The top three volunteer opportunities in Santa Rosa

The main entrance of the Santa Rosa Ceres during the first garden shift (Izzy Boyle / The Puma Prensa)

By Izzy Boyle, Staff Writer

As the 2026-27 school year begins, hundreds of students eagerly search for volunteer opportunities to boost their resumes, build up community service hours, and find new connections.

But, the hunt for teen-friendly volunteer opportunities is far more daunting than it initially seems. Some institutions require teen volunteers to have specific skill sets, some have inconvenient shifts, and others don’t allow teens to do the heavy lifting. 

So, what are local volunteer opportunities easily accessible to teens?

1. Ceres Community Project

Ceres Community Project is a local nonprofit that prepares and delivers healthy meals to people facing serious illnesses. This organization also supports thousands of teen volunteers, offering a multitude of ways to contribute. Teens have a choice between volunteering in their kitchen or gardens, and can even do both! Ceres has three locations all available to teen volunteers– one in Santa Rosa, one in Sebastopol, and one in Petaluma. 

The Santa Rosa location is the newest and most updated Ceres institution, with a large, advanced kitchen, and is the closest location to Maria Carrillo High School. In the kitchen, teens help with meal prep, packing finished meals, and cleaning. After each shift, Ceres provides all volunteers with a meal and teen leaders discuss important global and local health topics to ensure volunteers are educated. 

Ceres has a very strong youth program that aims to teach teens about a healthy lifestyle while allowing them to benefit their community. Teens are rewarded for commitment at six months of volunteering with a personal Ceres apron embroidered with their name, and after one year of volunteering they are offered a position as a teen leader and have the opportunity to receive a personalized Ceres chef coat. 

Teens between the ages of fourteen and nineteen can apply to the Youth Program via the Ceres website, and anyone can apply regardless of their skill level or experience. After application, volunteers-to-be will have to attend an orientation zoom meeting, which is held weekly on Mondays from 6:30-7:00 PM. Shifts start at 3:30 PM and end at 6:30 for volunteers at the Santa Rosa location. Overall, Ceres is a very accessible volunteer program for teens that takes into account their school and home lives, actively working to teach them the importance of having good health and building lifelong skills. 

2. Providence Memorial Hospital

Another institution that has a strong volunteer program is the Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. This is a great option for teens who want experience working in a medical environment. 

Providence allows teens to work in the hospital lobby, the intensiveintensie care unit waiting room, and ancillary offices. MCHS senior and long-time volunteer Amishi Bhardwaj describes her typical ICU shift as “answering phones” or “reorganizing documents,” but she also gets unique opportunities that few teens have access to. 

“Sometimes the nurses let me watch them do work, like blood draws.” Bhardwaj also gets to work directly with patients, helping them adjust and occasionally giving them food.

While the program is very rewarding and provides teens with great experience in an actual medical setting, it can be strenuous work. “There’s a lot of grieving,” she admits, “it can be hard.” 

Despite the challenges she faces, Bhardwaj would recommend that teens interested in pursuing a career within the medical field volunteer at Providence. It provides volunteers with invaluable skills and hands-on experience.

The application can be filled out on the Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital website and consists of a digital application, an interview, a background check, healthcare clearance, and a volunteer orientation and training based on specific departments. The only requirements to apply are that teen volunteers must have parental permission, be in high school, and make a minimum commitment of fifty hours per year.

3. Sonoma County Animal Services

For teens searching for a fun and interactive way to help out the community, volunteering at an animal shelter is an exceptional option. Sonoma County Animal Services, located in Century Court, Santa Rosa, provides a multitude of opportunities for volunteers and young as nine years old. They offer positions working with dogs, cats, rodents and small animals, and clients looking to adopt. 

In order to work with dogs, volunteers must be at least fourteen and willing to be active. Teens can provide both on and off leash exercise, obedience training, and bathing for dogs. They are also welcome to take dogs into public settings, such as parks or hiking trails, and promote adoption to anyone who is interested. 

Volunteers who choose to be cat attendants help cats and kittens socialize with humans as well as other cats and provide information to potential adopters. Small animal side kicks also help with socialization and information, and have the opportunity to work with critters such as rabbits and guinea pigs. All volunteers who directly work with animals help fill out enrichment cards that give important information to adopters. 

Client service concierges and shelter supporters typically work with clients and help out shelter employees rather than with the shelter’s animal residents. These volunteers help with office tasks such as filing and copying, mailing, assisting and greeting clients, and janitorial duties like yard clean up and laundry. 

While teens of any age are welcome to volunteer, anyone younger than sixteen is required to have a parent or guardian present with them during their shifts. The application can be filled out on the Sonoma County Animal Services website and is followed by an orientation, a volunteer contract, and training videos. The shelter requires a minimum of six months of commitment as well as sixty hours of service, with shifts occurring Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

Volunteer work is an important aspect of teen’s lives – not only does it provide real-world skills and experience that will prepare them for their future, it also emphasizes how crucial it is to care about and work to improve society. Volunteers are constantly seeing the positive outcomes of their work, which offers a sense of connection, belonging, and fulfillment. And while it can be difficult, finding the right position is incredibly worthwhile and rewarding.