Neighborhood House programs work to give children, ages 0-18, the tools they need to be healthy and successful in school and life. We help young children get ready for school in our Head Start classrooms and Parenting Program, and support the development of school-age youth through our SUN afterschool and Mentoring programs.

Our volunteers do more than help with homework, they are trusted companions and stable role models. Check out these great opportunities and find out how it feels to make life better for a disadvantaged kid.

Neighborhood House requires a criminal background check for all volunteers working with children and youth.

SUN Afterschool Programs

Are you a retired science teacher? Do you have a special skill you would like to teach to children? Or would you simply enjoy helping a child understand their homework? Come share your time and talent with our students. Neighborhood House’s eight school-based SUN Programs utilize volunteer instructors and homework tutors.

Our SUN Programs in Southwest Portland are located at Markham Elementary, Jackson Middle and Robert Gray Middle Schools. Our SUN School Programs in North Portland are at Clarendon-Portsmouth K-8, Peninsula Elementary, George Middle, and Roosevelt High Schools.

Volunteers can also help with serving meals and monitoring recess and special activities. Hours vary by school.

Mentoring Program

Mentoring changes children’s lives. Research shows that for at-risk youth it improves school attendance and attitude towards school, reduces drug and alcohol abuse, and improves the child’s relationship with their parents. Neighborhood House operates two mentoring programs: Lunch Buddies and the North x Southwest Mentoring Project.

As a Lunch Buddy, you spend one hour a week at lunch time with a child at one of our participating K-8 schools. North x Southwest is a community-based intensive program, meaning the child can be referred from anywhere in the community, and the mentor commits 2-3 hours a week with the child for at least one year.

Whether you have one hour a week or three, consider sharing it with a child at Neighborhood House.

Head Start Prekindergarten

Neighborhood House’s Head Start Program works to support the healthy development and school-readiness of pre-school-aged children. Volunteers are welcome as classroom aides, to assist with health and development screenings, for building and yard maintenance, and as kitchen aides. Both a background check and a health screening are required for this opportunity.

For more information, contact volunteers@nhweb.org or 503-246-1663 x117.  Or you can click here to download a volunteer application and send it directly to us!