VOLUNTEER

Serving the Community Together as a Community

Shalom Austin strives to create accessible and meaningful volunteer experiences for all ages and interests that are rooted in tikkun olam (repairing the world), a central tenet of Judaism. By engaging the community in acts of tzedekah (justice) and gemilut chasadim (acts of loving-kindness) we as a community can work together toward tikkun olam.

INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING?

Volunteers allow Shalom Austin to fulfill its mission to the Jewish community and the greater Austin community. Bringing light to those dark areas of our world, volunteering at Shalom Austin will impact your life as much as those you serve.

There are many ways to give back. Whatever your path to developing your influence on Austin’s Jewish community, we can guide you. By investing time, talent, treasure or all three, through Shalom Austin, your gift and involvement will do more good for more people — including you — than you may have thought possible.

For questions, contact JFS Case Management and Community Support Director Joan Maniere at [email protected].

Learn More and Register for Upcoming Opportunities

Join Our Facebook Group for Volunteers

Jewish Family Service food pantry stocked full of donated canned goods.

Support the Shalom Austin Jewish Family Service Food Pantry

We serve the Jewish community and beyond here in Austin. Our ability to offer assistance relies on the support of the Shalom Austin community. To keep the Food Pantry stocked, donate through our monthly signups, drop food off at the collection basket at the JFS building, and/or organize a food drive at your job, school, or synagogue. Furthermore, we rely on our volunteers to prepare the bags, make deliveries, and organize food drives.

Donate Now

Volunteer

Shalom Austin RAISE

Shalom Austin RAISE is an employment readiness opportunity for adults with disabilities. RAISE offers real world paid job experience supported by volunteer job coaches. RAISE volunteer job coaches are needed for the 2026-2027 cohort!

Submitting an application does not commit you to the program; it is just a way to get you further connected to see if this program is the right fit for you.

Complete a Volunteer Interest Form

Community Connections – Shalom Schmoozers and Patio Pals

Connect to community members through our friendly caller program, Shalom Schmoozers. For in-person visits, we have partnered up with National Council of Jewish Women for Patio Pals. The Patio Pals experience offers an opportunity to form connections with our senior community members. We will match you with a senior adult and you two will determine how often you visit and what you all hope to accomplish from the visits. Covid protocols are expected – such as masking and social distancing.

Volunteer

Shalom Families Mensch Village

Shalom Families Mensch Village is a program that engages children in the value of tikkun olam, repairing the world, alongside their parents and caregivers.

Through this program, young families will:
– Address food insecurity in Austin
– Visit retirement communities for Shabbat
– Participate in a Service Learning Series

Contact to Learn More

WP JFS Hanukkah Wrap 2021 Group Volunteering

Group Volunteer Experiences

Bring your team/workplace/book club/classroom together while making a meaningful impact in the community through volunteer engagement opportunities designed to strengthen collaboration, communication, and connection. From hands-on service projects to skills-based volunteering, team-building volunteer experiences give employees the chance to work toward a shared purpose outside the workplace, boosting morale, fostering leadership, and creating lasting relationships. Whether supporting local nonprofits, participating in community clean-up efforts, or mentoring youth, these opportunities help teams grow stronger while giving back in a powerful way.

Contact to Learn More

B’Mitzvah Projects

We help create meaningful and impactful Mitzvah Projects for Bar and Bat Mitzvah teens. Our services include project planning, promotion, and hands-on logistical support, including transportation and coordination, to ensure the experience is enjoyable, rewarding, and successful for everyone involved. Whether your teen is passionate about helping people, supporting animals, protecting the environment, or another important cause, we work together to develop a project that reflects their interests and values while making a positive difference in the community.

Contact to Learn More

Teen-Only Volunteer Advisors (TOVA)

TOVA is a Shalom Austin teen service initiative to empower teens to take ownership of their Jewish volunteering and community engagement journeys. TOVA leaders design and implement volunteer opportunities that are rooted in Shalom Austin’s core values of Limmud (learning), Tikkun Olam (repair the world), and Tzedakah (justice) for their peers and the broader Shalom Austin community. TOVA leads volunteer events for the teen community several times throughout the year.

Contact to Learn More

Boy and girl collecting plastic garbage in a container in a polluted clearing, recycling signs on the T-shirts

Austin Jews and Partners for Refugees

Austin Jews and Partners for Refugees (AJPR) provides volunteer and financial assistance to refugee families in partnership with Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS). To strengthen its volunteer support, AJPR is teaming up with Shalom Austin in volunteer coordination. This collaboration will further AJPR’s goal to provide a human connection to assist refugee families to become self-sufficient and make a new home in the Austin community.

Volunteer

You Make Everything We Do Possible

Contribute to the Shalom Austin Annual Campaign and help us make a difference.

Donate

I am thankful to have met so many incredible people, who I now call my new friends. The fellow volunteers and staff are always grateful and genuinely happy to see me. I plan to spend many years volunteering with this group. I have been touched by this inviting community.

Dana Shapiro Spaeth

I am thankful to have met so many incredible people, who I now call my new friends. The fellow volunteers and staff are always grateful and genuinely happy to see me. I plan to spend many years volunteering with this group. I have been touched by this inviting community.

Dana Shapio Spaeth