SF Community Programs and Charities

I'll start us off--Dave Eggers has the 826 Valencia Street in the Mission. You can go and voluteer to help tutor local kids in writing.

I hear that he is also trying to match some of the kids from his program with donors who will help them pay for tuition.

(I love Dave Eggers! A Heartbreaking Work is one of my favorite books too. Him and his cute dimples!)

But seriously--check it out:

http://www.826valencia.org/

Dave Eggers definitely is doing some good stuff. I know he was also involved with that child soldier and with helping out with Katrina too.

Glide Memorial Church is also a great place to donate. They do a lot of things with homeless shelters (as seen in the movie The Pursuit of Happyness) and they also do things to help people in the Tenderloin.

Here' s the website

http://www.glide.org/

If you want to volunteer but aren't sure of where you'd have the best impact, you can try HandsOn Bay Area (http://www.hoba.org) or The Volunteer Center of San Francisco & San Mateo Counties (http://www.thevolunteercenter.net). Both great organizations that help you get involved with your local community.

@Flowergirl - good to know about Dave Eggers. I hadn't heard of him before but will definitely check him out and offer my services to tutor. Thanks!

If you are the outdoorsy type (I know, surprise that I am posting this) and go to your local REI (Saratoga, Mountain View, San Carlos, San Francisco, Berkeley), they list local projects that involve trail maintenance, park cleanup, and other ideas in that vein. It's a great way to meet like-minded people, get outdoors, and do something good for the community that many people can benefit from.

@StephSF - what a great idea! Are those opportunities only listed at REI or are they on websites as well? In either case, it's definitely a good way to meet other outdoorsy people.

Actually, I just checked and you can find it on rei.com/stores - just type in your store of choice. Here is a link to the SF store: http://www.rei.com/stores/83 if you want to take a look, but they list other nearby stores as well.

And actually, it lists ALL of their events, from volunteer projects to bike maintenance classes.

When I was at Cal I worked with an adult literacy program that worked out of the public libraries in Berkeley. I really found it rewarding--you can totally help someone take a big step forward. I think they ended up getting axed by budget cuts but they should totally bring it back.

Here's another cool one that I have heard about. If you know something about music and are a girl this is totally for you:

http://www.bayareagirlsrockcamp.org/

Very empowering for teen girls with a bit of rebel in them.