Community-Based Learning

Housing Justice

St. Margaret's Center provides emergency, supportive, and life-changing services to low income and unhoused individuals.

• Volunteer Opportunities: Assistance in office with data entry, direct communication with community members, and food pantry (putting together boxes of food for low-income households).
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer Application, Live Scan through Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Background Check, preferably bilingual in Spanish
• Times: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
• Location: 10217 S Inglewood Ave, Inglewood, CA 90304, ~15 minutes from LMU
• How to Sign Up: Email andrearamirez@ccharities.org

The Midnight Mission offers paths to self-sufficiency to men, women, and children who have lost direction. Their emergency services and 12-step recovery, family living, job training, education, and workforce development programs offer a compassionate bridge to achieve and maintain healthy, productive lives.

• Volunteer Opportunities: Meal service support, clothing donation sorting, or additional opportunities dependent upon volunteer's skills. Some examples of past volunteer projects included: tutoring, GED, budgeting and financial literacy, computer literacy, wellness/meditation courses.
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer waiver
• Times: Breakfast (6 to 8am) or Dinner (3 to 6pm) 7 days a week
• Location: 601 San Pedro St, Los Angeles, CA 90014, ~30 minutes from LMU
• How to Sign Up: Email volunteer@midnightmission.org or visit the webpage 

Safe Place for Youth's mission is to empower young people experiencing homelessness to thrive by providing lasting, community-driven solutions that address racial and social inequity. We do so by providing case management, housing navigation, education and employment support, housing, healing arts, a community garden, and more!

• Volunteer Opportunities: Serving meals, supporting clothing closet, supporting community garden
• Additional Requirements: Live Scan, Background Check, TB Test, COVID-19 Vaccination
• Times: 7 days a week; breakfast, lunch, and dinner Monday through Friday 9am-6pm; and breakfast and lunch Saturday and Sunday 9am-3:30pm
• Location: 2471 Lincoln Blvd, Venice, CA 90291, ~10 minutes from LMU
• How to Sign Up: Visit webpage

The People Concern is dedicated to creating a community where everyone, regardless of the struggles they are overcoming, is housed, healthy, and safe.

• Volunteer Opportunities: Food services, case management, front desk reception, donation sorting and distribution, life skills, and wellness activities
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer Application, Background Check, TB Test, COVID-19 Vaccination, Orientation, Live Scan
• Times: Weekend opportunities, morning opportunities, daytime opportunities
• Location: Across LA in Santa Monica, Downtown, and Lancaster
• How to Sign Up: Apply on website and contact volunteer@thepeopleconcern.org

Education & Youth

The Al Wooten Jr. Youth Center is a neighborhood approach to the revitalization and empowerment of a community in crisis. We provide a safe and nurturing environment committed to good citizenship and academic excellence.

• Volunteer Opportunities: Homework assistance, testing proctoring, sports, games, mentoring, reading, and data support. Other tasks as needed.
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer Application, Orientation, Background Check
• Times: Evening opportunities, daytime opportunities
• Location: 9106 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90047, ~20 minutes from LMU, Virtual opportunities (students completing CBL course hours MUST leave campus)
• How to Sign Up: Apply on website

The Richstone Family Center has been dedicated to treating and preventing child abuse and trauma; strengthening and educating families; and preventing violence in families, schools, and communities.

• Volunteer Opportunities: Kids Club afterschool program, 1:1 tutoring, gardening projects, and weekly food distribution programs.
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer Application
• Times: Occasional holiday community events on Saturdays, afterschool programming hours on weekdays
• Location: 13634 Cordary Ave Hawthorne, CA 90250, ~30 minutes from LMU
• How to Sign Up: Submit this Google Form

South Central LAMP's mission is to provide programs that empower women and their families to reach their full potential in a supportive, nurturing environment through education, building self-esteem, and strengthening community relationships. We do this by providing parenting and ESL classes for adults, along with family advocacy programming, and early childhood education for infants through Pre-K.

