For some, the holiday spirit revolves around giving back to their community. Luckily for those who carry these beliefs or for those who want to begin a new tradition, the Central Coast is offering some fun, festive volunteering opportunities this holiday season.
Have you ever walked by Mission Plaza in San Luis Obispo during the holiday season and wondered what that big red house is and how you can get a peek inside? Well, it’s Santa’s seasonal home, and Rachel Lackmann, marking and communications manager for Downtown SLO, said Santa’s House is always looking for volunteer elves to make magic for families.
“Basically, we need elves to help us run Santa’s House, and it’s actually a super fun and really cool program because it’s fully volunteer operated,” she said. “So if you volunteer as an elf, you get to dress up in elf ears and aprons.”
Santa’s House runs from Nov. 29 until Dec. 24 and is open Thursday through Sunday from 1 to 7 p.m.
“You can do a couple of different duties,” Lackmann said. “You can either take the photos for the kids, so you’ll take the photos on the camera for families. You can monitor the line, get people excited to meet Santa, or you’ll work inside taking payment, printing photos, and just kind of running the operations of it.”
Each shift is three hours, and Lackmann said volunteers have to be 15 years or older, but younger elves are welcome if they are accompanied by a parent or guardian.
If being one of Santa’s minions isn’t your calling, Lackmann said they’re always looking for volunteers to help with the Downtown SLO Holiday Parade.
“It’s Friday, Dec. 6, and we need people to do all kinds of tasks,” she said. “From monitoring the barricades at each place where the streets are closed to walking the parade and making sure that families and kiddos stay on the sidewalk.”
Although the parade begins at 7 p.m., the one-day volunteering shift will be from 4 until 10 p.m. As an incentive, the crew will get free pizza.
To volunteer with Downtown SLO for either event, visit downtownslo.com/get-involved/volunteer.
Community members can also help support the Reindeer Run 5K in SLO.
Starting at 9 a.m. at Mitchell Park on Dec. 7 and finishing at 11 a.m., the event helps raise money for the SLO County Friday Night Live, a youth development program that benefits young people across the county, according to its website.
The event is looking for volunteers to come at 7 a.m. to help with course guidance, food support, and setup and cleanup. Sign-ups are available at slofnl.com/contact-4.
If you’re looking for a more permanent gig, then you’re in luck because there are a quite a few organizations looking for volunteers year-round.
Serving SLO County, the SLO Food Bank has four different areas to help in: harvesting produce from farmers, packing food items in their warehouse, handing out bags of food to individuals at one of the Neighborhood Food Distributions, or educating the public during special events about hunger in the community.
Children ages 12 and up can volunteer by searching for available shifts on the calendar at slofoodbank.volunteerhub.com/vv2.
The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County is also always on the lookout for volunteers to help fundraise, work in the warehouse, glean backyard bounties, staff events, and support one of the Foodbank’s many programs, including Older Adult Nutrition, Healthy School Pantry, and food distribution.
Visit foodbanksbc.org/give-help/volunteer to learn more. You can volunteer in either North or South Santa Barbara County.
For handy people with a knack for fixing things, Repair Café in Grover Beach is accepting volunteers to help repair broken items and teach others the necessary skill set.
Originally founded as a way to help combat the “unsustainable amount of waste” being generated by humans, a small group of South County residents decided to advocate for repairing and reusing broken items.
Volunteers are responsible for repairing bicycles, small appliances, and electronics, as well as helping with social media content and registering visitors. To apply, visit repaircafe5cities.org.
In Santa Maria, Rescue Mission Alliance Central Coast is looking for folks who want to help Santa Barbara County’s homeless population.
“Poverty and homelessness are often accompanied by hunger, malnutrition, physical or mental disabilities,” the Rescue Mission states on its website. “With our comprehensive assistance in overcoming barriers to healthy and financially secure lives, our clients are able to break out of a continuous cycle of economic distress, homelessness, and a wide range of physical, mental, and social issues.”
Volunteers can help with shower outreach; packing lunches and distributing them in homeless encampments along with clothing and toiletries; packing and distributing grocery bags to low-income families; and doing event planning, setup, and cleanup.
Fill out an online application at ccrescuemission.org/volunteer. Δ
Reach Staff Writer Samantha Herrera at sherrera@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Holiday Guide 2024.