Habitat's Top 3 Volunteer Opportunities this Summer

Summer at Habitat for Humanity is an experience you’ll want to write home about.

Maybe it’s the longer days. Maybe it’s the free time that comes with summer vacations or summer Fridays. Whatever the reason, we love volunteers gathering on our construction sites, in our workshops, or at ReStores over the summer, because building affordable housing in the Bay Area is a year-round kind of job!

If you’re hoping to spend the season gaining new experiences, meeting new people, and giving back to your community, you’re in luck – Habitat’s got summer volunteer opportunities for groups and individuals!

Whether you’re a college student between semesters, a corporate group looking to get out of the office (or out of the house!), or just someone with some free time you’d like to share, here are Habitat’s top 3 ways to get involved over the summer:

1. Volunteer on Site 

Like we said, building affordable housing in the Bay Area is a year-round job, and summer is when our construction sites get hot. Don’t worry about the actual heat when volunteering at Habitat during the summer – construction site volunteers start their days early when the days are cool, get plenty of breaks through the day, and wrap up in the afternoon with enough time to enjoy your long summer evenings!

Zero construction experience is needed to volunteer at Habitat for Humanity, but that doesn’t mean you won’t make a big difference. Our trained construction crew leaders are there to help individuals and teach teams of volunteers the day’s tasks every step of the way.

We currently have weekday volunteer opportunities and a few weekends open for volunteers on our construction projects in Walnut Creek, Oakland, and San Jose.

If you’re a corporate group looking to get your co-workers together to volunteer, please complete this Team Building inquiry form, and a member of our Team Building crew will reach out to help coordinate your volunteer day!

2. Volunteer with our Playhouse Program

Release your inner creative and pitch in with our Playhouse Program! Individuals 16 and older are invited to volunteer as Playhouse Prep volunteers. It’s a fantastic way to learn or practice a variety of carpentry and painting skills, keep our workshops running smoothly, and support a critical (and adorable) fundraising program that bolsters our mission – and we’ve got volunteer opportunities in Oakland and Milpitas! Click here to learn more.

Prep volunteers even have the opportunity to learn how builds run and can become integral volunteer leaders at some of our bigger Playhouse builds!

Corporate Team Volunteer Opportunity - Playhouse Village

All those Playhouse Prep volunteers do the important work of getting us geared up for Playhouse Builds – especially our big builds. Speaking of big builds, our Playhouse Program is excited to host corporate groups during our first Playhouse Village Build! Throughout the month of August, corporate volunteers will come together as teams – for the first time in months, for many – to build a town’s worth of playhouses! Teams will have fun working together outside the office and off the webcams, designing, painting, and building a playhouse for a local family. Playhouses built as part of Playhouse Village will be displayed at the Kids Zone of Oakland First Fridays. The public will then vote for the winning playhouse, and that team will receive the “Key to the Village.”

For more information, please reach out to TeamBuilding@HabitatEBSV.org.

3. Volunteer at ReStore

We get it – building isn’t everyone’s idea of a great summer, but what about shopping? Think treasured finds, good deals on furniture, appliances, and more, and – yes – AC! All of that can be found at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore! As a volunteer, you get an exclusive look at ReStore’s always-changing inventory by helping with donation intake, product merchandising, marketing, and so much more. We have volunteer opportunities in Concord and San Jose for both groups and individuals. The deals and flexibility aren’t even the best part!

As with all Habitat volunteer experiences, volunteers will end their day knowing that they made a difference in the Bay Area’s affordable housing crisis. By giving your time and sharing your talents with Habitat, you are supporting change that will be felt for generations, change that will impact entire neighborhoods, and change that will build communities for everyone.

Love your experience on site? Join our community of Regular Volunteers and come back on a regular basis! Email our volunteer team to learn how to get started!