Join the MiraCosta College Community and Discover the Power of Service!
Students are encouraged to submit their volunteer hours to servicelearning@miracosta.edu so they can be entered into the service database. By entering their hours into the service database, students can be provided with a Service History Report/Timecard that can be used for applying to scholarships, transfer applications, etc. To request a Service History Report, email servicelearning@miracosta.edu and include your name and SURF ID.
Upcoming Events
Service Learning & Volunteer Fairs
Tuesday, September 22, 12pm-1:30pm
Oceanside Campus
1 Barnard Drive
Oceanside Clock Tower Area
Free food & refreshments, opportunity drawings, and earn serving hours!
Organizations Tabling
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation, Alzheimer's San Diego, BASE Programs, Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest San Diego, Carlsbad City Library, Casa de Amparo, Children's Museum of Discovery, Community HousingWorks, Education Begins in the Home, Fallbrook Food Pantry, Interfaith Community Services, Ivey Ranch Park, MainStreet Oceanside, MiraCosta College CARE Program, MiraCosta College Mental Health Services, MiraCosta College, Student Life & Leadership, North County LGBTQ Resource Center, Oceanside Museum of Art, Operation HOPE-North County, Roots of Justice, Seaport Scripps Hospice, Solutions for Change, Soroptimist International of Oceanside-Carlsbad, Studio ACE, The Brother Benno Foundation, The Foundation For Care Integration, The George G. Glenner Alzheimer's Family Centers, Inc. - The Glenner Guardian Angel Program, Vista Community Clinic, WRC, and Wylde Horses Therapeutic Riding Facility
Words of Hope Service Project
Join our Service Learning & Volunteer Center for Words of Hope, an on-campus service project occurring every Tuesday from September 8th to October 20th from 11am-2pm near the Student Center Pavilion on Oceanside Campus.
MiraCosta students are invited to write holiday cards with words of encouragement and compassion, provided by Just Detention International*, for survivors who are currently incarcerated. For every 5 cards written, a MiraCosta student may earn 1 service hour. Holiday cards and materials will be provided.
*Just Detention International is a health and human rights organization that seeks to end sexual abuse in all forms of detention. Every year they host Words of Hope, an event where the community sends holiday messages to people who have been sexually abused while incarcerated. These greetings mean the world to survivors, so many of whom feel alone and forgotten.
How It Works
Those who wish to participate in this service project can sign up to receive a reminder on when to join us on-campus to write holiday cards, OR can sign up to pick up their holiday cards in-person at the Service Learning & Volunteer Center (Student Services Bldg. 14, Room 14165) located on the MiraCosta College Oceanside Campus (1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside). We are open Monday-Thursday, 8am-4:30pm and Friday 8-3pm.
Sign-up to volunteer:
One-time Volunteer Opportunities
Taste of Oceanside - MainStreet Oceanside, a local nonprofit dedicated to supporting a thriving Downtown Oceanside through economic growth and community identity, is looking for 50 student volunteers to help with Taste of Oceanside, one of the city's premier annual food and beverage festivals, taking place on October 3, 2026. Volunteers would help with guest check-in, tasting assistance, and wayfinding/support 鈥� a great chance for students to build event experience, network with local business owners, and engage with the Oceanside community. Qualifications include a positive attitude, reliability, strong communication skills, stamina for standing/walking, and closed-toe shoes for safety. For questions, contact Tracy Ford at tracy@mainstreetoceanside.com. .
Volunteer with Casa de Amparo - Casa de Amparo has several storage pods on their campus that need to be relocated. We are seeking MiraCosta volunteers to assist with emptying the storage pods, one at a time, and moving the supplies into a temporary storage space so the pods can be relocated. We are providing transportation from MiraCosta College Oceanside Campus (1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside) to the volunteer site, then back to MiraCosta Oceanside campus. For questions, contact servicelearning@miracosta.edu. .
City of Oceanside D铆a de los Muertos - The Oceanside D铆a de los Muertos Festival is taking place on Sunday, October 25th from 10am-4pm at the Oceanside Civic Center (300 N. Coast Hwy, Oceanside) and they are looking to recruit MiraCosta volunteers! Volunteer Shifts: 6AM-9:30AM, 9AM-12:30PM, 12PM-3:30PM, and 3PM-5PM. Here is an overview of volunteer support that is needed: help with set-up, manage the loteria booth, support non-profits with their activities, monitor and enjoy the event, crowd control as performances take place, pick up trash around the event, take pictures and videos of any booths, altars, or entertainment for social media, assist with Chalk Cemetery, and help with cleanup. For questions, contact servicelearning@miracosta.edu. .
