Community Engagement and Service

Community Engagement and Service (CES), housed in the Hub for Spiritual Life, invites students to engage in meaningful service opportunities that fit naturally into the rhythms of their daily routines. CES encourages volunteers to view service not just as an occasional activity, but as a meaningful spiritual practice—one that can deepen understanding, foster connection, and bring greater purpose to everyday life. Through regular service projects, long-term community partnerships, and special collaborative events, participants explore how their time and talents can make a lasting impact.
Volunteering with CES offers a practical and enriching way to apply one’s knowledge, skills, and passions in service to others. Our approach emphasizes humility and curiosity, fostering genuine relationships and responsible community engagement.

Volunteers have the opportunity to work with a variety of local nonprofits, including organizations focused on healthcare, community support, and labor equity. Some of our partners include the Westminster Free Clinic, About My Father’s Business, the Malibu Community Assistance Resource Team, Hand in Hand Foundation, and the Malibu Community Labor Exchange.

CES also collaborates with student clubs, organizations, and other university groups to customize service projects that align with each group's mission, ensuring every experience is meaningful and relevant.

If you’d like to explore how service can play a meaningful role in your spiritual and academic journey, we warmly invite you to connect with us and get involved.

Contact Us

Director: Christin Shatzer Román, EdD, ext. 7757

Location: TCC 230

Ongoing Service Opportunities

Stay up to date with all upcoming volunteer opportunities.

Shemesh Farms Service Project

Tuesdays and Wednesdays

Shemesh Farms is an enterprise that is built upon a foundation of sustainability, inclusion, and interconnectedness. When you volunteer to help harvest, garden, and craft spice blends, honey, and other organic products, you help them hire more young adults with diverse abilities.

Join us for volunteer opportunities on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Space limited. Transportation provided.

Contact Karen Huynh at karen.huynh@pepperdine.edu for more information.

PATH Cooks Service Project

Path Cooks is a meaningful volunteer opportunity that brings warm, home-cooked meals to residents living in PATH’s interim housing facilities. With over $200,000 spent annually on food, every meal your group provides allows PATH to direct more resources toward housing and vital support services.

Join us every other Wednesday to make a direct impact—no prior volunteer experience is needed, and transportation from campus is provided. Contact Karen Huynh at karen.huynh@pepperdine.edu for more details.

Malibu C.A.R.T

Every Thursday from 8:30-11:30am

Malibu C.A.R.T. (Community Assistance Resource Team) is a group of people that serves our unhoused neighbors in Malibu by providing home-cooked meals for them on a weekly basis. Just 10 minutes away at Serra Retreat, Pepperdine students will be able to participate in cooking and preparing meals for 30 people on selected Tuesdays from 8:30-11:30, with an option to hand out lunches until noon. Fill out the sign up form or contact Karen Huynh at karen.huynh@pepperdine.edu for more information.

Hand in Hand

Monthly Activities

Hand in Hand is an inclusion program that connects people of all abilities in a socially integrated program. They provide participants with disabilities an opportunity to socialize with their peers without disabilities, learn new skills, and have fun. One of the biggest challenges for people with disabilities is finding programs that provide the support they need, while also providing opportunities to make friends and expand their world in a safe and fun environment.

We will host monthly activities for the participants on Sunday afternoons. Contact Kaitlyn Burke at kaitlyn.burke@pepperdine.edu for more information.

Malibu Labor Exchange

Thursdays and Saturdays: 8 - 10 AM

The Malibu Labor Exchange is a nonprofit organization that links primarily Spanish speaking immigrants with local job opportunities. It also provides a safe and convenient place for people to wait for day jobs and connects members with prospective employers. Our job as volunteers is to engage with members of the community and give them a chance to practice their English with us.

Our presence is much appreciated by members of the Labor Exchange community and it is a great opportunity for students to practice their Spanish! Join us Thursday or Saturday mornings 8-10 AM or reach out to Jenny Fuentes at jenny.fuentes@pepperdine.edu for more information.

