Outreach & Volunteering

Working together is an integral part of Zen practice, and a way for your practice to be brought out of the meditation hall and into the world.

 

City Center Kitchen

OPPORTUNITIES AT CITY CENTER

Engage with the wider community or help within the temple.

Examples of volunteer opportunities at Beginner’s Mind Temple in San Francisco:

  • Neighborhood Outreach
  • Special Events
  • Gardening
  • Bookstore - Beginning early 2025
  • Kitchen - Beginning early 2025
  • Library - Beginning early 2025

Open Sangha in collaboration with SF Night Ministry
Every third Monday
Join us at 3:30 pm at City Center Beginner’s Mind Temple for meal preparation. Optional: join us at Civic Center (Leavenworth and McAllister) at 5:30 pm for service and a communal meal. Come for one or both events!

Zen Center Prison Program
Get matched as a pen pal with a person who is incarcerated. For those with a meditation practice, an understanding of basic Buddhist teachings, and half an hour to volunteer a month. All mail comes through the SFZC offices so you can maintain anonymity.

Socks for our Neighbors
Dates and times listed on the SFZC Calendar

Join us for tea and cookies as we organize care kits for our unhoused neighbors. Optional: get paired with a buddy to offer warm engagement and distribute these items in the neighborhood. Donations of new adult-size bulk socks and hot hands can be brought to these events or dropped at the City Center offices at 293 Page St. at Laguna.

Please put donations in the bin marked "Socks for our Neighbors." or have them sent via Amazon to:
Ellen Simpson, Outreach
340 Page Street, Apt. 207
San Francisco, CA 94102

Narcan Training
Dates and times listed on the SFZC Calendar
Free training on administering the life-saving medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose.

Book Sale
Proceeds go to support SFZC’s outreach offerings, which benefit people who are incarcerated, families in transition, those in rehabilitation facilities, and others. We accept donations of gently used books about Buddhism.

Upcoming Seasonal Programs:

  • Mindfulness in elementary schools
  • Beach cleanup
  • Meditation and stress reduction at Western Park Apartments (affordable senior housing)
  • Guided meditation at Civic Center Residence (residential facility in the Tenderloin)
  • Sitting for Caregivers
  • Walking meditation with Lighthouse for the Blind

We are very interested in creating and strengthening ties with local organizations and we welcome inquiries.
Please contact Outreach Coordinator Ellen Simpson at ellen.simpson@sfzc.org for any of the above opportunities at City Center.

 

GGF-Farm

OPPORTUNITIES AT GREEN GULCH

Connect with the sangha, learn, and share your labor and energy.

Examples of volunteering at Green Gulch in Marin: