Archdiocese of Miami — Laudato Si' / Creation Care (PACT)

Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe (parish-level)

Ongoing (7-year platform)

The Archdiocese signed onto the Laudato Si' Action Platform — a 7-year effort to increase the Church's ecological practices. Parishes, schools and households are invited to join and take creation-care action; the Archdiocese has run workshops and encouraged parish-level environmental action through PACT.

Baby Bottle Drive — Respect Life Ministry

Archdiocese of Miami (parish-based)

Parish-scheduled (commonly Respect Life Month / spring)

Parish baby-bottle drive ('participate in your church's baby bottle drive') benefiting the three Pregnancy Help Centers and the free services they provide to pregnant women. A core volunteer/fundraising opportunity promoted across Respect Life Miami.

Camillus House — Casseroles Out Of Kindness (C.O.O.K.)

Miami (cook at home; deliver to Camillus House)

Flexible / ongoing

Cook-from-home program: individuals, religious groups, and organizations prepare nutritious casseroles/meals that Camillus House provides to the hungry and homeless. Ideal for groups and people who love to cook but want flexible off-site service.

Camillus House — General Volunteer Opportunities

Miami (downtown / Miami-Dade)

Flexible; weekly or project-based

Provides food, shelter, housing, rehab treatment, and health care to poor and homeless men, women and children. Ongoing and project-based volunteer roles: help prepare and/or serve food; host a food or fundraising drive; help organize a special event; provide business consultative services; teach a skill (yoga, cooking, financial literacy, etc.); assist staff with clerical assignments; help in the garden or warehouse. Flexible — weekly roles or one-time projects.

Camillus House — Volunteer & C.O.O.K. (Casseroles Out Of Kindness)

Miami (downtown / Allapattah), Miami-Dade

Year-round; meal service and C.O.O.K. casserole drop-offs

Catholic humanitarian agency serving the homeless since 1960 — hot meals, showers, clean clothes, housing programs and basic-needs assistance. Volunteer opportunities include meal service, the C.O.O.K. (Casseroles Out Of Kindness) home-cooked-meal program, the Day Center clothing/shower program, and organizing donation drives.

Catholic Charities — Disaster Relief & Recovery Services

Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe

Activated as needed

Catholic Charities activates disaster relief, recovery and case-management services for victims of disasters across the Archdiocese's three counties, distributing supplies (e.g., 20+ pallets of donated baby supplies to needy families in Broward and Miami-Dade) and coordinating recovery.

Catholic Charities — Elderly / Senior Services Volunteer

Miami-Dade & Broward

Weekday shifts; ongoing

Help low-income and homebound seniors stay independent. Roles: activity coordination at senior centers (arts & crafts, movement/exercise, table-top games, education workshops, special events), serving congregate meals, and delivering fresh/frozen home-delivered meals to homebound, elderly, or disabled clients. Also adult day care support.

Catholic Charities — Immigrant & Refugee Services Volunteer

Miami-Dade & Broward

Varies; ongoing

Support newly arrived refugees and immigrants with resettlement help, family services, and self-sufficiency support. Volunteer needs include welcome/resettlement assistance and translation. Catholic Charities also runs Haitian Family Services to help families emerge from crisis and return to self-sufficiency.

Catholic Charities — Matthew 25 Food Pantry

Miami-Dade

Year-round

Food pantry serving low-income families who struggle to cover monthly food expenses, distributing food to over 1,900 needy individuals each month. Volunteers assist with sorting and distribution.

Catholic Charities — Youth Tutors & Youth Mentors

Miami-Dade, Broward

Ongoing; mentor 1-year commitment

Tutors help young people living in Catholic Charities' Teaching Family Homes with schoolwork. Youth Mentors work individually with one or two children long-term, helping with homework and recreation; one-year commitment required. Requires background screening and VIRTUS training.

