Volunteer Opportunities

Faculty/Staff Work/Life

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Share a UC Berkeley volunteering opportunity

If you'd like to share a UC Berkeley volunteering opportunity with our campus community, please email kpatchell@berkeley.edu with the details.

Campus Volunteering Opportunities

When we consider Work/Life, we tend to separate it into two areas; work and home, however Work/Life incorporates our whole lives in order to recognize and encourage our whole selves. It encompasses many areas; work, home, community, self, and spiritual life.

This also includes volunteering which can offer meaningful ways to incorporate your values into your daily life. The health benefits of volunteering embraces both you, and the person or community you are helping. Volunteering can introduce you to new friends, concepts, and skills, while providing you with a sense of purpose. It can connect us, while also offering fun ways to engage in community activities and resources. Volunteering can also present an opportunity to apply and adapt workplace skills, such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, project planning, task management, and organization.

Below are a range of campus volunteer opportunities which may be beneficial as you look to engage in our campus community in meaningful ways. 

The Food Pantry

  • Days: Fridays
  • Times: 1:30 pm - 3 pm or 2:30 pm - 4 pm
  • Location: 1st floor of MLK Student Union by the BNorth entrance

Volunteer Role during Staff Pantry hours

The Food Pantry is an emergency relief program that is designed to meet the short-term food security needs of the UC Berkeley community, which includes all UC Berkeley students (undergraduate and graduate), staff, visiting scholars, student researchers, postdocs, and faculty who need food.  

They offer items such as rice, pasta, milk, cereal, freezer items, and fresh produce! 90% volunteer-run, almost entirely by students, and serves thousands of visitors every month! The Food Pantry is currently seeking staff volunteers to help during staff pantry hours on Fridays.

If you are interested, please fill out the form on this website.

The Staff Community Garden

Gathers once a month from noon - 1 pm.

Location: Outside of Li Ka Shing, Mulford, Morgan, and Genetics & Plant Biology.

Volunteers come together to be in the community and to maintain the garden.

Created by staff at UC Berkeley and in sponsorship with Be Well at Work Faculty and Staff Health Programs, the staff garden includes herbs, vegetables, native Californian plants, as well as plants used by the Ohlone.

Sign up to the staff garden email list for scheduling reminders.

Cal Performances

The Cal Performances Volunteer Usher Program

Volunteer Ushers stuff programs with announcements, tear tickets at doors, show patrons to their seats, pass out programs, and answer questions. In exchange for approximately three hours of their time before and during a show, volunteer ushers are permitted to stay and watch the show for free. 

Many Cal Performances volunteers find ushering a useful means of being able to see performances that they otherwise would not be able to see. Volunteers are sent a selection calendar from which they select events to usher.

Cal Alumni Association

Reconnect with classmates. Make a difference in students’ lives. Help ensure Cal is equitable and accessible to all. You can do all this and more when you volunteer with CAA. There are many different opportunities to be engaged with at CAA including the Alumni Scholars Program, Student Engagement, Cal Advocacy, and more. 

Complete the Volunteer Interest Form if interested. 

Lawrence Hall of Science

Support your love of science while encouraging children and families to deliver STEM-related activities at the Lawrence Hall of Science. There are a multitude of volunteer opportunities to sign up for. Their next adult volunteer orientation will be on Saturday, January 6, from 11 am –1:30 pm.

Sign up today to attend an upcoming orientation. 

UC Botanical Gardens The Garden has a thriving volunteer community who are essential in educating the public, maintaining the collection, growing plants for sale, aiding in research, staffing the Garden Shop, and helping with special events. If you are interested, please fill out their Volunteer Interest Form