Updated September 2026 · by Mount Pleasant Scoop
Want to give a few hours a week, or one Saturday a year? This guide lists nonprofits and public programs that serve Mount Pleasant. For each one we cover what it does, what help it needs and where to sign up. Most are based in town. A few are regional groups that serve all of Charleston County, and we’ve marked those.
We took every detail below from the organization’s own website. Volunteer needs change often, so check the signup link before you go.
Where: Charleston County public schools, including the ones in Mount Pleasant
What it is: Before volunteering inside a CCSD school, you apply once through the district’s online volunteer application.
Volunteers needed: The district pages we read don’t list roles, so ask the school you’d like to help.
Good to know: Every applicant goes through a criminal background check. There’s a $6 nonrefundable fee, and you enter your name as it appears on your ID. Jennie Moore Elementary’s page says registration can take up to 72 hours.
Sign up: CCSD volunteer application
Where: East Cooper office at 677 Long Point Road, Mount Pleasant, plus a downtown office on King Street
What it does: Leads a community-wide response to prevent child abuse, protect children and help families heal.
Volunteers needed: Child Advocates who spend time with children in the lobby and keep them safe in the waiting area. Weekend workdays, about once a month, for repairs and projects. Help at special events.
Good to know: Child Advocates attend an orientation, sign a confidentiality statement and agree to a background check ($10 fee). The page doesn’t say which office Child Advocates work in.
Sign up: deenortoncenter.org/volunteer
Where: Town of Mount Pleasant (a Town department, not a nonprofit)
What it does: Runs the Town’s youth sports. Its Unified programs bring people with and without disabilities together to train and compete as teams.
Volunteers needed: Volunteer coaches for youth sports. Coaches, assistants and “Unified Partners” for the Unified programs.
Good to know: Unified volunteers fill out a volunteer form and a background check consent form, and agree to a code of conduct.
Sign up: Youth sports coaching · Unified programs
Where: Regional; serves Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties
What it does: Pairs young people one-to-one with adult mentors.
Volunteers needed: Mentors (“Bigs”).
Good to know: You meet with your mentee two to four times a month and commit to at least 12 months. The process includes an application with a background check and references, self-paced online training and a 90-minute virtual interview.
Sign up: Become a mentor
Where: Regional; reading centers are elsewhere in the Charleston area, and you can tutor online from home
What it does: Volunteers tutor students one-on-one in reading, using a structured curriculum.
Volunteers needed: Reading tutors, in person or online, for the 2026–27 school year.
Good to know: In-person tutors must be at least 14 and online tutors at least 18. The commitment is a little over an hour a week, generally between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Tutors complete an orientation and pass a background check.
Sign up: Volunteer in South Carolina
Where: Regional; runs programs in Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester, Georgetown and Horry counties
What it does: After-school programs that use running to help girls build confidence and life skills.
Volunteers needed: Team coaches. Help at its 5Ks with registration, medals and water stations, and as running buddies. One-time and skill-based projects such as photography and design.
Good to know: Coaches must be 18 or older. Girls ages 16 to 18 can be junior coaches. The season starts in September and runs 10 weeks, with two 75- to 90-minute practices a week, then a 5K. Coaches complete a background check and training.
Where: 1145 Six Mile Road, Mount Pleasant
What it does: Provides food, clothing, financial help, dental and medical services and more to people who live or work east of the Cooper River.
Volunteers needed: Wellness Food Pantry, Kat’s Clothing Closet, client services, pantry and closet sorting, the farmers market, Spanish-speaking roles, advocacy, event support and volunteer dentists.
Good to know: Weekly shifts are for ages 18 and up. Drop-in shifts are 18 and up too, except Fridays, when 16-year-olds can help. Drop-in shifts are open to individuals, families and groups. “First Saturday” (the first Saturday of each month) starts with a tour, followed by sorting, stocking and organizing. It’s ECCO’s most popular opportunity, so spots aren’t guaranteed.
Sign up: eccocharleston.org/volunteer
Where: 469C Long Point Road, Mount Pleasant
What it does: A donation center and retail store affiliated with East Cooper Habitat for Humanity. Proceeds support affordable homeownership.
