I’ve been a volunteer with Dorothy Day House in Berkeley since 2015 and there has never been a day that I didn’t enjoy the work we do. I’ve been blessed to have come across so many dedicated volunteers from all walks of life and I have so much good memories to cherish. I find the staff and volunteers to be incredibly amiable, flexible, and helpful. Every Friday mornings I look forward to seeing our “mighty Friday morning team” who are extremely dedicated to serve and make a difference in the community.
Dorothy Day House is committed and passionate about its cause - to provide a caring presence, sustenance, and shelter to those in-need among us. I am a small part of this organization but I see it first hand of how they impact the lives of so many. I'm amazed at what this organization does with such a small staff, and yet they continue to find ways to grow, improve, and extend their services. If you’re reading this review, you’re already a fan of nonprofit organizations. I invite you to consider volunteering for Dorothy Day House. I guaranteed you’ll never have a dull moment.
The Dorothy Day House in Berkeley, CA is the main non-profit organization that I contribute to annually. I've visited Dorothy Day and have seen the wonderful, selfless volunteers in action and have interacted with their numerous clients who
receive three nutritious meals a day and a warm and safe place to sleep.
It is heart warming to see how the staff and volunteers treat their clients giving them the dignity and respect they deserve which is especially needed when one is down and out and dependent on the kindness of others.
I was introduced to Dorothy Day House by a friend who asked me to volunteer in the kitchen during the holidays. I loved working with a team of volunteers in the well-run, clean and efficient kitchen. The food was great and it was nice to sit and eat with the guests. I have since become a regular donor. I am a big fan of Dorothy Day House!
I started volunteering with Dorothy Day House over six years ago as a kitchen volunteer because I was looking for a way to help my neighbors experiencing homelessness. I love Dorothy Day House because their staff are totally aligned with this mission and work at it in a variety of ways: food, housing, social support, job training, jobs and emergency services. Volunteers are a big part of the service model so I know that every dollar I give goes farther. People experiencing homelessness are a larger proportion of the paid staff. My first supervisor and trainer I had as a volunteer was a person experiencing homelessness himself. He has since gone on to find permanent housing.
Homelessness is a large and multifaceted problem but at Dorothy Day House, in small and big ways I feel like I am making a difference. Thank you to all the guests, participants, staff and volunteers that make this such a special place to volunteer!
I've been volunteering with DDH for about a year and a half now and have seen how much the staff at DDH really care about the community and people they are serving. It shows a lot from how everyone trains the volunteers on their tasks, but also in relaying why some things are more important to note in serving guests and how to frame or approach different situations, to how everyone greets and treats each other with kindness, respect, understanding. There's a lot of heart at DDH, and the services and support provided at DDH make a real difference in their day to day and also get folks back on their feet.
Dorothy Day House is a wonderful volunteer-driven organization that provides important services to the people of Berkeley. Dorothy Day operates three shelters for the unhoused, provides thousands of meals for the hungry, counseling, medical referrals, laundry, locker storage, and navigation. Perhaps the most important aspect of Dorothy Day House in the welcoming and caring treatment all guests receive. This organization really cares about the individuals they serve and is making an essential contribution in assisting people meet their basic needs and move forward with their lives.
Compassionate and competent staff provide healthy and healthy and tasty meals as well as shelter, toiletries and outreach to persons experiencing homelessness. They are thoughtful about their policies regarding creating a safe and inviting environment in shelters to support individuals in need.
A lot of charities these days turn into faceless bureaucracies once they reach a certain size. The charity element can stale and impersonal - nullifying the purpose of the organization over the long run and turning it into just another arm of city social services. The Dorothy Day retains a very human element, that tries to see each person who comes through/to their doors as a potential encounter with Christ – remaining true to its founder, Dorothy Day.
I’ve been volunteering with DDH for more than 15 years. They are so devoted to the mission of helping the unhoused of Berkeley, always coming up with new ways of helping people, stretching budgets and developing partnerships with other groups. The organization culture really centers our guests as people, providing choice and opportunity for input whenever possible.
Working as a volunteer at Dorothy Day, I have experienced the following about the kitchen: well ran, serves meals in a timely manner, adequately staffed, offers a variety of fresh and healthy conscious meals, provides an appropriate amount of food to each guest, treats each guest with the utmost respect, very friendly, very flexible, and will go the extra mile to serve the guests.
Dorothy Day is a well ran ship; specifically, the volunteers and staff work harmoniously to serve the guests. The guests needs come first.
Dorothy Day also follows its policies in order to ensure the safety of the guests, volunteers, and staff.
I've volunteered for this organization as a meal server over several years. I was surprised with how much DDH does for the homeless population of our community with a small budget. The leadership seems dedicated and feedback I've provided gets responses from them. From what I've seen, the group is good at developing partnerships with other sectors of our community.
