HandsOn San Diego

Amplify Your Gift and Strengthen Not Just One, but MANY Nonprofits!

Auntie Helen's operates a thrift store that is filled with merchandise donated by their loyal supporters. The earnings from its sales is what they use to feed over 400 families weekly, giving hungry families a week's worth of groceries. For years, Auntie Helen's struggled with having enough staff to maintain consistency. And then the pandemic lockdowns hit! They were considered an essential business so they could stay open, but even their inconsistent staffing dried up. Executive Director Rod Legg found himself working entirely by himself without ever having a break. Luckily, he learned of HandsOn San Diego.

HandsOn answered many of their day-to-day problems by sending hard-working volunteers to fit their specific needs. The volunteers helped sort donations, fill bags of groceries, organize the sidewalk sale, and kept the floors mopped and cleaned. Best of all, Rod was finally able to start taking some time off again. 

"Thank you HandsOn for helping us be all we can be to San Diego! Partnerships like this are valuable and much needed in these times uncertainty!" Rodd Legg, Executive Director

HandsOn San Diego is celebrating 10 years and 100,000 hours!

HandsOn San Diego is celebrating 10 years of service to the San Diego community! Since our founding in 2013, over 40,500 San Diegans have found their way to give back, completing over 12,600 volunteer projects and serving more than an amazing 100,000 hours!

Give a gift today to continue HandsOn San Diego's work in supporting our community.

HandsOn San Diego is the county’s only regional nonprofit focused solely on connecting volunteers with community needs. Our mission is to strengthen communities through volunteer action. We believe that when individuals are actively engaged, communities are stronger. 

What HandsOn San Diego does.

• Offer San Diegans ways to volunteer in causes that interest them and that fit their schedules.
• Recruit and manage volunteers for nonprofits throughout the county.
• Certify President's Volunteer Service Awards for teens and adults in San Diego County.
• Assist 211 San Diego in deploying volunteers in times of disaster.
• Offer an easy and affordable way for court-ordered service to be completed and verified.

What some the HandsOn San Diego partners are saying about us.

The volunteers of HandsOn San Diego helped us keep the Lucky Duck Food & Water Initiative going strong despite our kitchen being in quarantine for almost 2 months. With the help of volunteers, we produced about 70,000 meal kits for San Diego's unsheltered neighbors during the height of the pandemic's surge. We will always be grateful to HandsOn San Diego for connecting us with many wonderful volunteers, and we look forward to continuing this partnership in order to serve our most vulnerable neighbors. Will Shea, Lucky Duck Foundation

Your help with recruiting volunteers has added a layer of comfort to ensure that we have volunteers. If we schedule a distribution, we know that volunteers will show up. HOSD has been a huge help, especially during these uncertain times. Claudia Montenegro, Porchlight Community Services

PATH San Diego is so grateful for our partnership with HandsOn San Diego. Since we started working together we have not only been able to increase the number of onsite volunteer opportunities but we have designed new and impactful remote opportunities as well. Together we were able to create programs geared towards all ages and have implemented home cooking, knitting, research, crafting and social media opportunities that have resulted in beautifying client homes, addressing food insecurity, marketing on PATH’s programs and boosting client self-esteem. Our clothing closet has been transformed into a warm and inviting place for clients to come and get much needed items thanks to the increase in number of groups participating in this opportunity. We look forward to a continued partnership with HandsOn San Diego and supporting our clients in need. Sigrid Struben, People Assisting the Homeless

Having additional volunteers has been a helpful boost to our program now that pandemic restrictions are lifted. With the help of HandsOn volunteers, Healthy Day Partners is able to meet and exceed weekly production goals in preparing Grab & Grow Gardens that help San Diego's food insecure families learn how to grow their own healthy food. And it has been an absolute pleasure to meet so many wonderful volunteers through your service. Thank you! Mim Michelove, Healthy Day Partners

Sign up here to become a volunteer!