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

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

• Volunteer Opportunities:  

  • A calendar of upcoming events can be found on the website. Please note that the events are held at each location on a monthly basis and offerings may vary month to month. Email Tiffany (tiffany@betterangels.la) to confirm that your schedule will allow for 15 hours.  
  • For more information on remote volunteer opportunities connected to the Services, Tech and Shelter pillars email Tiffany (tiffany@betterangels.la) for availability.  Please confirm with your professor if remote opportunities are permitted for your CBL course
• How to Sign Up: https://www.betterangels.la/about/volunteers
  • Email or Call Tiffany Pegula at tiffany@betterangels.la or 626-244-7076 

Education & Youth

826LA is dedicated to unlocking and cultivating the creative power of writing for students ages 6 to 18, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. 

• Volunteer Opportunities: Volunteers make our free programs possible. Volunteers have the opportunity to publish students’ books at morning field trips, assist with our yearly Young Authors’ Book Project, and tutor students after school or in the evenings. Volunteers also have the opportunity to help students with writing projects in public schools around Los Angeles (including personal statements), as well as teach creative writing workshops or work with aspiring young journalists in our writing lab.
• Additional Requirements: Orientation, Live Scan, Background Check, COVID-19 Vaccination.  TB clearance if only required for participation for programs that take place at a school.
• Times: Evening opportunities, daytime opportunities, weekend opportunities
• Location: Virtual opportunities (students completing CBL course hours MUST leave campus), 9106 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90047, ~20 minutes from LMU
• How to Sign Up: Apply on website

The Al Wooten Jr. Youth Center is a nonprofit agency providing free afterschool and low-cost summer programs for youth in grades 3-12. Our college readiness programs include homework assistance, private tutoring using i-Ready online diagnostics and lessons in reading and math, STEM, world languages and culture with cooking, performing and visual arts, leadership and life skills development, sports and recreation, college advisement and tours, field trips, and more. 

• Volunteer Opportunities: Homework assistance, testing proctoring, sports, games, mentoring, reading, and data support. Other tasks as needed.
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer Application, Orientation, Meagan's Law Background Check
• Times: Monday-Friday, 2-6PM
• Location: Virtual opportunities (students completing CBL course hours MUST leave campus), 9106 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90047, ~20 minutes from LMU
• How to Sign Up: Apply on website

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

Girls Inc. of Los Angeles' mission is to inspire all girls to be Strong, Smart, and Bold. We are dedicated to the development of the whole girl, and we empower girls through equitable learning opportunities. Our program supports girls after school with academic programs focused on STEM, healthy living, advocacy, and life skills.

• Volunteer Opportunities: Classroom volunteer: Mentor girls through educational programs and fun activities after school! 
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer application, Live Scan, TB test, Mandated reporter certificate, Zoom orientation
• Times: Volunteer once or twice a week, 2 or 3 hours per day, between 1pm and 5pm 
• Location: at a partner LAUSD location in West and South Los Angeles
• How to Sign Up: Complete volunteer application. Email Stefani Gunduz at sgunduz@girlsincla.org for any questions!

Disability Justice

Mychal’s Learning Place provides support, training, and opportunities to youth and young adults with development disabilities to build their independence and pursue their goals and dreams. 

• Volunteer Responsibilities: Individuals can be placed in either our Adult Day Program or our Afterschool Program to support learning independent living skills, vocational skills, social skills and more. Both groups and individual volunteers can support our events and event preparation activities.
• Additional Requirements: Fill out a volunteer application, oprientation, TB test
• Times: Varies based on the event
• Location: Varies
• How to Sign Up: https://www.mychals.org/volunteers-internships/ 

Food Justice

The Blessed Sacrament Food Pantry strives to serve the poor and feed the hungry of Hollywood.  

• Volunteer Opportunities: At the food pantry, helping set up canopies and tables, preparing food bags, and distributing food.
• Additional Requirements: Closed-toed shoes and sensible clothing.
• Times: Mornings starting operations at 7am, distributing food 9am-12pm.
• Location: 6657 W. Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
• How to Sign Up: Link Here

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

Alexandria House is an organization led by women, for women and families. And it is founded on three critical pillars - transitional housing, neighborhood center, and agent of systemic change.

• Volunteer Opportunities: Afterschool programming, tutoring, daycare, cleaning, office work, food distribution, teen program 
• 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, scanning files, doing research on domestic violence dynamics and available resources. 
• 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

The American Red Cross' mission is to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. Every day, we're at work across the country helping individuals and communities prepare for disasters and other emergencies.

• Volunteer Responsibilities: Variable by volunteer position, but offer virtual, daytime, and morning volunteer opportunities
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer Application, Orientation, Background Check, Required, volunteer training dependent on the selected role. All training provided by the Red Cross.
• Times: Morning and daytime opportunities
• How to Sign Up: All shift and signup information is done through volunteer online portal which is the same portal used to register as a volunteer.

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. 

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

The G.R.E.E.N. Foundation’s mission is to enhance health and eliminate health disparities affecting diverse Black/African American communities throughout the state. We do this mainly through collaboration and gathering resources to educate and empower through networking 

• Volunteer Responsibilities: Times/days vary based on students’ academic schedule: other opportunities are virtual based on each students’ skillset. It’s also based on students’ willingness to learn new skillsets to enhance their professional development.
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer application, orientation, must be 18 or older, mandatory training
• Times: Evening opportunities, virtual opportunities
• Location: Both virtual and in-person opportunities
• How to Sign Up: Application link via email

Community Organizing

Westside Pacific Villages connects neighbors with neighbors to support one another, creating a network where people can thrive in their communities as they age. 

• Volunteer Opportunities: Driving seniors to appointments, helping with chores and errands, helping with phones and computers, paying friendly visits. Can also use help with marketing/comms/social media/promotion.
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer orientation, background check.
• Times: Daytime and evening opportunities, virtual opportunities.
• Location: Virtual, several locations in person.
• How to Sign Up: https://thewpv.org/volunteer/ 

Changeist brings together young people to explore issues like social justice and climate change while developing critical leadership and civic skills. We host Saturday cohort sessions that give youth the tools, community, and platform to make an active difference in their local neighborhoods. 

• Volunteer Opportunities: Serve as a near-peer mentor guiding a group of students through interactive discussions, community exploration, and hands-on civic action projects focused on pressing social issues like racial justice and climate change. Requires attending weekly Saturday program sessions during morning and early afternoon hours throughout the program season, along with periodic leadership training and team check-ins.
• Additional Requirements: Volunteer application, orientation, background check, Live Scan
• Times: Daytime opportunities, group volunteer projects, weekend opportunities
• Location: TBD
• How to Sign Up: Link Here