Catholic Charities ADOM — General Volunteer Program

Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe (HQ Wilton Manors)

Varies by program; ongoing

Catholic Charities (incorporated 1931) runs social-service programs across all three counties — services for the elderly, food pantry, child development, homelessness prevention, family enrichment, and refugee/immigrant services. To volunteer you identify a program by skill/location, contact that Program Director, complete background screening + VIRTUS (Protecting God's Children) safe-environment training, and schedule a matching interview.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami — Volunteer Programs

Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe

Year-round; varies by program

One of South Florida's largest non-governmental social-service providers (since 1931). Volunteer service areas: elderly services (activities coordination at Adult Day Care), Matthew 25 Food Pantry (serves 1,900+ individuals/month), child development, homelessness prevention, family enrichment, youth tutoring/mentoring. Volunteers identify a program, contact the Program Director, complete background screening and VIRTUS training, and interview for a match.

Catholic Hospice — Administrative Support / Young Voices (Teen) Volunteer

Miami-Dade & Broward (some remote)

Flexible; ongoing

Support the office team with real-world administrative experience; limited remote opportunities available. Teens may also help via Music Volunteers or Acts of Kindness projects under the Young Voices program.

Catholic Hospice — Camp Erin South Florida (Volunteer)

South Florida (Miami-Dade & Broward)

Twice yearly (weekend camps)

Free bereavement camp for grieving youth ages 6-17, hosted twice each year since 2013. Trained volunteers and grief professionals lead healing activities blended with traditional camp fun. Volunteers must be 18+, have a high school diploma, and pass background + drug screenings.

Catholic Hospice — Certified End-of-Life Doula Volunteer

Miami-Dade & Broward

Flexible; ongoing

Volunteer opportunity for certified end-of-life doulas to support terminally ill patients across Miami-Dade and Broward counties (listed via Idealist). Same screening/training pathway as other Catholic Hospice roles.

Catholic Hospice — Companion Care Volunteer

Miami-Dade, Broward & Monroe

7 days/week, 9am-9pm; flexible shifts

Provide companionship to hospice patients and respite to caregivers — play cards, read aloud, share music, or simply be present. Visits available 7 days/week, 9am-9pm, in patients' homes, nursing homes, assisted-living communities, and medical centers. New volunteers complete drug + background + TB screening (paid by Catholic Hospice); monthly Zoom training.

Catholic Hospice — Companion Care Volunteers

Miami-Dade, Broward

Year-round; flexible

Companion Care Volunteers provide companionship to hospice patients and respite to caregivers — playing games, reading, singing, or spending time with terminally ill patients in homes, nursing homes, assisted-living communities and medical centers. Volunteers receive specialized hospice training.

Catholic Hospice — Honoring Our Veterans Volunteer

Miami-Dade & Broward

Flexible; ongoing

Veteran volunteers provide peer-to-peer support and participate in meaningful pinning ceremonies to honor the service and sacrifices of veteran hospice patients and their families.

Catholic Hospice — Music Volunteer

Miami-Dade & Broward

Flexible; ongoing

Create personalized playlists for patients or share musical talents through live instrument playing to awaken memories and uplift the spirit. Teens are welcome in this role.

Catholic Hospice — Pet Peace of Mind & Comforting Pets Volunteer

Miami-Dade & Broward (Inpatient Care Centers: Holy Cross Health, St. Anne's, St. Catherine's West)

Flexible; ongoing

Pet Peace of Mind Volunteers help patients care for their pets (companionship, feeding, basic care) so no one parts with a beloved animal due to illness. Comforting Pet Volunteers — trained & certified pet therapists — bring therapeutic pet visits to patients, families, and staff at the inpatient care centers.

Catholic Hospice — Vigil Team / Angel Care Program

Miami-Dade & Broward

Flexible 3-4 hour shifts, as available

Angel Care (Vigil) Volunteers sit at the bedside of patients during their final 24-48 hours, offering peace and presence — gentle touch, soothing music, candlelight, comforting words, or quiet companionship. Training provided; flexible 3-4 hour shifts.

Catholic Legal Services — Broward / Hollywood Office Volunteer

Broward (Hollywood)

Mon-Tue 9-12 intake; Wed 9-12 work permit/LPR; Thu-Fri by appointment

Broward field office of Catholic Legal Services providing immigration intake, work-permit & LPR renewal assistance, and legal representation. Volunteer attorneys, translators, and law students support intake and casework. Office schedule: Mon-Tue walk-in intake 9am-12pm; Wed walk-in for work permit & LPR renewal 9am-12pm; Thu-Fri appointment only.

