HandsOn Bay Area

Anushka Joshi has been super active after her time in our 2016 #HandsOnTomorrow cohort. She is the co-founder of Gen-Zine, a publication and media collective dedicated to addressing contemporary issues through the eyes of Generation Z. Check it out here: https://www.gen-zine.com/

Volunteers are needed at a brand new Salvation Army Food Pantry site in San Francisco's Ingleside Heights Neighborhood! The Salvation Army Food Pantry is a no cost program designed to nourish clients from the inside out. Volunteers will assist with unloading food from the delivery truck, sorting and bagging food for distribution, set up, and clean up. Sign up here: handsonbayarea.org/calendar

HandsOn Tomorrow is back! Connect with like-minded peers while making a difference in your community. Worried about cost? 25% of participants receive scholarships Apply here: handsontomorrow.org

Global Volunteering Month continues! This week, we want to highlight our projects with The Plant Exchange. Sign up to help water, trim, and arrange plants as well as help customers at their monthly plant sale. This is a great opportunity to meet your East Bay neighbors and pick up a few plants for your home We still have openings for our two shifts this Saturday, April 10. Sign up here: handsonbayarea.org/calendar

Let's party! If you haven't heard, it's our birthday. 17 years old today and we couldn't have made it this far without you! A huge thank you to all of our volunteers, nonprofit partners, and the schools and parks we've had the pleasure of working with. Want to send us a birthday gift? Donate $0.17, $1.70, or $17.00 so we can keep doing what we love - supporting our amazing community! handsonbayarea.org/donate

Cheers to us! We are 17 years old today Time has flown by because we LOVE the work we do and the friends we've made along the way. Feel like celebrating with us? Make a donation of $0.17, $1.70, or $17.00 so we keep supporting our amazing Bay Area partners and volunteers! handsonbayarea.org/donate

We are hiring a CSR Specialist! If you have ever wanted to work on the team responsible for volunteer strategy and events at a corporation, this job is for you! Learn how to best engage employees and deliver impact to those in need. Apply by Wednesday, January 27 at this link: handsonbayarea.org/jobs

After 16 years of Kaiser Permanente Thrive volunteers giving back on Martin Luther King Jr Day of service, this year, year 17, marks the first time Kaiser Permanente volunteers will participate in a virtual volunteering week of service! 15 Kaiser Northern California Service Areas and the Program Office have contributed 1,760 volunteers to participate in virtual and remote volunteer events throughout the entire week. Volunteers will be making wellness and companion calls, shar...ing videos, writing cards & letters, and creating wellness journals, blankets, masks, and stuffed animals to donate to agencies all across northern and central California. We are proud to say that HandsOn Bay Area has been a partner of KP’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and we are so thrilled to continue to serve together in a new virtual way. Photos from today's project with the East Oakland Community Project. #MLKDay #KPCares #DayofService

Join our partners at Project Open Hand for a wonderful volunteer opportunity every Friday in January from 2:30-4:30pm. Help nourish and engage our community by providing "meals with love" to the sick and the elderly. During COVID-19, Project Open Hand has been preparing 3,000 nutritious meals per day and providing 200 bags of healthy groceries to help sustain clients as they battle serious illnesses, isolation, or the health challenges of aging. They rely on dedicated volunteers every day to help prepare, assemble, and package meals in their kitchen at 730 Polk Street. Sign up through our community calendar at https://www.handsonbayarea.org/calendar.

Save the Date! The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Jan. 18, 2021, is the 26th anniversary of the day of service that celebrates the Civil Rights leader’s life and legacy. Observed each year on the third Monday in January as a day on, not a day off, MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities.

Do something different this weekend with Sutro Stewards! Nature in Your Neighborhood is an interactive, virtual program where we challenge you to learn more about the plants that grow around you. Volunteers will learn how to identify Bay Area native and invasive plants, then be tasked to venture into their backyards and neighborhoods to flex their new identification skills. Sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/y3tnqo4n Can you identify plants 1 - 5? Leave your answers in the comments!

Many people make goals around this time of year. Add volunteering to your list of resolutions! Whether you volunteer in-person or virtually, we make it easy for you to give back and make a difference in your community! Learn more here: handsonbayarea.org/about

As we look to 2021, we understand that the coming years will bring new challenges, but HandsOn Bay Area stands ready to mobilize volunteers and resources necessary to address them. With your help, we can continue to make the Bay Area a safe, beautiful, and inclusive place for everyone. Please donate to our annual campaign here: https://www.handsonbayarea.org/donate

More than 60 million Americans have already cast ballots in the U.S election, surpassing 2016’s record entirely (source: NBC News). Election Day is only 1 WEEK AWAY! If you’re unable to vote early, make sure you have a plan for next Tuesday. Anticipate very long lines, know where your polling place is, bring your valid state ID or passport, a mask, books, a mobile charger for your phone, snacks, water, etc., and know your rights! @midorikoa

From our HandsOn Bay Area family to yours, we wish you peace and hope this holiday season and a very healthy and happy New Year [photo from last year's Gap Adopt a Family Event]

Exercising your right to vote is the foundation of our democracy. It’s how we choose our leaders at the local, state and federal levels. We here at HandsOn Bay Area encourage you all to participate in this fundamental aspect of civic engagement, but you cannot wait any longer if you plan on voting Nov. 3! Today is the deadline to register for the first time or to update your registration if you have moved since last casting a ballot. Registering is easy, and can be done onlin...e in under two minutes at this site: https://registertovote.ca.gov/ You can also update your registration at the same site. If you’re already registered to vote, take two minutes to double-check your registration online through California’s voter-status website. Anything incorrect can be corrected online.

