Volunteer – Hands for Life Lake Merritt

🌿 Volunteer With Us

Help Build Oakland’s Wellness Future

Hands for Life Lake Merritt is powered by community. Every mobile wellness unit, health screening, and neighborhood event happens because people like you show up, lend their skills, and believe in building something lasting.

This isn’t short-term volunteerism — it’s about creating permanent, community-led wellness infrastructure for Oakland. Whether you have a few hours a month or can commit long-term, there’s a place for you on our team.

🔎 Current Needs

(Updated Regularly)

We’re actively looking for volunteers to join us in specific areas of growth. Your time, expertise, and creativity can help us expand our impact.

Volunteer Opportunities

Event Support: Assist with setup, registration, and on-site coordination at the Urban Wellness Advocacy Summit and community outreach events.
Community Outreach: Help distribute flyers, connect with local organizations, and engage Oakland residents about our programs.
Content Creation: Support storytelling, photography, or social media efforts to help share community impact stories.
Program Logistics: Assist with scheduling, data entry, and organizing volunteer shifts for our mobile units.

Skills We Currently Need

Grant writing and fundraising support
Curriculum and educational content development
Bilingual outreach (Spanish, Mandarin, Vietnamese preferred)
Vehicle sourcing and fleet operations experience
Administrative and planning assistance

Typical Time Commitments

One-time Events: 4–6 hours per shift
Ongoing Roles: 2–4 hours per week
Leadership Committees: 3–6 hours per month

We’ll work with your schedule and skillset to match you with a role that’s meaningful and sustainable for you.

💪 Volunteer Roles

Hands for Life volunteers help power everything from event planning to direct community service. Here’s where you can get involved right now:

Summit Planning Committee

Be part of the core team bringing the Urban Wellness Advocacy Summit (March 2026) to life — Oakland’s first community-led health equity summit. Volunteers on this committee help with everything from event logistics and partner coordination to speaker outreach, communications, and day-of event support. You’ll collaborate with local leaders, youth, and wellness professionals to design a summit that doesn’t just talk about equity — it builds it.
Ideal for: detail-oriented organizers, communicators, event planners, or anyone passionate about bringing people together around meaningful change.

Curriculum Development Support

Join our education and program team to help design community wellness workshops and youth training modules for the Urban Wellness Advocate Program. Volunteers will assist in researching best practices, writing lesson materials, and developing interactive activities that teach nutrition, mindfulness, health access, and community leadership.
Your work will help empower the next generation of Oakland youth to become leaders in wellness and advocacy — creating lasting change within their own neighborhoods.
Ideal for: educators, curriculum designers, health coaches, or anyone experienced in community education.

Community Outreach Team

Be the heartbeat of our community connection efforts. Outreach volunteers help us engage residents directly, distribute flyers, attend neighborhood events, and share information about our mobile wellness programs, volunteer opportunities, and health resources.
This role is perfect for those who love connecting with people, listening to their stories, and ensuring that every Oakland neighborhood knows these programs are for them.
Ideal for: outgoing communicators, bilingual speakers, community advocates, and students interested in public health or social work.

Grant Writing & Development

Help sustain our mission by identifying funding opportunities and assisting in the creation of grant proposals, sponsorship packets, and donor communications. Volunteers in this role support the team that keeps our programs funded and growing.
You’ll help us articulate impact stories, track data for reports, and communicate the measurable outcomes that make funders take notice.
Ideal for: strong writers, researchers, or professionals with nonprofit, fundraising, or communications experience.

Vehicle Research & Sourcing

Join our operations and logistics team to help identify, evaluate, and customize vehicles that will become our next mobile wellness units. Volunteers will research vendors, compare specs, assist with equipment layouts, and gather quotes for retrofitting vehicles with health screening, refrigeration, and community service capabilities.
Your work ensures our mobile units are safe, efficient, and fully equipped to meet the community’s needs — from healthcare access to food delivery.
Ideal for: those with experience or interest in vehicle research, logistics, mechanical systems, or project management.

Operations Planning

Behind every mobile wellness unit is a network of systems, schedules, and details that keep everything running smoothly. Volunteers in this role help with operations planning, data tracking, scheduling, and inventory management for our community programs.
You’ll support the coordination of mobile routes, staff and volunteer schedules, and ensure each unit has the supplies it needs to serve residents effectively.
Ideal for: organizers, planners, students in public health administration, or anyone who loves building systems that make big ideas work.

✍️ Volunteer Application

Ready to get started? Fill out our quick application online

❤️ Why Volunteer With Hands for Life

When you volunteer with us, you’re not just giving time — you’re helping build Oakland’s wellness infrastructure from the ground up. Every role, every hour, every idea contributes to a city where:

Health access isn’t determined by income or zip code.
Youth have career pathways in community wellness.
Wellness infrastructure is permanent — not dependent on short-term grants.

Join us. Let’s build the future of health equity, together.