Volunteers needed: At the store: sorting and staging donations, helping customers, testing appliances and electronics, running the register, and skilled help. On Habitat build sites, volunteers do most of the building, skilled and unskilled alike.
Good to know: The store welcomes students and groups earning community service hours. Store shifts run Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m. The current homes are being built in McClellanville, with shifts Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Build volunteers must be 18. Volunteers who are 16 or 17 can help but can’t use power tools or climb ladders.
Sign up: Home Store volunteering · Habitat build volunteering
Where: Furniture pickup crews meet at 1475 Stuart Engals Blvd., Mount Pleasant
What it does: Delivers donated home furnishings, at no cost, to people and families who have been displaced or homeless and are moving into housing.
Volunteers needed: “Tinker Tuesdays” (9 a.m. to noon), repairing and painting furniture. Furniture pickups and deliveries on the first three Saturdays of each month, starting around 8:30 a.m.
Good to know: No volunteers under 12. Volunteers under 18 must come with an adult. You sign up for dates on the page’s form after reading the volunteer agreement.
Sign up: Volunteer with us
Where: Volunteer shifts are at its Charleston center. It also holds food distributions at ECCO’s Six Mile Road site in Mount Pleasant.
What it does: Distributes food across coastal South Carolina through a network of partner agencies.
Volunteers needed: Packing and sorting food, and helping with programs and distributions.
Good to know: Volunteers must be over 12, and anyone under 16 must come with an adult. Charleston shifts run Tuesday through Thursday (morning or afternoon), Friday mornings, and the first and third Saturday mornings. Groups arrange their dates by email instead of the individual signup.
Sign up: Volunteer
Where: Creeks and marshes around town (a Town program)
What it is: The Town helps residents and groups plan their own litter cleanups. It provides trash bags, safety vests, litter grabbers, gloves and aerial maps, then hauls the trash away.
Also: Storm drain marking projects, and the annual spring oyster reef builds, where volunteers bag recycled oyster shells (timing is posted on SCDNR’s SCORE site).
Sign up: Email [email protected] · Details
Where: County parks and boat landings, including the Shem Creek and Remley’s Point landings
What it is: Volunteers help run county park programs and events. Groups can “adopt” a boat landing and keep it clear of fishing line and trash.
Volunteers needed: Individuals for park events and programs. Churches, businesses, youth groups and schools for Adopt-A-Landing and group projects.
Good to know: Volunteers who log more than 35 hours a year get a reciprocal pass to participating area attractions.
Sign up: Volunteer page · Adopt-A-Landing
Where: Statewide, with Mount Pleasant sites. In 2026 those were Memorial Waterfront Park, Shem Creek (on land and on the water) and the Ben Sawyer Causeway.
What it is: South Carolina’s largest one-day volunteer waterway cleanup, held the third Saturday of September every year since 1988. It’s run by the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, with SCDNR leading the inland sites.
Volunteers needed: Cleanup volunteers, and site captains who start a new site.
Sign up: Cleanup sites
Where: Charleston-area waterways
What it does: Works to defend and restore Charleston’s waterways so people can fish and swim without fear of pollution.
Volunteers needed: DIY cleanups (they provide the supplies and you clean up on your own schedule, anywhere including Mount Pleasant), organized cleanups, oyster-restoration builds with SCDNR, and a community science lab.
Sign up: Volunteer page
Where: 2304 Highway 17 N, Mount Pleasant. Serves Mount Pleasant, Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island, Daniel Island and Clements Ferry.
What it does: Delivers meals to anyone homebound in the community, whatever their age or income.
Volunteers needed: Morning meal packers, meal delivery drivers, substitute drivers who fill in when regulars are away, event helpers and office volunteers.
Good to know: Packing starts at 8 a.m. and usually takes 30 to 45 minutes. Deliveries start at 9:30 a.m. and usually take 60 to 90 minutes.
Sign up: Volunteer
Where: Programs at All Saints Lutheran Church (2107 N. Hwy 17) and Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church (302 Hibben St.), plus sites elsewhere in the area
What it does: A nonprofit supporting families living with memory loss, through half-day memory care programs and caregiver support groups.
Volunteers needed: Help lead brain games, puzzles, arts and crafts and music; assist with meal prep; share a special talent.