Last Friday, we worked with our longtime partner, MidPen Housing, for their 11th Annual Day of Service. 325 MidPen volunteers engaged in virtual volunteering, participating in 10 projects with impact areas ranging from civic engagement and environment to senior services and education. 50 volunteers headed out to an in-person volunteer project with the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden, and another 75 volunteers participated in the Project in a Box program, creating Wellness Journals for the community. It was our largest virtual volunteer day yet! Thank you to MidPen Housing for donating your time, energy, and hearts to your community!

Indigenous Peoples' Day reimagines Columbus Day and changes a celebration of colonialism into an opportunity to reveal historical truths about the genocide and oppression of indigenous peoples in the Americas, to organize against current injustices, and to celebrate indigenous resistance. The idea of replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day was born in 1977, at a U.N.-sponsored conference in Geneva, Switzerland, on discrimination against indigenous populations in t...he Americas. Fourteen years later, activists in Berkeley, CA, convinced the Berkeley City Council to declare October 12 a "Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People." Since then, there has been a growing movement to appropriate "Columbus Day" as "Indigenous Peoples' Day." States such as South Dakota, Hawaii, and Alaska have changed the holiday’s name and many more cities have taken similar action. However you choose to refer to this day, whether as Indigenous Peoples' Day, Native American Day, American Indian Day, or otherwise, we hope you'll join us in taking a minute to recognize and celebrate those nations and tribes whose history on this land extends back long before the arrival of colonizers. @tiplerteaches put together a list of things that non-Indigenous folks can engage in year-round to support and honor Indigenous peoples. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it’s a starting point.

Whether it's local, state, or federal, every election is important. We are less than 30 days away from the 2020 Presidential Election, and early voting in California started this week! Register to vote, check your voter registration status, and find helpful resources so you are prepared for the polls on November 3 here: https://www.vote411.org/ : @alyssa.mariag

Today is #NationalVoterRegistrationDay! 42% of all unregistered voters ages 18 - 24 said they didn't know how, kept forgetting, didn't have time, were too busy, or had recently moved. Please spread the word and encourage your friends, family, and community to register! Request your mail in ballot or register to vote here: https://nationalvoterregistrationday.org/

We are so excited to welcome a new group of student leaders to our Youth Volunteer Council! Our YVC is comprised of Bay Area teens committed to making a difference through projects that serve their immediate community.

Last call for volunteers! The Census deadline is in 20 days! It is more critical than ever to ensure ALL communities are counted and their voices are heard across San Francisco. We are looking for volunteers to take part in a Census Outreach Party TOMORROW, making calls to under-counted communities in San Francisco. The Census defines how essential resources are allocated for the next decade. Sign up to help count the uncounted and invisibilized communities in San Francisco that are actively fighting for justice in the streets, online, and in the community here: https://www.handsonbayarea.org/opportuni/a0a0e00000EnNq2AAF

Welcoming another new team member, Daniela! Also from AmeriCorps, she will be focusing on Hunger Programs and will join Claire to recruit and manage volunteers with the Bay Area Community Kitchens (BACK). You can read more about BACK here: https://www.handsonbayarea.org/bay-area-community-kitchens

Huge welcome to our new team member, Claire! She will be working with us through AmeriCorps, focusing on recruiting and managing volunteers with the Bay Area Community Kitchens (BACK). You can read more about BACK here: https://www.handsonbayarea.org/bay-area-community-kitchens

On Friday, August 28th, 150 employees from Course Hero donated their time to volunteer virtually. Volunteers lent an online hand at seven nonprofits to meet critical community needs through wellness calls, career readiness activities, and civic engagement projects. Find meaningful opportunities to engage your team here: https://www.handsonbayarea.org/virtualvolunteering

Our partners continue to need our help and HandsOn Bay Area continues to be dedicated to empowering volunteers to give back to their communities in meaningful ways. We now offer frequent VIRTUAL volunteer projects as well as safe, IN-PERSON outdoor or essential services projects! All in-person projects require volunteers to bring and wear a mask, as well as practice minimum 6ft social distancing throughout the entire project. We are waiving all activation fees for new account registrations through December 31 in order to assist to community needs and a heightened desire from volunteers to get involved. Sign up today: handsonbayarea.org/calendar

We are getting closer to the launch of Bay Area Community Kitchens! Here is a sneak peak of the space. Sign up to volunteer here: https://www.handsonbayarea.org/bay-area-community-kitchens

Join in the response to the fires in the Santa Cruz Mountains, San Lorenzo County, and North Coast by donating to the Fire Response Fund, giving supplies, and/or volunteering. More info here: https://www.cfscc.org/updates/fire-response-fund