• Volunteer Opportunities: Afterschool homework help, cleaning, yardwork, etc. Very open to finding opportunities that work for people!
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer application. If someone will be volunteering with the children on a regular basis, they will need to have a livescan/background check completed—on a case-by-case basis.
• Times: Afterschool homework help from 3-5pm Mon-Thurs, group volunteers can come most weekdays between 8am-4:30pm to do cleaning, yardwork, etc.
• Location: 892 East 48th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90011, ~30 minutes from LMU
• How to Sign Up: Email arudolph@southcentrallamp.org or nburcham@southcentrallamp.org

Mar Vista Family Center (MVFC) operates on a sustainable and cooperative model through which families remain involved with the Center across generations from early childhood all the way through adulthood. Through its unique Shared Responsibility Curriculum Model, MVFC has helped transform a community once filled with urban gang violence and unsafe streets into a thriving, healthy community — and given its residents a safe space in which to learn, grow, and lead.

• Volunteer Opportunities: Afterschool tutoring, arts and enrichment, book club, preschool, special events, STEM activity leaders, nutrition, fitness and sports, mentoring, pre-teen youth groups, hot meal program, fundraising, ESL, and adult education (bilingual preferred), computer instructors, administrative, environmental education, and more.
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer application, TB test, Orientation, COVID-19 vaccination or negative test
• Times: Evening opportunities
• Location: 5075 South Slauson Ave Culver City, CA 90230, ~12 minutes from LMU
• How to Sign Up: Email asernas@marvistafc.org

Disability Justice

The Painted Turtle's mission is to provide a year-round, life-changing environment and authentic camp experience for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses. The Painted Turtle supports children’s medical needs, inspires them to reach beyond their illnesses, and provides care, education, and respite for their families. All campers and families attend free of charge.

• Volunteer Responsibilities: Volunteer at a Family Weekend at campus in Lake Hughes helping create camp magic. At local hospital outposts, you can bring the camp activities to kids staying in medical facilities.
• Additional Requirements: Be at least 19 years of age. Have the physical and mental capability to supervise campers. Complete all pieces of the application process, including online application on Campsite, phone interview, and three professional references. Pass two criminal background checks (a national background check and a Live Scan fingerprint-based screening), and sexual offender registry check. National background check: If you are a US Citizen, The Painted Turtle will run the background check. If you are from outside of the US, you must provide a police certificate or its equivalent that will fulfill our background check requirements. Please contact Megan O’Meara, Volunteer Coordinator, at megano@thepaintedturtle.org for questions regarding international background check clearance. Live Scan: All participants will be required to complete a Live Scan fingerprint screening in California. The Painted Turtle will send more detailed information on how to complete this requirement prior to your arrival at Camp. Attend the required orientation session commit to the entire length of the volunteer session. Work with our staff and volunteer team collaboratively and effectively.
• Times: Weekend opportunities during family weekend, need availability all weekend Nov. 14-16, 2025
• Location: 17000 Elizabeth Lake Road, Lake Hughes, CA 93532, ~1.5 hours from LMU
• How to Sign Up: Visit webpage

Angel City Sports provides year-round adaptive sports opportunities to kids, adults, and veterans with physical disabilities and/or visual impairments. We host monthly clinics and premier events for athletes all over Southern California, but mostly Los Angeles.

• Volunteer Responsibilities: Helping athletes in and out of adaptive sports equipment and playing the sports alongside them.
• Additional Requirements: Fill out a volunteer application, Background check
• Times: Mostly weekends but varies based on the event
• Location: Varies
• How to Sign Up: Fill out forms on webpage

Food Justice

The Social Justice Learning Institute is dedicated to improving the health, education and well-being of youth and communities of color by empowering them to enact social change through research, training, and community mobilization.

• Volunteer Opportunities: Sorting through and bagging produce for distribution to families. Set up & break down. Distributing vegetables at our sidewalk market. Light gardening sometimes.
• Additional Requirements: Requires walking and lifting of produce and bags. Lifting of some heavy boxes if you are able.
• Times : Weekly Friday Food HUB from 9am-12pm
• Location: 600 Centinela Avenue, Inglewood, CA 90302, ~15 minutes from LMU
• How to Sign Up: Submit this Google Form

Meals on Wheels West provides community-based services that nourish and enrich the lives of our homebound neighbors of all ages by providing nutritious meals, friendly calling, and friendly visiting, including referrals to other services that promote independent living and wellbeing.

