17 Incredible Places to Volunteer in Portland

Feed The Mass is a nonprofit organization that provides high-quality nutrition to needy people. The FED program delivered by Feed The Mass is designed to combat food insecurity and waste by bringing food that would otherwise go unused to those in need.  The program has saved 115 thousand pounds of food from being wasted and served 170 thousand meals to people in need. 

You can contribute to this fantastic food empowerment initiative by volunteering to prep, cook, and box the food.  All volunteers must wear appropriate clothing and bring comfortable work shoes to cook in. Each shift is about three hours, but volunteers can stay longer and I think it’s a great way to give back to the community.

Animal Aid PDX is one of my favorite nonprofit organizations that runs a free-roam animal shelter for cats and several animal care programs. The organization is committed to improving the welfare of companion animals through rescue and adoption, education, resources, and individualized careers. 

It Takes a Pack is a community supply-sharing initiative by Animal Aid that makes essential animal care supplies available to more people and their pets.

The Animal Aid Cares Fund by Animal Aid is a partnership with local veterinarians, trainers, and behavior whereby urgent medical or behavioral care is provided to animals.  You can volunteer to assist in administrative work, caregiving, socializing, fostering, and rescue. 

Blanchet House of Hospitality is a nonprofit organization offering food, shelter, clothing, and aid to all those in need. They run four programs: Residential Program, Blanchet Farm, Meal Program, and Clothing Program. 

The Residential Program is designed to help people struggling with mental health, addiction, unemployment, and other challenges. Residents of the Blanchet House must perform modern work duties such as preparing and serving food for the public. 

The Meal Program serves those in need with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Clothing Program provides clean clothing to people in need on a first-come, first-serve basis.

You can join the noble efforts of the organization by volunteering in any of these programs. Volunteers must make care kits for people experiencing homelessness, make fresh meals for their needy neighbors, or donate clothing. 

Oregon Humane Society is a nonprofit animal shelter supporting more than 11,000 animals annually. They have no time limit on how long animals can stay at the top.

They are committed to finding the best matches between pets and adopters. 

You can contribute in many ways to help the shelter save animal lives. They offer many volunteering opportunities for adults, youngsters, and groups. 

A nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They run several programs to help such individuals access their community through meaningful, environmentally responsible, and enriching activities. 

All programs are designed to promote social inclusion and social justice by helping people with intellectual development fully participate in community activities.

You can join this community integration initiative by volunteering for the organization. 

The Arc Portland Metro is a donation center providing advocacy, support, and services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The organization offers training and assistance to such individuals through community inclusion activities. 

They run three well-designed programs to help adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) build a good life for themselves.

The Community Support Services train them to perform activities like writing out grocery lists, grocery shopping, and preparing nutritious meals. 

The Recreation Club provides individuals above 15 with IDDs a safe place for in-person gatherings. The self-directed club helps promote self-confidence and self-determination among such individuals.

The center welcomes virtual volunteers throughout the meetings and engages with participants positively 

Paw Team offers veterinary services for the pets of families facing financial hardship. It aids people living on the streets through government housing and transitional shelters. 

They run a robust medical program providing veterinary care to over 1,000 families in Portland annually.

The services offered by Paw Team include weekday appointments and vaccination at their facility in northeast Portland, medication, management of specific chronic conduction, food, and animal supplies.

You can help the Paw Team sustain these services by volunteering for them. 

A nonprofit organization providing education, case monitoring, and resources to court-appointed guardians and other fiduciaries in Oregon on behalf of the court system.

They are committed to protecting the dignity and safety of people under guardianship, including minors and adults with cognitive disabilities. 

Volunteers work closely with guardians and observe individuals under guardianship. They conduct a wellness assessment by interviewing people under control and presenting their findings to the county court. 

House of Dreams is a free-roam shelter that rescues and cares for homeless and abandoned cats. They are committed to providing permanent homes to cats in their facility. Cats living there have their own private space where they can explore, circulate, and curl up. 

