Become a Volunteer   |   Volunteer Login   |   Volunteer Training Dates   |   Roles and Activities

Giving Back

The ongoing commitment of a thoughtful and dedicated corps of volunteers is integral to the Karsh Family Social Service Center’s work. Their energy, passion, and support have been pivotal to Karsh’s success in serving our community.

Karsh Family Social Service Center (Koreatown)

We are proud to offer a variety of volunteer opportunities, which grow and change in response to the needs of our community. We look forward to having you join us in building a stronger, kinder, more compassionate community.

All of our volunteers must complete a 2-step process prior to volunteering:

Submit Volunteer Application

Submit our volunteer application here.

  • Create a username and password, on the left side of the screen, and then you will be guided through our application.
  • Volunteers under 18 years old will need a parent/guardian to complete the “waivers/agreements” section of the application on their behalf. Our general volunteer activities are open to volunteers ages 10 and up. Volunteers ages 10 – 15 must volunteer with a parent/guardian.
  • Check out our help guide for submitting an application.
  • If the application says your email already exists in the system, you may already have a profile from volunteering in the past or at special events (eg the Big Give). Please reach out to volunteers@karshcenter.org for assistance accessing your profile.

Attend General Volunteer Orientation and Info Session

Attend our general volunteer orientation and info session.

  • Join us to learn more about our program and get trained to volunteer with us at one of our upcoming orientations, hosted at least twice a month!
  • At our Zoom orientation, you will meet Karsh staff, learn more about the community we serve and our service model, get details of our most up-to-date volunteer needs, on-site policies and safety procedures, see how to sign up for volunteer shifts, and more.

Upcoming Volunteer Training Dates

All Karsh Center orientations take place on Zoom. During your session, you will meet Karsh staff; learn more about our service model and the community we serve; review our on-site policies and safety procedures; explore our current volunteer needs; and find out how to sign up for volunteer shifts. This orientation specifically focuses on volunteering at our Koreatown site.

In order for us to get better acquainted, we require your camera to be on for the duration of the orientation.

August 19th: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Register here

In-Person at the Karsh Center (Glazer Campus)

September 10th: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Register here

September 28th: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Register here

October 8th: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Register here

October 26th: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Register here

Stay tuned, more orientation dates are added monthly!

Volunteers Roles and Activities

General On-Site Volunteer Activities

These activities are foundational to our programs and operations at the Karsh Center, helping ensure we are able to meet our commitment to the community on a daily basis. To participate in these activities, volunteers must be at least 10 years old, and 10-15-year-old volunteers must volunteer with a parent or guardian (the parent/guardian must also complete an application and be oriented as a volunteer). Certain roles require volunteers to be at least 18 years old, and those requirements are outlined in the volunteer sign-up system. 

Preparing Diaper Bags

Description What’s next
Help prepare bags of diapers and childcare essentials for distribution to families who come in for appointments to receive diapers and groceries. Access to diapers at the Karsh Center is critical for our client families, and this volunteer role will help prepare individualized diaper bags based on the child’s size for each family scheduled to come in the next day. Submit a volunteer application and attend a Zoom orientation. After completing this onboarding process, you will be able to sign up for any available shifts!

Description What’s next
Through our weekly food pantries, the Karsh Center distributes between 750 – 900 bags of nutritious, high-quality groceries to individuals and families in our community experiencing hunger or food insecurity. Volunteers in this role sort essential items, pack groceries and prepare other items for client families ahead of our distributions. An ideal volunteer for this role enjoys independent, efficient, and detail-oriented work, and is comfortable being on their feet, moving and lifting for 1.5 – 2 hours at a time.  Submit a volunteer application and attend a Zoom orientation. After completing this onboarding process, you will be able to sign up for any available shifts!

Description What’s next
Karsh Mobile provides food and diaper delivery to homebound individuals who may not be able to come to the Karsh Center due to advanced age, a disability or handicap, or having an infant in their home. By becoming a Karsh Mobile delivery volunteer, you can ensure that these individuals can access the essentials that they and their families need. Karsh Mobile volunteers are paired with another volunteer and use their own cars to make deliveries to a “route” of 3-6 pre-screened clients’ homes. Volunteers will drive together to each stop and hand off supplies to clients at their door. This role requires an ongoing commitment of the first and third Thursday of the month for at least three months, as well as an additional level of training/screening.  Submit a volunteer application, and contact volunteers@karshcenter.org to learn more and be notified of the next Karsh Mobile-specific training.

