Our partners are loving and serving those in need.
Meet our partner organizations—inspiring leaders who are making a difference in the East Bay and beyond. Want to learn more or have a passion for a particular area? Just ask! We’d love to share about what our partners are doing and how you can get involved.
International Rescue Committee
To volunteer: rescue.org/volunteer-opportunities/oakland-ca
Contact: Aria Brock, 510-452-8222
Each year, thousands of people forced to flee violence and persecution are welcomed into the safety and freedom of America. The International Rescue Committee provides opportunities for refugees, asylees, victims of human trafficking, survivors of torture, and other immigrants to thrive in the U.S. In Oakland, and in other offices across the country, the IRC helps these new Americans to rebuild their lives. rescue.org/united-states/oakland-ca
Opportunity International
Learn more: opportunity.org
Opportunity International works to end extreme poverty through small business loan programs and education. They have worked in developing countries for over 50 years, empowering millions of small business owners, farmers, educators, and families.
Children Rising
To volunteer: children-rising.org/volunteer/#volunteer-opportunities
Contact: Bronwyn Harris
Every year, almost 2,000 Oakland school children reach third grade unable to read or perform basic math. Without these skills, they will not have the confidence, or the ability, to succeed in elementary school, middle school, and beyond. Children Rising nurtures and equips these vulnerable children to rise above the challenges created by generations of poverty, violence, and educational inequity. Children Rising volunteers teach, mentor, and nourish these children and youth to help them realize their God-given potential. children-rising.org
New College Berkeley
New College Berkeley encourages and enables Christians to integrate faith with their academic disciplines, and to cultivate Christian vocation within secular studies and professional engagement. Since its founding in 1977, New College Berkeley has served undergraduates, graduate students, and lifelong learners with wide-ranging courses, conferences, seminars, lectures, and retreats aimed at renewing minds, deepening faith, and shaping vocation. New College Berkeley is an affiliate of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, an interfaith consortium of nine seminaries and 11 affiliates associated with the University of California at Berkeley. newcollegeberkeley.org
Oakland International High School
To volunteer: oaklandinternational.org/volunteer
Contact: Lauren Markham
Oakland International High School provides quality alternative education to recently arrived refugee and immigrant students from more than 30 countries who speak more than 35 languages. Many of these students arrive with significant gaps in their formal education, having fled war, violence, and extreme economic hardship. Oakland International High School connects these students with socio-emotional services that support their transition to the U.S. We rely on volunteers (in the classroom and outside) who can make a long-term commitment to build relationships with students, staff, and program partners and become part of the dynamic OIHS community. oaklandinternational.org
Congo Initiative
Learn more: congoinitiative.org
Congo Initiative works toward a flourishing Democratic Republic of Congo, educating Christ-centered Congolese leaders and developing grassroots initiatives for peace, justice, sustainability, and hope. They make education a crucial priority for securing the future of the next generation, particularly for girls and women.
Langham Partnership
Learn more: us.langham.org
Langham Partnership is an interdenominational organization that works to strengthen the global church by coming alongside national leaders and seminaries and nurturing indigenous preaching movements. It provides books, resources, and financial support to pastors and scholars from the majority world so that they can lead and train others in their home countries.
Near East School of Theology
Contact: Dr. George Sabra, telephone +9 61 1 738639 or +961 1 329901
Learn more: theonest.edu.lb
The Near East School of Theology (NEST) is an interconfessional Protestant seminary trains pastors and leaders for ministry in churches and other Christian organizations in the Middle East. Located in Beirut, Lebanon, the school was built on a history of evangelical theological education that goes back to 1835.
Rotacare Richmond
To volunteer: rotacarebayarea.org/volunteer
Contact: Amit Randhawa
RotaCare Richmond offers bilingual medical care to uninsured adults in Richmond, California. An all-volunteer staff provides a range of diagnostic and therapeutic medical services, all offered free of charge. Rotacare recently expanded to include a Women’s Health Clinic as well as specialized care for patients living with diabetes, asthma, and hypertension. Clinics are in need of volunteer physicians, nurse practitioners, clerks, pharmacists, and more. Other volunteers are welcome as well. rotacarebayarea.org/clinics/richmond.html
Free Burma Rangers
To volunteer: freeburmarangers.org/get-involved/volunteer
Contact: info@freeburmarangers.org
Under the leadership of Dave and Karen Eubanks and their family, Free Burma Rangers works in the conflict-ridden areas of Burma, Kurdistan, Iraq, and Syria. The organization trains medics to provide care in war-torn areas, and the “Good Life Club” helps children affected by violence. Most of all, Free Burma Rangers points people to Jesus and shares the love that he gives. Volunteers assist primarily in logistical areas, such as managing finances and training counselors for the Good Life Club. freeburmarangers.org
Oasis Africa Counseling Center
Contact: Dr. Gladys Mwiti
Oasis Africa Counseling Center provides psychological support to vulnerable groups in Kenya and beyond. Programs address issues including financial management, continuing education, legal advocacy, self care, and more, all in an effort to break the cycle of poverty and exploitation. As part of its community outreach, Oasis Africa opened the Mashaka Children’s Center in 2007 to provide care, counseling, food, and education to 200 orphans and vulnerable children in Mashaka, a rural slum in the Meru district. oasisafrica.org.au
1951 Coffee Company
To volunteer: 1951coffee.com/engage
Contact: info@1951coffee.org