• Volunteer Opportunities: Delivering meals Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in the surrounding neighborhoods. Friendly calling program – weekly phone call check-ins with community members
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer Application, Orientation, and Background Check
• Times: Morning and daytime opportunities on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
• Location: 1823-A Michigan Ave Santa Monica, CA 90404, ~20 minutes from LMU. Meals on Wheels West is Delivering More Than a Meal to clients in Santa Monica, Venice, Marina del Rey, Del Rey, Pacific Palisades, and Malibu.
• How to Sign Up: Complete this application form

St. Francis Center has provided relief and support to homeless and extremely low-income individuals and families in Los Angeles since 1972. Much more than a soup kitchen or a food pantry, we offer a unique range of services to sustain and empower those in need and engaging volunteer opportunities in Los Angeles.

• Volunteer Responsibilities: Meal service and donation sorting
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer Application
• Times: Breakfast for the Unhoused: Monday-Saturday: 7-9am, Saturday: 7-9:30am; Pantry Program: Tuesday - Friday: 9am-12:30pm, Saturday: 10am-12:30 pm
• Location: 1835 S. Hope St. Los Angeles, CA 90015, ~30 minutes from LMU
• How to sign up: Complete this form and contact Tanisha Camacho (Volunteer Coordinator) with any inquiries tanisha@fscla.org

Food Forward fights hunger and prevents food waste by rescuing fresh surplus produce, connecting this abundance with communities experiencing food insecurity.

• Volunteer Responsibilities: 2 types of food recovery events including fruit harvests and farmers market gleans
• Additional Requirements: Volunteers must be able to lift 20-40 pounds, depending on the event
• Times: Weekend opportunities, morning opportunities, daytime opportunities, times vary, 1.5-2 hours per event
• Location: Across LA and Ventura counties
• How to sign up: Register on community calendar

Grass Roots Neighbors is a volunteer community organization. We meet the immediate needs of our neighbors experiencing food and housing insecurity. We mobilize to fill the gaps in existing services by providing assistance with love and respect.

• Volunteer Responsibilities: Sorting, preparing, and distributing food
• Additional Requirements: Students who need any specific forms or info for classes need to give 72 hours’ notice before forms are due.
• Times: Weekend opportunities, daytime opportunities
• Location: 200 Culver Blvd Playa del Rey, CA 90293, ~5 minutes from LMU
• How to sign up: Fill out form on webpage

Domestic Violence Prevention and Treatment

Jenesse Center is a nonprofit domestic violence intervention and prevention organization with a resolute mission: to restore, and provide trauma informed, culturally responsive, holistic, comprehensive services to survivors and families impacted by domestic and sexual violence, and to advance prevention modalities to sustain healthy and safe communities free of violence. We seek to prevent and end the cycle of domestic violence through education, public awareness and outreach initiatives, public policy and advocacy strategies, and innovative collaborations with key partners.

• Volunteer Opportunities: Supporting clients and their children in interactive creative and community building activities, working with staff to design their own interactive program around building healthy relationships on LMU's campus, supporting with registration, supervision and documenting during our annual Youth Symposium
• Additional Requirements: COVID-19 vaccination, Application, Orientation, Live Scan
• Times: Weekday evenings and weekends, Youth Symposium is one Saturday in February
• Location: Available upon application, confidential to protect clients
• How to Sign Up: Students should email spattison@jenesse.org with a list of their specific interests regarding service with the organization, their hourly requirement if necessary, and their schedule of availability for the semester.

Alexandria House is a transitional residence and house of hospitality. We provide safe and supportive housing for women and children in the process of moving from emergency shelter to economic stability and permanent housing.