Ivey Ranch Wester Hoedown - Please join us in supporting Ivey Ranch Park鈥檚 45th Anniversary Annual Western Hoedown Fundraiser event on Saturday, October 10th, 2026. Any volunteering is greatly appreciated! We are looking for volunteers (adults, teens, and pre-teens) to help at our 45th Annual Western Hoedown Fundraiser. Event Volunteers will get to attend the event for free and be a part of this amazing fundraising opportunity. We need the help of over 150 volunteers--sign up for a shift today! Shifts are 2-5 hours in length. All volunteers must individually register. Volunteers are welcome to sign up for more than one shift if they would like. EVENT VOLUNTEER SHIFTS: Sat. 10/10 in the afternoon/evening. Volunteer Tasks for 10/10: Registration, Western Raffle, Silent Auction, VIP Monitors, VIP Food Servers, Hay Ride Line Monitors, Parking Monitors, Kid's Corral Games, Raffle Ticket Sellers, Bar, Sustainability Team, and more! SET UP VOLUNTEER SHIFTS: Set Up on Fri. 10/10 from 8-11AM, Set Up on Fri. 10/10 from 1-4PM, and Set Up on Sat. 10/11 from 8-11AM. CLEAN UP VOLUNTEER SHIFTS: Clean Up on Sat. 10/10 from 8:30-9:30PM (immediately after event), Clean Up on Sun. 10/11 from 8-11AM, and Clean Up on Mon. 10/12 from 8-11AM. . If you are looking for a different volunteer day and would like to help with: polishing silverware, folding napkins, cleaning centerpieces, ironing bandanas, napkins, table runners and more; please reach out directly to us at volunteer@iveyranch.com.
Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities
The Haunted Corn Maze is an annual community tradition organized by the Carlsbad Strawberry Company and The Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation. AHLF is seeking Volunteer Scare Actors to dress in costume and scare those who dare to enter the maze! Proceeds from this event go back to AHLF and our promise to provide excellent environmental education to our community. Every Friday and Saturday night in October, including Halloween! Dates: October 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 10th, 16th, 17th, 23rd, 24th, 30th, and 31st. Time: 6:00pm-10:30pm (must stay the entire shift). Location: 1050 Cannon Rd, Carlsbad, CA 92008 (Carlsbad Strawberry Company). Volunteers can sign up alone or with a group or team! Pizza and community service hours are provided at the end of the night. Costumes are provided. Must be 16+ to Scare, must be 18+ to be Security. .
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation is looking for long-term volunteers to help care for their sweet chickens and lovable pig, Bingo! Chicken Care Shifts: Tuesday鈥揊riday mornings (8:30 AM) and Saturday evenings (3:30 PM). Tasks include Light cleanup, feeding, and quality cuddle time with our feathered ladies. Bingo Care Shift: Monday mornings (8:30 AM) and Afternoon walks needed each day. Tasks include taking Bingo on a stroll, serving up her breakfast, and tidying up her home. Interested in filling any of these shifts? Email volunteer@aguahedionda.org to sign up! Training is provided鈥攏o experience needed!
Cardiff Farmers Market is looking for volunteers to assist during their farmers鈥� market. Volunteers are needed to support the info booth and kid鈥檚 activities. To sign up and learn more, contact Berenice Nevarez at Communications@cardiff101.com or 760.498.9509.
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation is looking for volunteers! Spend a beautiful day of field work beside the Agua Hedionda Lagoon helping restore our Carlsbad trails. We suggest wearing long pants, comfortable shoes, and clothing you don't mind getting dirty. Please bring sunscreen, a hat, and water. The scope of work varies depending on the season and current trail conditions. Projects include native planting, habitat restoration, building and installing oyster wattles, invasive species removal, brushing and trail maintenance, importing and hauling erosion control structure material, graffiti and trash removal, and trail sinkhole repairs. . For more information, contact Larissa Fullmer at larissa.fullmer@aguahedionda.org or 760.804.1969.
Poinsettia Elementary School is short on campus monitors to cover the recess and lunch periods as listed: 9:55-10:15am, 10:15-10:35am, 11:20am-12:05pm, 12:05-12:50pm. The volunteers will be outside on the blacktop and supervise students while they are having a snack and lunch then go play in the playground structure, blacktop and field. Volunteers must make sure students don't have "food fights" at the lunch tables, that they play safely on the playground structure and out in the field. We currently have 3 campus monitors, but we can always use another "pair of eyes". For questions and to sign up, contact Silvia Crowley at scrowley@carlsbadusd.net or 760.331.6595.
Ivey Ranch Park Association, located off Rancho Del Oro in Oceanside, is seeking volunteers for in-person service opportunities. We have opportunities available during the week and on weekends. Service Projects volunteers assist outdoors with painting, landscaping, gardening, small repairs etc. These one-time volunteer opportunities are ongoing and can be organized for large groups as well. For questions and to sign-up, contact Cynthia Renteria at volunteer@iveyranch.com or 760.722.4839.
Seacrest Village Retirement Communities is looking for volunteers on flexible days between 9:30 am - 11:30 am and 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm! Volunteers are needed to assist staff with organizational projects, such as supply closets, activity supplies, etc. Volunteers will be working under the direction of staff. For more information and to sign-up, contact Sheryl Seltser (Volunteer Liaison) at sseltser@seacrestvillage.org or 760.632.3718. To learn about the organization, visit .
