HandsOn San Diego Announces Volunteer Impact across San Diego County for 2021

Perhaps it was wanting to break free from the lockdowns of 2020. Or maybe people felt compelled to help their fellow residents and the community. Whatever the reason, more people in San Diego County volunteered last year with HandsOn San Diego than even in 2019, before the pandemic.

It was no surprise that more people volunteered in 2021 than in 2020 with the Covid restrictions and no vaccine available. But 6065 volunteers actively engaged in the community in 2021 representing over a 6% increase from 2019. More impressive, the hours served were up over 28% and at 3377 shifts, the help provided to county nonprofits was up a whopping 314% over 2019. “The most exciting stat to me was that we had almost as many projects completed in 2021 as we did in all of the years previous! The year 2021 accounts for 42% of our projects in our whole history,” marveled Jessie Case, volunteer engagement manager for HandsOn San Diego.

One reason for the increase is that the organization reached out to more nonprofits to offer assistance. HandsOn San Diego is known for strengthening communities, caring for those in need, uniting volunteers, and building leadership skills throughout San Diego County. In 2021, they expanded their outreach efforts to engage more nonprofits resulting in a 64% increase over those served in 2019. With more ways to help, San Diegans stepped forward.

HandsOn San Diego makes volunteering easy and accessible by outlining various opportunities that are sure to align with individuals’ schedules, passions, timeframes, and area(s) of choice, thus overcoming many barriers for volunteering. The HandsOn San Diego team diligently removes these obstacles through crafting a volunteer calendar, which has opportunities from various nonprofit organizations and can be easily navigated and customized through filters. It is with this tool that the organization is able to successfully engage individuals as well as small and large groups. 

“This was a very fulfilling volunteering experience. The three other volunteers with me were kind, courteous, and gave me the info I needed on volunteering. I hope to do it again soon!” – Summera, volunteer at Lucky Duck Meal Distribution

Examples of volunteer opportunities include sorting food, assisting with dog adoptions, serving meals, organizing thrift store donations, building homes, supporting active-duty military families, and many more!

HandsOn San Diego is the county’s only regional nonprofit focused solely on connecting volunteers with community needs. Founded in 2013, HandsOn San Diego’s mission is to strengthen communities through volunteer action. They believe that when individuals are actively engaged, communities are stronger. HandsOn San Diego is fiscally sponsored by Mission Edge San Diego, a 501(c)(3) organization. 

Visit www.handsonsandiego.org to learn more or email them at info@handsonsandiego.org to receive more information.