About My Father's Business

About My Father's Business is a local nonprofit that meets with and provides services and supplies to unhoused people in the San Fernando Valley. Pepperdine volunteers will be trained in conducting outreach with experienced volunteers on designated outreach days. Outreach and prep days will happen on select Saturdays and Sundays in the spring. Transportation will be provided! For more information, contact Karen Huynh at karen.huynh@pepperdine.edu.

Explore Recent Events

Fall 2023

Spring 2023

PS Science Service Squad
Saturdays: February 11, 2023 and March 11, 2023 9:30-11:30 AM

PS Science is a nonprofit organization that works with elementary schools in Los Angeles to provide weekly hands-on science instruction to children in underserved communities.

Join us in setting up science classrooms for children to learn and become more passionate about science! Transportation will be provided. Sign up or contact matthew.aizawa@pepperdine.edu for more information.

Project Serve 2023
Spring Break (February 26-March 4)

Save the date for Project Serve 2023! Join Community Engagement and Service for a three day alternative spring break at one of our local nonprofit partners.

Details and dates are still being finalized, but if you are interested in receiving more information, please fill out this form. For more information, contact maggie.bendle@pepperdine.edu

Baby2Baby Service Project

Select Thursdays, 2-6PM

Baby2Baby is a nonprofit organization and diaper bank providing children living in poverty with diapers, clothing, and other basic necessities.

Join us the following Thursday each week or as your schedule allows: 1/26, 2/23, 3/9, 3/16, 3/30 and 4/6. No previous volunteer experience is required, and transportation will be provided from campus. Sign up or contact Stella Zhu at stella.zhu@pepperdine.edu to learn more.

Los Angeles Food Bank — Stock the Pantry at LA Regional Food Bank

April 1st 7:30 AM - 1 PM (Breakfast and snacks provided!)

Are you a Pepperdine International Student? If so, this project is for you! Join us to help provide LA's food-insecure community with food by volunteering at the country's second largest food bank. Volunteers will help in boxing, sorting and gleaning food that is later distributed through a network of more than 600 agency partners to neighbors in need. Spots are limited to the first 10 students to sign up! Transportation will be provided from Malibu's campus, along with breakfast and snacks! Contact Sharon Wakio at sharon.wakio@pepperdine.edu for more information.

The Painted Turtle

April 1st (All Day)

The Painted Turtle is a seriously fun camp for kids with serious medical conditions that provides children and their families the joy of camp at no charge. Pepperdine students will be serving at their Rheumatic Diseases Family Day on April 1, 2023 as Family and Activity Pals, creating the camp experience for campers and their families. Transportation will be provided. Complete the sign up form or contact maggie.bendle@pepperdine.edu or maddie.beadle@pepperdine.edu or more information! Note: volunteers must be 19 years of age or older to participate in this opportunity, and the deadline to sign up is March 13.

Disability Awareness Week 2023

Mark your calendars for Disability Awareness 2023! On the week of March 13th to March 17th there will be events open to all schools on the Malibu campus to learn about Disability and Allyship. We will be partnering with other on campus offices to bring you a variety of events. Here is a link to our events schedule!

From a live speaker to free ASL classes, there is so much to do and so much to learn! If you are interested in volunteering or being involved in any way please contact Maddie Beadle at maddie.beadle@pepperdine.edu.

Fall 2022

Westminster Clinic
Every Tuesday, 4 -9 PM

Join us every Tuesday to serve families in Oxnard. The clinic is a non-profit community care center serving the working poor and uninsured of Ventura County.

The clinic serves as a safety-net for those with no other affordable options and fills gaps as needed. No previous experience or skills required to volunteer, but Spanish-speaking volunteers and individuals interested in the healthcare field are welcome. Transportation will be provided from campus. Join us each week or as your schedule allows! If you'd like to learn more, please contact Charlie Markham at charlie.markham@pepperdine.edu. This is NOT an opportunity for Seaver 200 make up credit.

PATH Cooks Service Project
Select Thursdays, 4 - 8 PM

PATH Cooks is a volunteer program providing home-cooked meals to the residents living in PATH’s interim housing facilities. Join us on the following Thursdays: 10/6, 10/13, 10/27, 11/3, 11/10, 12/1, and 12/8. If you'd like to learn more, please contact Maddie Beadle at maddie.beadle@pepperdine.edu.