Created in 2015, the 1951 Coffee Company is named for the year when the United Nations Refugee Agency first set forth guidelines for the protection of refugees. 1951 Coffee Company provides job training and employment opportunities for refugees and asylum seekers. More than 200 individuals have completed this free, two-week program, with 80% of the graduates finding good-paying jobs at Blue Bottle, Red Bay, Highwire, Equator, Starbucks, and other companies, or at one of 1951’s three nonprofit cafes. Volunteers support 1951’s barista training by giving trainees mock interviews, real-life work experience, and practice in conversational English. 1951coffee.com
Insight Housing
To volunteer: insighthousing.org/get-involved/volunteer
Contact: volunteers@insighthousing.org
The mission of Insight Housing is to ease and end the crisis of homelessness in our communities. Since 1970, Insight Housing has been a compassionate provider of food, housing, and support services. The organization operates a 32-bed men’s shelter, a 32-bed women’s shelter, and a 12-bed transitional housing program for male veterans. They also serve free, nutritious meals almost every weekday at shelters around Berkeley. Volunteers (ages 14 and older) assist with meal preparation and meal service. https://insighthousing.org
CityTeam
To volunteer: cityteam.org/oakland/get-involved
Contact: Teddy Feldmann
CityTeam is a nationwide, non-denominational Christian organization serving the poor, the homeless, and the lost. What starts with a simple meal can ultimately transform the lives of the thousands of men, women, and children who find hope within the doors of their local CityTeam. The Oakland location, including its new women’s shelter, provides hot meals, shelter, medical services, learning and career counseling, and spiritual care. CityTeam welcomes individual and group volunteers to serve meals, assist in the learning center, serve as mentors, and participate in other ways. cityteam.org/oakland
First Pres Street Meal
To volunteer in the kitchen or donate clothing: contact Lars Stenstedt
To provide hospitality: contact Marie Corwin
The First Pres Street Meal is much more than a hot, tasty supper! Served to 150 of our food-insecure neighbors twice a month, Street Meal is a loud, energetic, and sometimes raucous experience of God’s grace. Volunteers open their hearts, and the First Pres kitchen, to cook and serve dinner. Guests also receive clothing, toiletries, and bedding, and enjoy time to relax and socialize. After dinner, volunteers lead a Bible study that welcomes everyone, believers and skeptics alike. To find out more or sign up for an upcoming Street Meal, click here.
Harbor House
To volunteer: hhministries.org/volunteer
Harbor House is a Christian nonprofit serving at-risk children and families in the lower San Antonio neighborhood of Oakland. Unemployment and underemployment are significant challenges for residents here; for many, refugee status, illiteracy, and inadequate education make these challenges even tougher. Children under 18 represent 30 percent of the population in this community. Harbor House provides a safe place for children and families to find opportunities and resources, and to build relationships with one another. Volunteers enrich Harbor House programs by sharing their time and skills in our elementary and teen support programs, family services, adult education, and more. hhministries.org
Together for the Family
Contact: Beth Thomsen
Together for the Family was created in 2010 by Izdihar and Riad Kassis, local Christian leaders who wanted to support Christian school children and Syrian refugees in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon. The outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011 galvanized Together for the Family toward a new mission to support the thousands of refugees pouring across the border into the valley. One example is Project Breakfast, a program that feeds and nurtures special education children of Syrian refugees. Theses children are often not accepted at schools because of the extra care they require.
MISSSEY
To volunteer: misssey.org/get-involved/volunteer
Contact: info@misssey.org
MISSSEY (Motivating, Inspiring, Supporting & Serving Sexually Exploited Youth) is an Oakland nonprofit that envisions a world where no young person is bought, sold, or exploited. MISSSEY provides services to exploited youth in our community, many of them victims and survivors of multiple human rights abuses. Through MISSSEY, they receive nonjudgmental, trauma-informed, and healing-centered services from an experienced, compassionate staff. MISSEY accepts volunteers on an as-needed basis and puts them to work in a variety of ways. misssey.org
International Justice Mission
Contact: Steve Meyers
An estimated 40 million people globally are subject to some form of slavery. A disproportionate percentage of the victims are women and minors. In 17 communities throughout the developing world, International Justice Mission protects the poor and vulnerable from human trafficking and other violence by partnering with local authorities to rescue victims. Its work encompasses three steps: saving and restoring survivors, bringing criminals to justice, and strengthening justice systems. ijm.org
New Life Center Foundation
The New Life Center Foundation works with young, ethnic minority women throughout the Mekong region (Thailand, Burma, China, and Laos) who are at risk for, or victims of, forced labor, sexual abuse, domestic violence, neglect, and human trafficking. The foundation provides comprehensive residential aftercare for survivors, which includes counseling, individual and group therapy, education, vocational and business training, craft and income generation, and housing. newcenterlifefoundation.org
Project Peace East Bay
Contact: contact@projectpeaceeastbay.org
Project Peace East Bay creates partnerships among local churches, schools, and social service providers to work together for just and sustainable communities in Berkeley, Oakland, and surrounding areas. In addition to an annual speaker series focused on social justice issues, Project Peace coordinates Days of Service throughout the year, giving volunteers an opportunity to work with various community groups on projects involving “sweat equity” across the East Bay. First Pres Berkeley partners once a year with Project Peace for Do Justice, a day when 150-200 volunteers worship God through acts of service. projectpeaceeastbay.org