Catholic Legal Services ADOM — Pro Bono Attorney / Legal Volunteer

Miami-Dade & Broward

Flexible, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

CLS provides free immigration legal services to low-income refugees and immigrants (asylum seekers, unaccompanied minors, detained individuals, domestic-violence and torture survivors, farm workers) before USCIS, the Immigration Courts, and the BIA — over 1,000 clients/month. Pro bono volunteer needs: client intake & screening, drafting legal documents/briefs, litigation (appellate & trial/direct representation), mentoring volunteer lawyers/law students, and translating legal documents. Flexible hours Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; malpractice insurance provided to volunteers.

Chapman Partnership — Homeless Assistance Centers (Catholic-adjacent network)

Miami (downtown & Homestead), Miami-Dade

Year-round

Since 1995, operates two Homeless Assistance Centers (primary intake for Miami-Dade's Homeless Continuum of Care) housing 800 people nightly plus 450 in pre-shelter. Provides emergency housing, meals, health/dental/psychiatric care, day care, job training and placement. Part of the same Continuum-of-Care network as Camillus House and Catholic Charities.

Cooking for the Homeless — St. Kieran Catholic Church (supports Missionaries of Charity)

Brickell / Coconut Grove, Miami-Dade

Drop-offs Monday–Friday 9am–5pm at the Parish Office

Parishioners prepare home-cooked casserole meals (in covered aluminum trays) and drop them at the parish office; St. Kieran transports them to the Missionaries of Charity near Jackson Memorial Hospital to feed those in need.

Detention Ministry — Office of Detention Ministry, Archdiocese of Miami

Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe

Year-round; formation cohorts from Sept 2026

Pastoral care ministry to Adults in Custody and Minors in Custody (incl. Krome Immigration Detention Center). ~150 regular volunteers, 7 deacons, 15 priests pre-pandemic. Provides spiritual/emotional guidance and comprehensive volunteer training (orientation for deacons, lay ministers, parish groups, ecclesial movements). New formation 'PPFE 101 — Foundations of Prison Pastoral Care' (MoodleCloud + 3-hour in-person retreat) begins September 2026; volunteers grouped by language and availability. Annual 2-hour refresher required.

Grove Outreach — St. Hugh Catholic Parish Food Bank (Coconut Grove)

Coconut Grove, Miami-Dade

Food packing Wednesdays 8:00–11:00am; distribution Saturdays 6:15–8:30am

Founded 1989, has served as a neighborhood food bank for 30+ years at 3749 Grand Avenue. Sources food from Feeding South Florida (Pembroke Pines) and grocery donations. Volunteers help pack and distribute food weekly. Distributed food to 2,600+ in a single month.

Habitat for Humanity Catholic Coalition Build (Broward)

Broward (Pompano Beach area parishes)

Annual build campaign (kicked off Jan 18, 2025)

Catholic Coalition Build of seven parishes — Most Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady of Mercy, St. Aloysius, St. Alphonsus, St. George, St. Jean Vianney and St. Patrick — providing funding and volunteers to build affordable homes. Coalition support began 1996; over 29 years has built 33 homes for 33 families. 2025 build kicked off Jan. 18, 2025.

Homeless Ministry — St. John Neumann Catholic Parish

Kendall / SW Miami-Dade

3rd Saturday of each month (outings); pavilion work 12:00–3:00pm

Provides warm meals, clothing, essential items and holiday care packages to those in greatest need through monthly food/clothing collections. Every 3rd Saturday of the month volunteers collect donations and travel to the Miami Rescue Mission to serve. Also supports the Sisters of Charity, Lotus House, and Better Way Rehabilitation Center of Miami. Community-service certificates awarded for food prep / pavilion work.

Hope for the Homeless, Inc. (H4H) — St. Agatha Catholic Church

Westchester / downtown Miami, Miami-Dade

Wednesdays 1–4pm (prep) and 6:30pm (delivery)

Volunteers meet every Wednesday 1–4pm in St. Agatha's Parish Hall to prepare 750 sandwich bags, soup, water, snacks, plus shoes/clothes/jackets/blankets; a second team meets Wednesdays 6:30pm to load and deliver food to the homeless in downtown Miami using personal vehicles. Zero overhead — every dollar buys meals.