Description What’s next
High-quality, fresh produce is a staple of our weekly food distributions at the Karsh Center, where each client gets a bag of nonperishables as well as fresh produce for a household of four. Thanks to donations of produce we receive from food rescue organizations such as Food Forward and Seeds of Hope, as well as produce we purchase directly, we have hundreds of pounds of produce we pack each week, and we rely on volunteer help to sort through this beautiful bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables, and assemble smaller bags of produce to distribute to members of our community. Many volunteers have called our produce-sorting activities “meditative,” and we are grateful for the help preparing this great resource for client families! Submit a volunteer application and attend a Zoom orientation. After completing this onboarding process, you will be able to sign up for any available shifts!

Description What’s next
Join our Food Pantry team for the program that inspired the founding of the Karsh Center, the Sunday Food Pantry! Each Sunday, the Leanse Ratner Family Food Pantry team creates and distributes hundreds of bags filled with fresh produce, dry goods, and refrigerated items to clients facing food insecurity. You can help make this distribution possible! Volunteers in this role work as part of a team of 6 – 8 volunteers to add fresh produce and frozen proteins to bags of nonperishable items and hand those items off to clients who come to the pantry. Volunteers must be at the pantry at or before 7:30 in the morning. An ideal volunteer for this role enjoys fast-paced work, is highly collaborative, and cares deeply about food security. Submit a volunteer application and attend a Zoom orientation. After completing this onboarding process, you will be able to sign up for any available shifts!

Description What’s next
One Sunday per month, the Karsh Center and QueensCare host a first-come first-serve walk-in clinic for clients at our Sunday Food Pantry to receive basic healthcare screenings and support. We host a limited number of volunteer spaces to support this activity, including helping check clients in and answering questions while they wait for a visit with a nurse. Submit a volunteer application and attend a Zoom orientation. After completing this onboarding process, you will be able to sign up for any available shifts!

Description What’s next
Help the Karsh Center continue to understand the needs of our community, our impact, and plan for future programs by volunteering to do data entry! This is a great role for someone comfortable on a computer and learning different online programs and systems, and appreciates the way that data tells an important story. There are a limited number of data entry volunteer activities, and additional training is required. Start by submitting a volunteer application and attend a Zoom orientation. 

After completing this onboarding process, notify the Karsh Center volunteer engagement staff that you are interested in data entry specifically, and they will set up a one-on-one training session with you to train for any open data entry shifts/activities as needed.

Description What’s next
Ready to put your vehicle to good use for your community? Help the Karsh Center by picking up essential items, such as produce from Food Forward at the Santa Monica Farmers Market,  and bring it to the Karsh Center for us to distribute to families and individuals experiencing food insecurity. Volunteers must drive their own vehicles, have a current CA state driver’s license, and be fully insured. Large vehicle required. Submit a volunteer application and attend a Zoom orientation. After completing this onboarding process, notify the Karsh Center volunteer engagement staff that you are interested in driving/donation pick-up activities, and they will add you to our call list for when pick-up/driving needs arise!

Special Volunteer Opportunities

Looking for something different from our daily, on-site activities? Below is more information about specialized volunteer opportunities for groups or volunteers with specific skills.

At-Home Kit-Making

Description What’s next
We are grateful for the support of many volunteers who decide to help from home by packing kits for our community! For at-home kit-making, the Karsh Center provides a list of items we are in need of, and volunteers will purchase their own supplies and assemble kits at home to donate to our community. This is a great project for groups, or for families with children who are too young to volunteer on-site at the Karsh Center but still want to help. 

Depending on the time of year, our most needed kits vary. In the past, our most needed kits have included Super Snack Bags, Hygiene Kits, New Baby Bags, Winter Kits, Children’s Activity Kits, and more.

Are you interested in organizing a kit-making project? Please contact volunteers@karshcenter.org to learn more!

Description What’s next
Are you an attorney, practicing or retired, paralegal, law student, or other legal professional who would like to lend your services to those in need? Throughout the year, the Karsh Center hosts legal clinics in collaboration with legal services nonprofit organizations to assist the most vulnerable in our community and also works with several legal service Collaborators to help connect volunteers to organizations serving our clients in the most needed areas of the law. In the past, this has included wills and advanced directives, housing and tenant rights, guardianship, elder abuse prevention, domestic violence and family law, immigration and asylum support, bankruptcy counseling and more.  If you are interested in receiving updates when the Karsh Center hosts volunteer legal clinics, and/or being connected with a Karsh Center legal Collaborator organization to put your skills to use on an on-going basis, please email volunteers@karshcenter.org for more information and to be added to our legal listserv.

Group Volunteer Activities

Volunteering together can be a great way to facilitate teamwork, to learn about the community, and to share your time in service of others!

The Karsh Center hosts a limited number of activities throughout the year for small groups, depending upon availability. If you are a representative of a school, company, or other small group looking for an organized group volunteer activity, please complete this interest form or contact our volunteer engagement staff at volunteers@karshcenter.org to learn more.