Good to know: A visit is at least an hour, and about once a month is preferred. Scheduling is flexible. The volunteer page doesn’t say which site volunteers serve.
Sign up: Volunteer
Where: Lowcountry office at 1885 Rifle Range Road, Mount Pleasant
What it does: A faith-based nonprofit hospice focused on comfort and quality of life for people with life-limiting illness.
Volunteers needed: Direct patient care, administrative, bereavement and special-service volunteers, including an 11th Hour program, a Tuck-In/Check-In program and a Veterans program.
Sign up: Volunteer interest form
Where: Regional; serves Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties
What it is: Volunteer ombudsmen visit a long-term care facility and help residents, families and staff understand residents’ rights.
Good to know: You must be 18 or older, have a driver’s license and transportation, pass a criminal background check, and give 2 to 4 hours a week.
Sign up: Call 843-554-2275 or email [email protected] · Details
Where: 3500 N. Highway 17, Mount Pleasant
What it is: The hospital’s volunteer program, which includes in-hospital roles, pet therapy, Arts in Medicine and teen volunteering.
Good to know: Volunteers are asked to serve one four-hour shift a week. There are limited roles for volunteers 15 and older.
Sign up: Volunteer
Where: 2455 Remount Road, North Charleston. It’s the shelter the Town of Mount Pleasant lists for found strays.
What it does: A shelter working to prevent cruelty to animals since 1874. Runs adoptions, a spay/neuter clinic and fostering.
Volunteers needed: Walking and socializing dogs, cat and kitten care, the spay/neuter clinic, laundry and cleaning, adoption events, emergency animal transport, and foster homes.
Good to know: The main program is for ages 18 and up, and orientations are held on Zoom. Youth programs: Shelter Squad (ages 8–17) and Teen Club (ages 15–17).
Sign up: Volunteer · Youth programs · Foster
Where: 4719 Highway 17 N, Awendaw
What it does: Gives medical care to injured birds of prey and shorebirds, and runs education and conservation programs.
Volunteers needed: The avian medical clinic and injured-bird dispatch, education and bird care, guest services and retail, grounds and maintenance, fundraising, and a regional transport network.
Good to know: The medical clinic takes volunteers 18 and up; all other departments take 16 and up. Volunteers commit to one four-hour shift a week for six months. The next orientation is spring 2027, date to be announced.
Sign up: Volunteer service
Where: 100 Aquarium Wharf, downtown Charleston
What it does: Among its programs, the Sea Turtle Care Center treats sick and injured sea turtles in partnership with SCDNR.
Volunteers needed: Sea Turtle Care Center assistants (preparing diets, feeding, recording observations, helping with medical care), exhibit guides, and conservation assistants who organize litter sweeps in their own communities.
Good to know: Animal care roles, including the turtle center, require volunteers to be 18, and there’s a lengthy waitlist. Exhibit guides and conservation assistants must be 16. Teens 13 to 15 can volunteer as exhibit guides alongside a parent through the “Splash” program. All volunteers commit to one shift a week for at least a year.
Where: Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island beaches
What it does: Volunteers protect loggerhead sea turtle nests.
Volunteers needed: Sunrise beach walkers who check an assigned stretch for turtle tracks.
Good to know: Walkers commit to one day a week for the whole nesting season, May through August. All 2026 spots are filled; you can email to join the waitlist. Island residents get preference.
Sign up: Volunteer info
Where: 40 Patriots Point Road, Mount Pleasant
What it is: The naval and maritime museum on Charleston Harbor, with the World War II aircraft carrier USS Yorktown as its centerpiece. It’s run by the Patriots Point Development Authority.
Volunteers needed: Welcoming guests, helping with special events, sharing history, and behind-the-scenes work.
Sign up: Download the application from the volunteer page, then email [email protected] or call 843-881-5941.
Where: Office in Mount Pleasant. The race starts in Mount Pleasant.
What it is: The annual 10K over the Ravenel Bridge. The 2027 race is Saturday, April 3.
Volunteers needed: About 4,000 volunteers, drawn from schools, churches and service organizations, to assemble race packets, staff water stops, help at the expo and run recycling at the start and the Finish Festival.