Knights of Columbus — Blood Drives, Coats for Kids & Food for Families (parish councils)

Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe (parish councils)

Recurring (blood drives periodically; Coats for Kids around Thanksgiving)

Parish-based KofC councils run recurring charitable drives across the Archdiocese: OneBlood / Red Cross blood drives (e.g., Miami Council near St. Kieran's, St. Luke, St. Mary Immaculate, La Purisima, Guardian Angels, St. James), Coats for Kids winter coat distributions, and Food for Families food drives. Catholic men 18+ can join their local council to volunteer.

Lotus House Women's Shelter — Volunteer (Catholic-adjacent)

Overtown, Miami-Dade

Year-round; volunteer shifts by sign-up

One of the nation's largest women's shelters, sheltering homeless women, youth and children. Volunteers serve meals, organize supply closets, and host workshops/activities. Regularly supported by Catholic parish homeless ministries (e.g., St. John Neumann).

Matthew 25 Food Pantry — Volunteer

Southwest / West Miami-Dade

Saturday mornings; weekend daytime shifts

Largest food pantry in Miami-Dade — serves over 1,900-3,100 needy individuals (2,000+ households) each month with emergency food. Volunteers sort and distribute food; work is on your feet, moving around. Weekend daytime shifts (Saturday mornings). Suitable for teens 14+ and older adults; flexible time commitment.

Ministry to the Sick (Hospital, Nursing Home & Home Visits) — Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea

Key West, Monroe

Regular visits (volunteer-scheduled)

Parish ministry training Catholics to visit and bring Communion to the sick, homebound and confined in hospitals, nursing homes and private homes. Open to any practicing Catholic 18 or older willing to listen to others' stories and visit regularly.

Missionaries of Charity — Soup Kitchen & Women's Shelter Volunteer

Inner-city Miami (near Jackson Memorial Hospital)

Soup kitchen Fri-Wed (closed Thu), 9:30-11:00am

Sisters of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta have served Miami's 'poorest of the poor' since 1980. They run a soup kitchen feeding 200+ men and women and an emergency night shelter for women and children (boys under age 4 only), with dinner, breakfast, emergency clothing and toiletries. Soup kitchen operates Friday through Wednesday (closed Thursday), 9:30-11:00am. Volunteers help the sisters prepare and serve food and assist guests.

Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa's sisters) — Miami Soup Kitchen & Women's Shelter

Miami (near Jackson Memorial), Miami-Dade

Soup kitchen 9:30am–11:00am, Friday through Wednesday

House serves as a night shelter for homeless women and children, and a daytime soup kitchen feeding 200+ homeless men and women. Volunteers help feed people in the soup kitchen and with maintenance (painting, repairing statues, gardening, pressure-cleaning). Serving Miami's 'poorest of the poor' for 40+ years.

Mother Teresa Project — Miami Soup Kitchen (with Missionaries of Charity)

Miami (MC house near Jackson Memorial), Miami-Dade

Sundays (weekly during academic year)

Weekly Sunday service trip bringing volunteers to the Missionaries of Charity house in Miami where the sisters run a soup kitchen and homeless shelter; volunteers help feed 200+ men and women. The project also supports Habitat for Humanity builds and the Immokalee Soccer School.

Mother Teresa Project — Service at Missionaries of Charity Miami

Inner-city Miami

Sundays (organized group service)

The Mother Teresa Project organizes student/volunteer groups to serve at the Missionaries of Charity house in Miami (typically Sundays), assisting the sisters with the soup kitchen and homeless shelter — helping feed 200+ men and women and performing a variety of support tasks.

Pregnancy Help Center Volunteer Program

Hollywood / Fort Lauderdale / Miami (all three centers)

Ongoing; trained per role

Volunteers are essential to the operation of the three Pregnancy Help Centers. The ministry trains volunteers in different capacities according to their interests, talents and abilities; volunteer applications accepted online.

