks, plastic poncho and handwarmers. Sharing this project on your personal social media is greatly appreciated!

Winter Preparedness Kits - These kits will help individuals experiencing homelessness who come to Caritas of Austin to access needed emergency winter weather supplies.
Project consists of filling backpacks with the following items: wool blanket or sleeping bag, bungee cords, batteries, bottled water, handwarmers, flashlight, radio and socks. Sharing this project on your personal social media is greatly appreciated!

*If you are a business looking to assemble Care Kits, please email our Corporate Partner Coordinator, Perla Carranza, at pcarranza@caritasofaustin.org.

Prepare and serve lunch to people experiencing homelessness and in need of a quality meal.

Volunteer Shifts: Every Monday – Friday from 9:00am - 1:30pm. (New volunteers must arrive at 8:45 on their first shift for an orientation.)

Training: Onsite training included in volunteer shift

Age Requirement: Must be 13 years or older. Any volunteer under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Individual or Group: Both! Most of our individual Community Kitchen volunteers serve one 4.5 hour shift per week. We are also able to accommodate groups of up to 15 individuals.

If you or some people in your group are unable to attend your volunteering shift, please email Hana Garner, our Volunteer Coordinator, at hgarner@caritasofaustin.org, so we can refill your spots. A full shift of volunteers ensures we are able to prepare and distribute meals on time. We unfortunately can NOT open the Community Kitchen if we have less than 10 volunteers, so please let us know if you are unable to attend.

Caritas of Austin’s Direct Service Volunteers work one-on-one with clients to build wellbeing in their lives and help people achieve their life goals.

Here are a few examples:

  • Assist with apartment setup for a family or individual moving into housing after experiencing homelessness.
  • Work one-on-one with an individual with a disability experiencing chronic homelessness as he/she transitions to a new life in permanent supportive housing.
  • Assist low-income families as they move toward stability including guidance on effective money management, finding affordable housing, or gaining new employment.

Volunteer Shifts: 6-8 hours per week for a minimum of four months. Volunteers must be available during Caritas of Austin business hours.

Training: 7-18 hours of Caritas University training, depending on volunteer role

Age Requirement: Must be 18 years or older

Individual or Group: This opportunity is best suited for individuals.

For more information or to apply, please contact Hana Garner, our Volunteer Coordinator, at hgarner@caritasofaustin.org.

Use your skills to provide administrative support at the Caritas of Austin offices.

Volunteer duties can include everything from filing, shredding, data entry, assisting with outreach efforts, or helping prepare for audits.

Volunteer Shifts: Shifts are available Monday - Friday from 9:00am - 5:00pm

Training: Dependent on assignment

Age Requirement: Must be 16 years or older

Individual or Group: This opportunity is best suited for individuals.

For more information or to apply, please contact Hana Garner, our Volunteer Coordinator, at hgarner@caritasofaustin.org.

Caritas of Austin needs your assistance picking up in-kind donations and delivering them to our offices throughout the year.

Deliveries and pick-ups might include dropping off food drive barrels and picking up finished food drive collections, furniture, gift baskets, and other household items.

Volunteer Shifts: Delivery must occur during Caritas of Austin's business hours, but shifts are flexible based on your schedule and delivery needs; must be willing to use own transportation.


View Printable List of Volunteer Opportunities

Questions?

Sign up here to become a volunteer. For any volunteering questions, contact volunteer@caritasofaustin.org.

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