Painting classes are led by volunteers at the Mission.

Have a passion to share or a skill to teach? Join us!

On a recent Saturday morning, students and staff from Pepperdine University joined the Rescue Mission for a few hours of volunteer service. They prepped food in the kitchen, served meals, and put together hygiene kits for homeless neighbors. They ended the day by sharing lunch with program men and getting to hear their stories. And as they were leaving, a volunteer said that though he had come to bless, he felt, in the end, that he was the one who was blessed. The rest agreed.

Since the Mission’s founding in 1972, volunteers have been a vital part of both the Rescue Mission and the Lighthouse for Women and Children. They serve in the kitchen and in the classrooms, as counselors and speakers, they do maintenance, groundskeeping, administration, and so much more. On any given month, around 200 volunteers give their time, energy, and commitment.

“It’s amazing how impactful volunteers can be on an organization,” said Chris Burgess, the Mission’s volunteer coordinator. “When you stop and think about all they contribute, you realize what a benefit they are.”

Working with the kitchen staff, volunteers help prep and serve hot meals, and put together thousands of sack lunches for distribution. “Preparing and serving around 20,000 meals each month and year-round would be tremendously more difficult without the volunteers we have,” Chris added.

“Our volunteers are involved in just about every aspect of what we do here. We have volunteers that teach on Wednesday afternoons, talk to our shelter guests every evening, lead Bible studies, hold Celebrate Recovery meetings, act as mentors and spiritual guides for our men, and church groups lead worship nights here and at our graduations. We have volunteers working with us on outreaches, as drivers, doing landscaping and construction. They have shared their love of running and helped start a running club with our men, taught surfing, held game nights, taught painting, and more.”

Volunteers come to teach and play Bunco with residents for fun.

According to Toshiba Allen, who oversees volunteers at the Lighthouse, their volunteers are involved in administration, mentoring, teaching, groundskeeping, and activities with the children there. “Volunteers assist us in so many ways, and by doing things like landscaping and teaching classes, they free up the staff for other responsibilities,” she said. “And mentoring is a key volunteer position that contributes so much to the life transformations of the women here.”

Toshiba said she is especially proud of the mentors “because those volunteers have the heart of Christ which is expressed in their time with our ladies. That’s special and those relationships often continue well after a resident has moved on from the Lighthouse.”

Lighthouse Director Leslie Painter agreed. “The Lighthouse cannot function without volunteers,” she said. “They play such an important role in the restoration and healing of the women and children we serve. Most of the women here don’t have people in their lives who are healthy and consistent in their actions. Having committed individuals here who demonstrate, day in and day out, what it means to truly care for others and to be selfless with their time and resources is such a great example for our residents. We are so grateful for our volunteers.”

The Mission is blessed by the many ways that volunteers serve and they are truly part of the family. If you are interested in being a part of that, whether it’s helping in some of the ways mentioned, or if you have a passion for something you’d like to share or a skill you could teach, you can find our volunteer applications at vcrescuemission.org under “Ways to Help.” You can also call (805) 436-4592 (men’s program) or (805) 436-4588 (Lighthouse).