Society of St. Vincent de Paul — Archdiocesan Council of Miami (Vincentians / parish Conferences)

Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe (Archdiocese-wide)

Ongoing; person-to-person home visits referred from parish calls

Lay Catholic volunteer society with 7 Councils and 70 parish Conferences across the Archdiocese, 1,200+ volunteers. Members make person-to-person home visits to the poor and provide food, emergency financial assistance, rent/mortgage help, thrift goods and referrals. Constantly recruiting new members. Volunteer at the parish-Conference level.

Society of St. Vincent de Paul — Become a Vincentian (Parish Conferences)

Miami-Dade, Broward & Monroe (70 parish Conferences)

Ongoing; cadence set by each parish Conference

Vincentians serve within parish groups called Conferences — visiting the poor and needy person-to-person to provide comfort and financial/material assistance regardless of race, creed, sex, orientation, disability or religion. Over 1,200 volunteers across 70 Conferences (incl. one Mission Conference) covering 70 Archdiocese of Miami parishes in 7 Councils. Call to find the Conference nearest you.

St. Patrick Parish — St. Vincent de Paul Conference (Miami Beach)

Miami Beach

Ongoing; set by parish Conference

Parish-level St. Vincent de Paul Conference at St. Patrick Miami Beach — Vincentians assist neighbors in need with direct material/financial aid and home visits.

St. Thomas the Apostle Parish — St. Vincent de Paul (Miami)

Coral Gables / South Miami

Ongoing; set by parish Conference

Parish St. Vincent de Paul ministry — Vincentians provide person-to-person assistance, food, and financial help to those in need in the parish community.

St. Vincent de Paul — Thrift Stores Volunteer (Broward)

Broward (Pompano Beach & Fort Lauderdale)

Pompano Beach: Tue-Sat 9am-4pm

Two thrift stores operated for the benefit of clients and community — those who cannot afford clothing, furniture, appliances and household items receive them free of charge; sales fund SVdP charity. Volunteers help with donations intake, sorting, and store operations. Pompano store open Tue-Sat 9am-4pm; donations accepted 10am-3pm daily.

St. Vincent de Paul Conference — St. Hugh Catholic Parish (Coconut Grove)

Coconut Grove, Miami-Dade

Ongoing

Parish-level SVDP Conference offering person-to-person help to the needy and suffering. When a needy person calls the parish, the call is referred to Conference members who visit the family and assess how the parish can help.

St. Vincent de Paul Conference — St. John the Baptist (Fort Lauderdale)

Fort Lauderdale, Broward

Ongoing

Parish SVDP Conference serving the needy of any religious background free of charge — helps people become self-sufficient through emotional and financial support, food, clothing, furniture, appliances, housing and resource referrals.

St. Vincent de Paul Conference — St. Patrick Catholic Parish (Miami Beach)

Miami Beach, Miami-Dade

Ongoing

Parish SVDP Conference following Christ's call to serve the poor, suffering and deprived; focuses on serving the needs of the local community in Miami Beach.

St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank (Mother of Christ Church) — Volunteer

West / Southwest Miami-Dade

Food distributions every other Saturday

All-volunteer food bank established ~20 years ago on the Mother of Christ Church campus; one of the largest continuous food operations in Miami, serving the elderly, poor, and helpless across West/SW Miami-Dade. By 2018 nearly 2,000 families helped via food distributions every other Saturday. (Note: the Matthew 25 pantry at this same address transferred to Catholic Charities in Jan 2024.)

St. Vincent de Paul South Florida — Community Goodworks (War on Hunger)

Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe

Year-round; annual Vincent Murphy Walk for the Poor & 5K Run

SVDP South Florida's Community Goodworks program focuses on the 900,000 food-insecure people in South Florida (nearly 300,000 children). Offers 20 services including food programs, emergency financial assistance, senior transportation, disaster relief, rent/mortgage assistance, employment services, hospital ministry, and burial of the indigent. Since 1970 has helped 10M+ people. Volunteers donate 15M+ hours.

St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Stores — Broward (Pompano Beach & Fort Lauderdale)

Broward (Pompano Beach; Fort Lauderdale)

SVDP operates two Broward thrift stores benefiting clients and the community — those who cannot afford clothing, furniture, appliances and household items receive them free of charge. Donation pickup available. Volunteers staff the stores.