Your link to volunteering opportunities this Holiday season

December 11, 2025

Giving back to your community is a rewarding experience, and there's no better time to start than now. Volunteering is a good thing to do, offering benefits not just to the recipients, but also to the volunteers themselves by fostering connection and purpose. The options listed below are just a few examples amongst many organizations that are doing incredible work in our communities. If you know of an organization within a mile of a Sound Transit station that isn’t specifically listed, email it to us at lifestyle@soundtransit.org so we can share the opportunity! For additional resources, please check the links provided at the bottom of this article.

A Sound Transit employee places food in a brown bag.

1 Line Volunteer Opportunities

Lake Ballinger Center
1 mile from Mountlake Terrace Station

The Lake Ballinger Center, established as the Mountlake Terrace Community Senior Center was established to provide senior services and activities for the recreational, intellectual, physical and emotional needs of aging adults. Depending on your talents, experience and goals they have a variety of roles that will help give you life long experiences from helping keep the center welcoming, to greeting their guests, to reminder calls to member for appointments.

ACRS
0.7 miles from Columbia City Station
Food Bank – 0.3 miles from International District/Chinatown Station

ACRS opened their doors in 1973 through the efforts of community volunteers. They remain a community-driven organization to this day, and are grateful for the support of more than 1,000 volunteers each year who help them deliver more services to a greater number of people in their preferred languages than ever. They have one-time volunteer or recurring opportunities as well as solo or group options as well, so grab a friend!

Community Lunch
0.3 miles from Capitol Hill Station

Community Lunch on Capitol Hill provides hot, nutritious meals and survival services to hundreds of homeless and low-income people in Seattle. They welcome them as their guests in an atmosphere of hospitality, comfort and support. By sharing meals five times each week, they create community together. Community Lunch volunteers participate in every aspect of their meals. Volunteers help chop ingredients, make sandwiches, bag snacks, serve the meal, set up and take down the dining area and kitchen. All are welcome to volunteer and no special skills are required. Volunteers work with Community Lunch on a regular basis, once a month, or just for a day.

University District Food Bank
0.6 miles from U-District Station

The University District Food Bank’s mission is to support people experiencing food insecurity in Northeast Seattle by providing high quality, culturally familiar food and connecting them with vital resources. As a busy, community-based organization with a small (but mighty) staff, they rely on volunteers to keep their neighbors well fed. They have so many different opportunities that they might just have the right role for you.

Overhead view of leafy greens in a brown paper bag.

2 Line Volunteering Opportunities

Hopelink
1.2 miles from Downtown Redmond Station
Transfer Required – B Line

Since 1971, Hopelink has provided stability-building programs for people experiencing poverty, immigrants and refugees, and people with disabilities in North and East King County. Volunteering at Hopelink can be a rewarding experience that offers an opportunity to engage with their clients, work with amazing staff, and contribute to the greater community! Hopelink offers a wide range of volunteering opportunities to fit your needs. Most of our volunteer opportunities occur Monday through Thursday during regular business hours. All Hopelink volunteers are placed based on the individual or group’s availability and Hopelink’s needs.

Boys and Girls Club of Bellevue
1.1 miles from Bellevue Downtown Station
Transfer required –271 or 550

For more than 70 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of Bellevue has been committed to providing safe places for Bellevue’s youth when they are not in school. Targeting the neighborhoods that need them most, Clubs ensure all Eastside's children and teens have equal access to life-enhancing programming focused on academics, health, and leadership.

T Line Volunteering Opportunities

United Way of Pierce County
.1> miles from Convention Center Station

United Way of Pierce County has served the community since 1921. Their history is rooted in partnerships—bringing people from different walks of life together to improve conditions for children, families and individuals. Through United Way of Pierce County's Volunteer Center, each affiliated volunteer project is designed to support ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households. Projects range from skilled volunteers for United Way’s VITA (Volunteers in Tax Assistance) program to serving at a local food kitchen, from the Stuff the Bus school supply drive to serving at a local mental health nonprofit, or from volunteering at Day of Action to providing rides to those in need.

Making a Difference Foundation
0.3 miles from Old City Hall Station

Making A Difference Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization with the mission to make a difference in the lives of others, one person at a time, by helping them acquire the most basic needs: food, housing, encouragement, and opportunity. They have grown from providing scholarships and funding for third world humanitarian mission to direct services to clients in the Puget Sound region of Washington with several dynamic programs including: Eloise’s Cooking Pot (ECP) Food Bank, home delivery food service, ECP Garden, Blair’s Sanctuary Garden, Nurturer Program, Children’s Snack/literacy program, Transitions Backpack Program for the homeless, Joy Box ministries, and the Home for Veteran program. Regardless of service, the focus of MADF is on meeting the needs of individuals and families in a direct and meaningful way.