Volunteers make it possible for us to carry out our daily work on behalf of the community. From renovating rooms at a homeless shelter to packaging chocolate truffles, there are many ways to get involved with our programs. Please read our current list of volunteer opportunities to see if there is something right for you. You can email Volunteer Coordinator Dominique Legnitto at dlegnitto at hbofm.org with any questions or call 415-382-3363 x212.
During the winter holidays, we have extra opportunities to provide festive meals and groceries to residents. Please contact us if you'd like to offer holiday support.
Our programs depend on your support and we extend wholehearted thanks to more than 1,000 people who volunteer with us every year.
We think you'll enjoy reading about some of our volunteer heroes.
Volunteer Heroes
Iris Lafrenz befriends visitors and residents
Visitors to New Beginnings Center on Thursdays get a special welcome: the smiling face of volunteer Iris Lafrenz at the reception desk.
Iris, a lively 85 years old, helps guests and residents alike during a four-hour shift filled with answering phones, passing out mail, directing visitors or signing residents in and out.
She has found good use for the nursing skills that she employed at Kaiser Hospital in Terra Linda before retirement. She cheerfully dispenses advice on minor ailments and lets residents know when it's time to see a doctor.
"I used to cook meals for Mill Street Center but I prefer just being closer to the people involved in the program," says Iris, who started at NBC a year ago. "I think the people who work here are special and I admire the people who live here for all their challenges and what they accomplish."
Her shifts introduce her to interesting people, she says, "and it isn't only people who have been addicted. There's a nice lady here whose condo burned and she was injured and she just couldn't find a place to stay. Homelessness is different for everybody."
She often eats lunch in the dining room, where she enjoys "that wonderful soup."
Stacy Rosenblatt, program director at NBC, says Iris bring "a ray of sunshine for all of us."