Baby2Baby Service Project
Select Mondays, 2-6PM

Baby2Baby is a nonprofit organization and diaper bank providing children living in poverty with diapers, clothing, and other basic necessities. Join us the following Mondays each week or as your schedule allows: 11/07, and 11/28. No previous volunteer experience is required, and transportation will be provided from campus. Sign up, or contact Maggie Bendle at maggie.bendle@pepperdine.edu to learn more.

Playhouse Build Blitz with Habitat for Humanity
7:00 AM -3:30PM, Saturday, Nov 5

Habitat for Humanity is an international nonprofit volunteer organization providing affordable housing and housing-related services for those who need them. Join us in building, painting, and decorating 25 playhouses that we will distribute to veteran/military families at the end of the day. Transportation, tools, and materials provided. Sign up or contact Nick Yi at nicholas.yi@pepperdine.edu to learn more.

Regenerative Farming with 5Journeys!
Saturdays: Nov 12, Dec 3, 9:30 AM to 1PM

Join us in restoring native plant life at 5Journeys Farm and other conservation efforts like cataloging plants and animals. Plan to dig, get dirty, work hard, and enjoy great greenspace not far from campus! Transportation and tools provided.

Sign-up for the November 12 session or contact Christin Shatzer Román at christin.shatzerroman@pepperdine.edu to learn more.

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week
November 14-18

November 14-18 is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Join us for a week-long event of learning about hunger and homelessness in our own hometowns, creating care kits for people in need, and advocating for greater protections for our neighbors with housing insecurity. Find us tabling at Joslyn Plaza and at Caruso School of Law. Contact Dacia Hannel for more information at dacia.hannel@pepperdine.edu. This is NOT an opportunity for Seaver 200 make up credit.

Step Forward Day

On Saturday, September 10, 2022, the Pepperdine University community celebrated the 34th annual Step Forward Day. The day connected students, faculty, staff, and alumni around the world to service opportunities within their communities. Volunteers had the opportunity to serve in one of 20 projects serving over 15 different community organizations. To learn more about how the Pepperdine community gave back, check out this article by the Pepperdine Newsroom!

American Red Cross Blood Drive

Save a life by donating blood!

Malibu Labor Exchang Participants — The Malibu Labor Exchange

The Malibu Labor Exchange is a nonprofit organization that links primarily Spanish-speaking immigrants with local job opportunities. It also provides a safe and convenient place for people to wait for day jobs and connects members with prospective employers. Our job as volunteers is to engage with members of the community and give them a chance to practice their English with us. Our presence is much appreciated by members of the Labor Exchange community, and it is a great opportunity for students to practice their Spanish! Join us Thursday or Saturday mornings 8:30-10 AM. You can find the sign-up here. Please, reach out to Maria Fe Saito at maria.saito@pepperdine.edu for more information.

Spring 2022

Three volunteers posing at the CES tabling — Disability Awareness Week

Community Engagement and Service supported and contributed actively to the week-long awareness event on Disability and the need for Accessibility, planned by Emily Mcnutt. The event provided a week-long advocacy and education opportunity for Pepperdine students, faculty, and staff.

Volunteers posing at the Sanctuary Far — Sanctuary Animal Farm

Stella Zhu (Yingfan Zhu) led a team of students on a project to serve the Sanctuary Farm in Santa Clarita. Sanctuary Animal Assisted Therapy is a nonprofit organization that rescues animals from abuse and neglect, rehabilitates them, and helps them trust and heal people in return. In this in-person volunteer opportunity, students helped with animal care, animal socialization, simple construction projects, and cleaning, as they enjoyed this fun day!

Hike for Haiti

In the rural community of Marre à Coiffe, Haiti, students and families climb the equivalent of 200 flights of stairs every day from the bottom of a mountain to access clean water, healthcare, and education. This event will be a mile walk to raise awareness and donations to support these families! Contact Katie Ross for more information.