Giving at Any Age

What if you have a heart of gold, but a bank account of cobwebs? You may have more to give than you think, regardless of your demographic.

For kids: I Love a Clean San Diego has been beautifying our beaches, canyons, and parks for more than 60 years. Volunteers of all ages are encouraged to join in, with kid-friendly tasks like stenciling “no dumping” signs on storm

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For families: San Diego’s food banks need many hands to inspect, sort, label, and pack thousands of pounds in donated food, and invites groups as young as middle schoolers to volunteer. sandiegofoodbank.org, feedingamericasd.org

For professionals: Many colleges pair students with people in the workforce for career advice and job shadowing. Last year, SDSU’s Aztec Mentor Program made 800 matches.

For seniors: The San Diego Police Department’s Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol program seeks law-abiding locals over age 50 to monitor neighborhoods and check in on elderly and disabled residents. RSVP participants get three eight-hour shifts per month.

Want more volunteer ideas? The online database Volunteer Match lets you search opportunities by city, cause, and keywords.

Giving at Any Age

I Love a Clean San Diego