Looking for Family-Friendly Volunteer Opportunities in Los Angeles? Check Out These Outdoor Options.

There’s no shortage of volunteer opportunities in Los Angeles. But finding one appropriate for kids or teens? Not as easy.

A few weeks ago an LAist reader wrote to us asking, “Any family-oriented community service projects going on this summer for Angelenos?” When the reporter shared the question with the rest of the team, a couple parents chimed in about how useful something like that would be.

So, here it is! Because May Gray and June Gloom are finally over and summer is a chance for kids to get outside, we focused on outdoor volunteer opportunities, from native garden cleanups to harvesting surplus produce. Most of these opportunities are available year-round.

For many of these opportunities, volunteers also get a lesson on L.A.’s diverse ecosystems, and the small, everyday ways that Angelenos can engage with the natural world around them. (If you’re going to be outside, don’t forget sunscreen! We have a guide on making the right sunscreen choices this summer.)

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Gardening and Harvesting

Santa Monica Mountains Fund

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday mornings, volunteers can propagate native plants with the Santa Monica Mountains Fund. Volunteers will get familiar with some of Southern California’s many native plants, such as milkweed, dudleyas, and manzanitas, to name a few. Volunteers are taught how to “clean” different plant species, plant, weed, and water plants — all while learning their place and importance in the Santa Monica Mountains. Attend Friday and Saturday sessions and go home with a free plant. This July, they need your help planting 25,000 milkweed seeds!

Food Forward 

A young volunteer harvesting surplus produce for Food Forward at the Huntington Botanical Gardens in Pasadena, CA

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Jen Serena

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Courtesy Food Forward

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Food Forward is a local nonprofit that recovers fresh, surplus produce, and distributes it to local relief agencies serving people facing food insecurity across Southern California.

There are a number of ways children and families can get involved, from harvesting backyard fruit trees to gathering excess produce at farmers markets.

Or, do you have a lemon tree in your backyard and always have extra lemons? Don’t let them rot! You can register your backyard citrus tree as a harvest location with Food Forward (and get a tax write-off!)

Arlington Garden

Arlington Garden, Pasadena’s free, community-supported botanical garden, hosts volunteer sessions on Tuesday mornings. Volunteers are tasked with general garden maintenance, like weeding and mulching, as well as collecting and planting seeds. Check out their events page to see if they have any special weekend projects coming up, which in the past have included building water retention mechanisms and pruning citrus trees.

Avenue 33 Farm 

Avenue 33 farm is a 1.2-acre urban farm in Lincoln Heights growing vegetables, flowers, and native plants. On Thursday evenings, volunteers have the opportunity to get their hands dirty on the farm, sifting and turning compost piles, preparing and planting beds, and weeding. This opportunity is best for volunteers ages 10 and up.

On Tuesday mornings the farm distributes food to neighborhood families at their community farmstand. Volunteers can also help with weekly food distribution, but this activity is better for teenagers, as it requires some heavy lifting.

Five youth volunteers for Santa Monica Mountains Fund in Thousand Oaks, CA

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Courtesy Santa Monica Mountains Fund

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Habitat restoration

Friends of the L.A. River

Friends of the L.A. River has habitat restoration volunteer sessions every fourth Saturday of the month at the Sepulveda Basin Refuge in Van Nuys (the L.A. River passes through 17 cities in Southern California). Volunteers clear invasive plant species, such as black mustard, and plant native plants and wildflowers in their place. Depending on the day, volunteers may build or disperse “native seed balls” to plant in the environment.

Audubon Center 

The Audubon Center is a public hub for habitat restoration located in Debs Park (a place we think is great for hiking, too!). Once a week, volunteers can join folks from the Audubon Center to water plants, pick up trash, and remove invasive species. The day of the week changes every month, so check out their website to get the latest dates and register. This habitat restoration opportunity is best for volunteers 10 and up.

Friends of Ballona Wetlands

Located in Playa del Rey, Ballona Ecological Reserve is home to beautiful wetlands and coastal wildlife. families can join their gardening club or tour and volunteer in their freshwater and saltwater marshes.

As a volunteer, you’ll get to observe the year-round residents of Ballona Wetlands – egrets, herons, waterfowl, brown pelicans — while removing invasive species and restoring the expansive habitat.

Cleanups

Friends of Griffith Park

Every second Monday of the month, Friends of Griffith Park hosts “Trash Patrol” sessions. Locations within the park vary depending on the week. On Wednesday mornings, volunteers remove invasive species from the park. Friends of Griffith Park also hosts volunteer events that aren’t as regular, such as their upcoming cleaning of the streams in Fern Dell. In order to get notified about or register for any of Friends of Griffith Park’s volunteer events, you’ll need to sign up for their newsletter or join their Facebook group.

Heal the Bay 

A volunteer for Heal the Bay shows her bucket of trash collected on a beach in Santa Monica, Ca

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Courtesy Heal the Bay

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Heal the Bay hosts monthly beach clean ups every third Saturday of the month where volunteers learn about L.A.’s sewer system and how it’s connected to water quality and pollution at L.A. beaches.

Volunteers can also join the mammal response team that was created in response to the toxic algae blooms affecting marine wildlife. You’ll learn what to do if you see an animal on the beach and will be equipped with materials to educate other folks on how to protect marine wildlife. Volunteer trainings are held at the Heal the Bay aquarium on Santa Monica Pier Wednesdays through Sundays, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. You can register for these volunteer sessions, and their other upcoming volunteer events, on Heal the Bay’s events page.

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium

Every first Saturday, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium hosts a clean up on Cabrillo Beach and every second Saturday , they host a clean up of their native plant garden. For both opportunities volunteers start their morning at the steps in front of the aquarium, where they’ll get a quick lesson about the environment and wildlife around them. You can just show up, but larger groups should make a reservation in advance.

Map of Volunteer Locations

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