Here's a list of Seattle-area volunteer groups and organizations, organized by cause area:
🍎 Food & Hunger
- Food Lifeline — Sort and repack food at their Hunger Solution Center to feed thousands facing hunger across Western Washington. Welcomes individuals, families, and corporate groups.
- FareStart — Teaches cooking skills to those who've had trouble finding stable employment and serves food to schools and shelters. Needs support for community meals, data admin, and the transportation team.
- Jewish Family Service (JFS) — Often looking for food delivery drivers, food bank volunteers, and Friendly Visitor volunteers.
🌿 Environment & Parks
- Green Seattle Partnership — Volunteers help restore and maintain Seattle's forested parks. No experience necessary — training is provided on arrival.
- Arboretum Foundation — Does everything from grounds maintenance to fundraising at one of Seattle's most treasured greenspaces. Volunteers are usually needed in the Garden Stewards program.
- Black Farmers Collective — Works to develop a Black farmer-led food system, with volunteer opportunities on Saturdays.
👧 Youth & Education
- Treehouse — A Central District organization that aids youth in foster care, with opportunities including career exploration, job shadow hosting, and tutoring.
- Minds Matter of Seattle — Pairs mentors with high school students from low-income families to help them achieve higher education goals. Volunteers can specialize in test prep.
- Page Ahead — Provides books and reading activities for low-income children. Volunteer opportunities include story time, book fairs, and committee work.
- Literacy Source — A Lake City org specializing in adult learning, always looking for one-on-one tutors for math, writing, and GED prep.
🏠 Housing & Social Services
- ROOTS — Relies on volunteers to set up and clean up shelter areas, prepare and serve meals, hand out supplies, and build positive relationships with guests.
- Solid Ground — A well-regarded local organization addressing poverty and homelessness across King County.
- Westside Baby — Provides essentials like diapers and clothing for children in need. Volunteers can help sort donations at the White Center hub.
🏥 Health
- Seattle/King County Clinic — Brings together healthcare organizations and volunteers to produce a giant free health clinic at Seattle Center, offering free dental, vision, and medical care to anyone who struggles to access or afford healthcare.
- Ronald McDonald House Seattle — Provides housing for families with children receiving treatment at Seattle Children's Hospital.
🌍 Refugees & Immigrants
- IRC (International Rescue Committee) — Looking for long-term volunteers who can commit to three months of support in South King County, helping people who have fled violence and persecution rebuild their lives.
- ReWA (Refugee Women's Alliance) — Largest need is with their ESL program, with roles as classroom assistant or 1:1 tutor. No prior ESL experience required.
- ACRS (Asian Counseling and Referral Service) — Looking for support at its food bank, community farm, letter-writing to elders, and administrative tasks.
🎨 Arts & Community
- Seattle ReCreative — Collects materials that would otherwise go to waste and uses them for art classes and play spaces for community youth. Volunteers can help on the retail side or in crafts sections.
- The Vera Project — An all-ages music and arts nonprofit focused on youth empowerment.
Finding More Opportunities:
- United Way of King County (uwkc.org/volunteer) has hundreds of volunteer opportunities throughout King County.
- VolunteerMatch (volunteermatch.org) lets you search by cause, skills, and location.
- Seattle.gov/get-involved lists city-run volunteer programs covering parks, animals, libraries, storm drains, and more.