Sign up: Volunteer page
Where: Meets Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. at 302 Hibben Street
What it is: A service club, chartered in 1977.
Projects include: Adopt-A-Highway, Beach Sweep, the Dictionary Project, Little Free Libraries, the Duck Race, the Soccer Classic, Lowcountry Food Bank, scholarships and youth exchange.
Sign up: New member info
Where: Meets at Hyatt Place Mount Pleasant Towne Centre
What it is: A Kiwanis service club focused on kids, chartered in 1977.
Projects include: Terrific Kids, monthly volunteer visits to Ronald McDonald House, and the Kids for Conservation fishing tournament.
Sign up: Join Kiwanis
Where: Town of Mount Pleasant
What it is: Residents serve on advisory bodies such as the Recreation Advisory Commission, Historical Commission, Culture, Arts and Pride Commission, and Tree Task Force. Members are appointed by Town Council.
Sign up: Online application · Boards and commissions
Where: Regional; the tri-county area
What it is: The region’s United Way. It runs a Volunteer Engagement Portal and a monthly Volunteer Connections email, and its projects can be adapted for individuals, families and groups of any size.
Coming up: Days of Caring, November 18–20, 2026. Volunteer registration runs October 1–30, and any company or group of two or more can form a team.
Sign up: Individual volunteering · Days of Caring
Several nonprofits based in Mount Pleasant take volunteers directly. ECCO on Six Mile Road needs help in its food pantry, clothing closet and client services. Meals on Wheels • Feeding Friends needs meal packers and drivers, and the East Cooper Home Store on Long Point Road needs help sorting donations and serving customers. For a wider list, Trident United Way runs a Volunteer Engagement Portal and a monthly Volunteer Connections email covering the tri-county area.
Several groups take volunteers under 18. ECCO’s Friday drop-in shifts are open at 16, Reading Partners takes in-person tutors at 14, and Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital has limited roles starting at 15. Charleston Animal Society runs a Teen Club for ages 15–17. The Center for Birds of Prey (outside its medical clinic) and the South Carolina Aquarium (exhibit guides and conservation assistants) both start at 16. On East Cooper Habitat build sites, 16- and 17-year-olds can help but can’t use power tools or ladders.
Hope to Home Furniture Resource takes volunteers as young as 12 with an adult. The Lowcountry Food Bank takes volunteers over 12, and anyone under 16 needs an adult along. The South Carolina Aquarium’s Splash program lets 13- to 15-year-olds volunteer as exhibit guides alongside a parent or guardian. Charleston Animal Society’s Shelter Squad is a youth program for ages 8 to 17.
ECCO, at 1145 Six Mile Road, runs a Wellness Food Pantry and needs volunteers both to serve and to sort donations. Weekly shifts are for ages 18 and up; drop-in shifts are too, except Fridays, which are open at 16. On the first Saturday of each month, ECCO also holds a popular group sorting morning that starts with a tour.
Yes. Charleston County School District volunteers apply online, and every applicant goes through a criminal background check, which includes a nationwide criminal history check, a sex offender registry check and Social Security verification. There’s a $6 nonrefundable fee. Jennie Moore Elementary tells volunteers to allow up to 72 hours for registration to go through.
The Bridge Run uses about 4,000 volunteers, recruited from schools, churches and service organizations. They assemble race packets, staff water stops along the course, help at the expo and run recycling at the start in Mount Pleasant and at the Finish Festival. The 2027 race is Saturday, April 3; signup details are on the Bridge Run’s volunteer page.
Yes, but spots are hard to get. The Island Turtle Team walks Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island beaches at sunrise one day a week from May through August. All 2026 spots are filled, you can email to join the waitlist, and island residents get preference. The South Carolina Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Care Center takes volunteers 18 and older, and it has a lengthy waitlist.
The Town of Mount Pleasant will help a group plan a waterway cleanup and provides bags, grabbers, gloves, vests and maps. Charleston County Parks lets groups adopt a boat landing, including the Shem Creek and Remley’s Point landings. Trident United Way’s Days of Caring run November 18–20, 2026, and any company or group of two or more can register a team from October 1–30.
Run a Mount Pleasant nonprofit that needs volunteers? Email us at [email protected] and we’ll consider adding you.
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