They also offer cats for adoption to loving families looking for companion animals. All healthy or treatable cats are welcome at this no-kill shelter.

You can safely engage with House of Dreams by completing the volunteer application on their website.

Volunteers must clean the shelter, groom animals, fundraising help, community outreach, and volunteer coordination. 

Rose Haven is a community center and one-day shelter on Glisan Street in northwest Portland. They are committed to providing day shelter, resources, community connections, and emotional support to women, children, and gender-diverse people affected by poverty, homelessness, and abuse.

They specifically focus their efforts on the marginalized people of Portland. 

You can make a valuable contribution to this initiative through volunteering or donations. All you have to do is fill out an application on their website.

After that, you will receive an invitation to an in-person volunteer orientation via email. 

The Pixie Project is an animal adoption center offering various services, including pet adoption, pet owner education, free spay and neuter, and veterinary care for low-income pet owners. 

They rescue animals from different places and provide them with an urban outlet where animals have maximum exposure to potential adopters. They also offer veterinary and training support to all rescued animals. 

You can help The Pixie Project provide animals with a safe and clean living environment by volunteering for them.

They have many volunteering opportunities, including dog walking, shelter cleaning, event organization, fundraising, and animal transportation. 

Easterseals is a nonprofit organization providing disability services, workforce development, and housing to veterans of the U.S. military and their families, children and adults with disabilities and special needs, individuals with language and literacy barriers, and seniors affected by financial hardship or homelessness. 

You can volunteer for Easterseals Oregon by completing an application form on their website. They’ll’ seek opportunities for you to engage in different activities at their offices, camps, and events. 

Cat Adoption Team is the largest cat-only animal shelter in the Pacific Northwest. They offer adoption, foster care, veterinary services to homeless cats, and low-cost spay and neuter services to owned cats. 

The Sherwood shelter and retail store connects homeless cats with loving families. They run an on-site veterinary hospital, a thrift store, a spay and neuter clinic, and animal care programs like CAT Food Bank, the Nine Lives Transfer Program, and the Animal Shelter Alliance of Portland (ASAP).

You can become a part of the CAT community by volunteering to perform duties like socializing with cats, raising awareness at outreach events, and fundraising,. 

Legacy Hospice Services provides care for terminally ill individuals and those struggling with life-limiting illnesses.

They offer many services, including medical care, pain management, therapies, family counseling, financial guidance, spiritual services, and bereavement support. 

Each patient gets individualized care from the highly skilled hospice team, including a doctor, nurse, bereavement counselor, social worker, chaplain, and volunteer.

Volunteers work with the team to provide patient care and emotional support. 

Store-to-Door of Oregon is a nonprofit organization supporting independent living in the Portland area for seniors and people with disabilities by providing an affordable, personal, volunteer-based grocery shopping and delivery service.

The organization has a 34-year history of delivering nourishment and social connections for our community’s’ most vulnerable citizens. 

They constantly seek like-minded people in our community to help support our organization. 

They have five volunteer opportunities: Order Takers, Grocery Shoppers, Delivery Drivers, Food Box Packers, and Friday Friendly Callers.

Order Takers and Friday Friendly Callers can volunteer remotely from home. 

Portland Homeless Family Solutions is a nonprofit organization that helps homeless families with children move back into safe housing as soon as possible.

They help families sustain their housing long-term by providing rent assistance and case management for up to a year.

They prevent homelessness by paying security deposits, moving costs, and back rent for families. Homeless families get a safe place to sleep with all basic amenities, including food, laundry, showers, clothing, and computers.

They rely on hundreds of volunteers to provide these support services to families. 

Score Portland is a business management consultancy firm that provides education and training to entrepreneurs.

They conduct no-cost or low-cost small business workshops to promote startup formation, growth, and success in the Portland community. 

You can also support small businesses as a volunteer at Score.

You can volunteer based on your qualifications as a business mentor, local workshop presenter, subject matter expert, and project manager for marketing, community outreach, and chapter support.