Volunteering at St. Francis House

St. Francis House is deeply grateful for the dedicated volunteers who give of their time and talent every day. Whether they work in the kitchen, the clothing room, or they tutor guests, our volunteers help ensure the quality of our services for Boston's poor and homeless. Last year, more than 200 volunteers donated 11,000 hours of service. If you would like to join them in helping the less fortunate, read through our listings below and fill out a volunteer application.

Individual Opportunities

• Kitchen/Dining Room: Assist with meal preparation, service, and clean-up. Shifts are available daily from  6:30 am to 1:30 pm.
• Clothing Room: Distribute clothing to guests. Shifts available Monday-Friday, 9 am to 11am.
• Clothing Prep: Large groups (10 to 20 adults) are needed to sort clothes any day of the week.
• Moving Ahead Program: Assist teachers in our job- and life-skills program (GED tutoring, computer skills). Shifts are available Monday-Wednesday from 9 am to 3 pm and Thursday-Friday from 9 am to 12 pm.
• ESOL: Teach English to speakers of other languages.
• Next Step Housing: Lead tenants in activity groups (cooking classes, photography, book or film discussion groups, meditation/spiritual groups, money management, etc.). Schedule can be negotiated, but mainly in the evenings.
• Women’s Center: Lead activity groups or assist with women’s clothing room on Tuesday or Wednesday from 1 to 2 pm.
• Development Department: Assist in raising funds to support programs and services. Schedule can be negotiated.
• Housing: Assist housing staff in advocacy. Shifts available Monday-Thursday, 9 am to 3 pm.

Group Opportunities: 

Saturdays and Sundays:
Maximum Group Size: 6 people
Time commitment (choose between):
7 to 9 am  (serve breakfast)
9 am  to 1:30 pm (prepare, serve, and clean up lunch)

Monday-Friday:
Maximum Group Size: 3 people
Time commitment (choose between): 
7 to 9 am (serve breakfast)
9 am to 1:30 pm (prepare and serve lunch)

Notes:
Occasionally we need groups to help with cleaning or other projects. 
Group commitments can be one-time or ongoing (i.e. every second Saturday).

Offsite Opportunities

• Host an intern from our Moving Ahead Program: support a formerly homeless person as s/he learns about your profession
• Host informational interviews or provide job-shadowing opportunities for Moving Ahead Program students
• Host a fundraiser or informational event to spread the word about St. Francis House
• Run a clothing drive at your school or workplace
• Run a canned food drive to benefit our food pantry

For more information or to schedule a volunteer day, Contact our Volunteer Coordinator.