Last updated May 2025
Why volunteer?
Life can be stressful and isolating at times, and volunteering can help provide connections and a sense of purpose and stability.聽It can be a wonderful way to combat restlessness, anxiety, or general boredom.聽This can be especially rewarding during times that the university closes such as between terms or聽during breaks. Volunteering provides many of the same benefits of participating in a spiritual community, including a sense of belonging and the joy of giving compassionate service.聽
What kinds of volunteering experiences are available?
We receive requests from various organizations seeking volunteers - student volunteers included - to help with basic activities such as:
- Home deliveries of food, meals, pharmacy items, and other essential items.
- Calling those in self-isolation to provide support and communication.
- Assisting in homeless shelters to help keep them open and operating according to health guidelines.
When are volunteers needed?
Organizations find themselves short-staffed many times during the year as dedicated employees take a well-deserved break or as student volunteers leave the city.聽While there is greater need during times of reduced staff availability in summer,听all聽these organizations need help year-round.聽If you find yourself in a position to help others, please consider contacting one of the organizations listed here, or an organization in your home community!
Volunteer Opportunities
There is a great need to lend a helping hand, particularly for highly vulnerable populations such as the homeless and those who have little or no income. Here are a few current opportunities to help now:
In-person community volunteering (local)
Opportunities listed below are open to both 51吃瓜网students, non-51吃瓜网students, and general members of the community.
- (3535 Av. du Parc): Located near campus, this聽drop-in centre聽provides services and temporary shelter to the homeless and low-income people in downtown Montreal. They need volunteers for all the tasks involved in running this vital service such as laundry, sanitation, kitchen work and welcome station. These shifts are generally between 8AM and 8PM, in 4-hour blocks. SMMU's Club helps fill shifts and has their own convenient webform for students. To get involved:聽email聽mstodm [at] ssmu.ca,听蹿颈苍诲 or , or .
- (1611 Rue Dorion): Offers a diverse range of volunteer positions in programs that relieve social isolation and poverty (including a food bank, day center, and community suppers) for people living with HIV/aids. You can become a trained volunteer massage therapist in their program or even come offer other special skills and they will find something for you to do there. Contact: Rab [at] maisonpleincoeur.org, 514 597 0554 ext 227
- (420 Saint-Paul E.): Serves the homeless and those at risk of homelessness in a wide variety of ways, striving to help individuals integrate into society in healthy ways. They offer a multi-serve day centre and transitional housing. If interested in volunteering with them,
- (4000 Rue St. Catherine Ouest): A聽community-led project established to support the homeless population in the Cabot Square area. It is a wellness center for the most vulnerable and provides a welcoming and safe oasis from the hardships of the streets where people with trauma are honoured, defended and can access services that meet their needs. If you'd like to volunteer, reach out to them at resilience.volunteer [at] gmail.com.
- (915 Clark St.): Volunteering with our organization is an enriching experience that enables you to support our cause while demonstrating to people experiencing homelessness in Montreal that their fellow citizens have their backs. The Old Brewery Mission is looking for volunteers who are ready to put in a few hours per week, for a period of a few months.聽Volunteer opportunities are available to people aged 18 and over.
- 聽(1801, de Maisonneuve Blvd. W. Suite 750): A聽non-profit organization that offers physical and emotional support to seniors experiencing temporary or permanent loss of autonomy within the downtown and Westmount area. 聽Primary services include friendly visits, grocery shopping, and medical or banking accompaniments, all performed by volunteers. Offers an Art Expression program, either group or one-on-one sessions facilitated by volunteers.聽Additional info:聽Currently recruiting volunteers for all聽services. Minimum commitment of two months and a minimum volunteer time of two hours per week according to your schedule. All EBM volunteers receive an orientation, done in person or via video conference call. Standard background check required (SPVM verification form).聽 Complete the聽.聽Call聽514-939-9575, email聽ebmmetro [at] vif.com, or visit 听辞谤 .
- (6875 Decarie Blvd.): Provides home-delivered meals, including Shabbat meals, to elderly and disabled. They need聽 to help assemble and deliver our monthly food baskets to families in the Greater Montreal area.
- 聽Offers food baskets and emergency food support, especially for Ramadan and COVID-19 challenges. They provide free meals in the community through mosques, churches and community centres, and also run a 14-bed shelter for vulnerable women and their families. For volunteering opportunities visit 听辞谤 email聽info [at] sistersabria.org and include a short paragraph about why you鈥檙e interested in donating your time to their cause and a copy of your current CV. They also are seeking monetary donations to help them provide services.
- : Runs a Generations Program in an attempt to help vulnerable and self-isolating seniors.聽Types of volunteer activities include聽friendly calls (volunteers call (from their cell phone) senior members for a weekly check-in/friendly call), friendly errands (volunteers meet seniors at their door, receive a grocery list and money, run the errands, and deliver the items to the seniors door), and accompaniments (volunteers assist seniors getting to and from critical medical appointments).
- : Promotes the social integration of immigrants (regardless of their status) and reduce cultural and linguistic divisions within the community. Volunteers can come to teach or assist in the teaching of language classes. Download the and send it to volunteer [at] maisondelamitie.ca.
- : Supports Black youth aged 18 to 35 in reaching their educational, employability, and entrepreneurial goals through a holistic and individualized approach. Volunteers can support DESTA as tutors, business and professional mentors, administrative support workers, and workshop facilitators. Fill in the to apply.
- 聽A聽pediatric palliative care resource in Quebec that offers free services to children with life-shortening illnesses, as well as psychosocial support for their families. Le Phare offers many volunteer roles such as child care, recreational team, personal care support, in-home respite, reception and kitchen services, administrative work, and more. Fill out the聽.
Clothing and other local donations
- (915 Clark St.): Desired donations include聽Bus and metro tickets, Winter boots, running shoes, Gift cards, New underwear for men and warm socks, Leggings and stretch pants, Travel size toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shampoo, deodorant, body soap), and Backpacks. To donate goods, please contact Christopher Quinn, Logistics and In-kind Donations Manager. Donations can be dropped off day or night at the Webster Pavilion reception desk, 915 Clark Street. Christopher Quinn:聽cquinn [at] missionoldbrewery.ca,听514-798-2244, ext. 291
- (3535 Avenue du Parc): Accepts some donations of clothing, toiletries and food. Consult the 聽page, and verify your donation by writing to info [at] opendoortoday.org before bringing clothes.
Quebec-wide listings
is a provincial web platform dedicated to聽pairing Volunteer Centres and non-profit organizations with potential volunteers. Managed by the F茅d茅ration des centres d鈥檃ction b茅n茅vole du Qu茅bec (FCABQ), the聽Jebenevole.ca聽website presents volunteering opportunities along with the search tools and filters that facilitate the pairing of organizations and individuals with the goal of filling open volunteering positions.聽Find volunteer opportunities that match your interests and skills, and help organizations find motivated volunteers through our volunteer platform.
