Volunteer and partner

Whatever you are good at,
a neighbor could use it.

Most of what we do does not require a license. It requires someone willing to show up. Here is what helping actually looks like.

You do not need a trade

The most common thing we hear is some version of "I would help, but I am not handy." That misunderstands the work. A large share of what we do requires patience and a free Saturday, not a license. The person who picks up a prescription for a neighbor who cannot get out is doing the mission as directly as the person rewiring an outlet.

Hands and a Saturday

Yard cleanups, hauling, moving furniture, painting, general labor. No experience needed and someone will show you what to do.

A truck

Debris to the dump, a donated appliance across town, materials to a job site. Vehicles are one of our real constraints.

A trade

Plumbing, electrical, roofing, HVAC, carpentry. Licensed work goes through licensed partners under their own license and insurance.

Errands and driving

Grocery runs, pharmacy pickups, getting something bulky home from a store for someone who cannot manage it.

Time on a phone

Intake calls, scheduling, follow-up. Some of the most valuable work happens before anyone picks up a tool.

Materials and money

Lumber, fixtures, a gift card, a sponsored project. Most work is donated, but materials never are, and some jobs need a pro we pay.

What we ask of you

We are going into the homes of people who are elderly, disabled, or in a hard stretch. That access is a real responsibility, and we take it seriously. Everyone who volunteers agrees to the same things:

  • A background check before being assigned to enter a neighbor's home. This is not personal, and it is a condition of our insurance and of being trusted in someone's house.
  • Discretion. What you see inside someone's home stays there. People let us in at a vulnerable moment and that is not a story to tell.
  • No soliciting. You will never use a job as a lead. No pitching services, no business cards, no asking a homeowner for work or money. This one is absolute.
  • Honesty about limits. If a job is beyond your skill or does not feel safe, stop and say so. Nobody is graded on toughing it out.
  • Show up when you said you would, or tell us early that you cannot. People are waiting on the day you committed to.

If you are driving for us, we will also need to see a valid California driver's license and current auto insurance. Your own policy is the primary coverage for your vehicle. Note that our volunteers run errands and haul goods; we do not transport people, so you will never be asked to drive a neighbor somewhere.

For businesses and tradespeople

If you run a business, there are a few ways this tends to work. Some partners take one job a quarter. Some donate materials at cost. Some send a crew for a day. Some handle the licensed portion of a job that volunteers can otherwise finish.

About the tax question

We would rather be accurate than encouraging. Under IRS rules, the value of donated labor or services is not tax-deductible, no matter how the receipt is written. What generally is deductible are the materials you pay for and donate at your cost, and unreimbursed out-of-pocket expenses. We will document materials donations properly and we will not hand you a receipt claiming something the IRS does not allow. Talk to your own tax advisor about your situation.

Note also that our 501(c)(3) application goes to the IRS in early August 2026. Until they issue the determination letter, contributions are not tax-deductible. When the letter comes through, deductibility applies retroactively to July 26, 2026, our incorporation date.

Join the crew

Tell us what you are good at.

Fill out the short form on our home page, or just email us. We will follow up within a day or two.

Sign up to help