• Volunteer Opportunities: Afterschool programming, tutoring, daycare, cleaning, office work
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer application, Orientation
• Times: After School Program: Monday-Friday 3pm-6pm. Tutoring, Daycare: Monday-Thursday 10am-3pm, Friday 8:30am-1pm. Engagement with infants and toddlers, cleaning, office helping hand Monday-Friday 10am-3pm
• Location: 426 S Alexandria Ave Los Angeles, CA 90020, ~35 minutes from LMU
• How to Sign Up: Apply on website

Sojourn (A Program of The People Concern) provides trauma-informed and culturally responsive services to individuals and families who have experienced domestic violence and empowers communities with the knowledge and support to build healthy relationships. Sojourn offers to survivors a 24/7 crisis hotline, 2 forms of shelter, case management, legal resources, and continuing education.

• Volunteer Opportunities: Facilitate virtual support groups, operate the hotline, sort donations, accompany clients to court, and lead shelter activities.
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer application, Live Scan, Background Check, COVID-19 vaccination, some volunteer responsibilities require domestic-violence counseling certification
• Times: Evening opportunities, daytime opportunities, virtual opportunities (CBL students MUST leave campus for course credit hours)
• Location: 1453 16th St, Santa Monica, CA 90404, ~30 minutes from LMU
• How to Sign Up: The application is listed on the website in the month immediately prior to the training (once in April/May, again in Sept/Oct)

Public Health and Environment

Venice Family Clinic has devoted more than five decades to providing quality care to individuals, families and communities with compassion and dignity as a leading community health center in Los Angeles. At Venice Family Clinic, we deliver high quality, comprehensive medical care plus supportive programs and services that work together to help patients get healthy and stay that way.

• Volunteer Opportunities: We have 26 volunteer opportunities ranging from clinical to nonclinical/administrative opportunities and long-term internships.
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer application, Orientation/Virtual Info Session, TB Test, COVID-19 vaccination
• Times: Ranges by location, 7am-8pm
• Location: Multiple locations across Venice, Culver City, Santa Monica, Mar Vista, Inglewood, and Hawthorne
• How to Sign Up: Explore weekly volunteering for food distributions here and sign up for long-term volunteering here

Friends of Ballona Wetlands' mission is to champion the restoration and protection of Los Angeles' last coastal wetland and educate our diverse community as stewards of nature.

• Volunteer Responsibilities: Habitat restoration work, education, science, community outreach, and restoration.
• Additional Requirements: None
• Times: Habit restoration work usually occurs weekend mornings.
• Location: Locations vary but are generally in the Playa Vista/Playa del Rey area, ~5 minutes from LMU
• How to Sign Up: For one time volunteering, sign-up on the website calendar. For long-term volunteering, inquire on the internship page.

The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.

• Volunteer Responsibilities: Providing services to those impacted by disasters and preparing communities for future disasters.
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer application, Orientation, Background check
• Times: Morning and daytime opportunities
• Location: Variable by position but opportunities are sorted on website by zip code, Virtual opportunities (CBL students MUST leave campus for course credit)
• How to Sign Up: Apply on webpage

Sages & Seekers is an intergenerational program that builds meaningful relationships between Sages (adults 60+) and Seekers (students 14-24) to diminish ageism, combat social isolation, and develop empathy between generations.

• Volunteer Responsibilities: Students are paired one-on-one with an older adult to share life stories and build meaningful connections.
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer application, Orientation
• Times: Evening opportunities, daytime opportunities, virtual opportunities, disclaimer: meet once a week for 7-8 weeks
• Location: Across LA area
• How to Sign Up: Register on the website

Community Organizing

LA Voice is a non-partisan, multi-faith, multi-racial community organization that awakens people to their own power, training them to speak, act, and work together to transform LA County into one that reflects the dignity of all people.

• Volunteer Opportunities: Students will be invited to participate in an organizing campaign called ‘House Meetings’ where they will learn about the purpose and function of this strategy and the role it plays in long term community organizing work.
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer orientation
• Times: Daytime and evening opportunities
• Location: 1200 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 650, Los Angeles, CA 90017, ~30 minutes from LMU
• How to Sign Up: Email nona@lavoice.org