A free directory of 1434 places to get help in and around Grant County, New Mexico: shelter, food, recovery, health care, benefits, legal help and more. Kept up to date by the Silver City Gospel Mission.
Want to help someone on the street: how to give wellUse when a community member, church or business wants to help people who are homeless or panhandling, and wants to give in a way that is safe, kind and really helps.
Someone is asking for money at your doorUse when a stranger knocks at your home or business asking for money, gas, food or a ride, and you want to stay safe, spot scams, and point them to real help.
Volunteer: free tax preparer (AARP Tax-Aide)confirmed October 2026
Money and banking · Volunteering
Become an IRS-certified volunteer and prepare free tax returns for low- and moderate-income people, or help as a greeter (client facilitator) or computer helper.
Hours: Tax season, about February to April
Who it's for: No tax experience needed; free training and IRS certification each year (usually December-January). AARP membership not required.
Volunteer: hospice companionconfirmed October 2026
Seniors and disability · Volunteering
Visit hospice patients at home or in assisted living and nursing homes: read, play music, walk or sit outside, hold a hand, and give family caregivers a break. No hands-on patient care. Part of the 'no one dies alone' program.
Who it's for: Drug test, TB test and background check required (scheduled and paid by Ambercare). Valid driver's license and auto insurance. Training provided. No minimum hours.
American Red Cross - Arizona and New Mexico Region
Volunteer: Red Cross disaster and shelter volunteerconfirmed October 2026
Weather and disaster · Volunteering
Join the Disaster Action Team that helps families after home fires and local disasters, staff emergency shelters (registration, feeding, dorms), or use a nursing/EMT license in shelters.
Volunteer: community makerspace helpersconfirmed October 2026
Jobs and training · Volunteering
Help at the community makerspace: guide visitors, prepare and work events, and help in the woodshop, metal shop, jewelry, textiles and 3D printing rooms. Shifts of 1 to 6 hours.
Where: Silver City, NM
Who it's for: Sign up on The Volunteer Center site.
Volunteer: hospital auxiliaryconfirmed October 2026
Medical care · Volunteering
Hospital volunteers at Gila Regional: front desk information, gift shop and flower sales, Cancer Center help, Teddy Bears program, and running the Medication Assistance Program (MAP). Interview, orientation and training required.
Gila Resources Information Project (GRIP)2 services
Volunteer: monthly community trash cleanupconfirmed October 2026
Faith and community · Volunteering
Join the monthly Pick It Up - Toss No Mas litter cleanup in Silver City, or borrow bags, gloves and vests to run your own neighborhood or church cleanup. Adopt-A-Roadway is also available.
Volunteer: Silver City Watershed Keepers Adopt-A-Streamconfirmed October 2026
Volunteering
Adopt a stretch of local stream: check it each quarter with a phone app, and pick up litter twice a year or help with restoration or water testing. Training and a t-shirt provided.
Who it's for: 18 and older (under 18 with a parent). One-year commitment. Individuals, churches, scouts, schools and businesses welcome. Must sign an agreement and waiver.
Volunteer: join Grant County Search and Rescueconfirmed October 2026
Volunteering
Volunteer search and rescue team (not part of county government); missions are called out by NM State Police. No special skills needed, only willingness to train. Monthly meetings with training; email secretary@gcsar-nm.org to ask about joining.
Hours: 3rd Thursday monthly, 6:30 pm meeting plus training, Silver City Annex 2nd floor, 1203 N Hudson St (per team website; confirm)
Where: Silver City, NM
Who it's for: Adults willing to train (FEMA courses, CPR/First Aid).
Volunteer: Habitat builds and ReStoreconfirmed October 2026
Housing and rent help · Volunteering
Help build homes with local families, or help at the Habitat ReStore, which resells donated building materials, furniture and household goods to fund home building.
Volunteer: Our Paws' Cause Thrift Shopconfirmed October 2026
Pets · Volunteering
Stock and display donated items, tidy the sales floor, greet and help customers, or join the cleaning crew. Store sales pay for low-cost spay/neuter coupons and shelter improvements.
Volunteer: adult literacy, ESL and GED tutorsconfirmed October 2026
School, GED and reading · Volunteering
Tutor adults one-on-one or in small groups in reading, English as a Second Language, high school equivalency (GED/HiSET) prep, citizenship test prep, computer and money skills.
Hours: Office Mon-Fri 10am-5pm; tutoring during library hours
Where: 515 W. College Ave. (inside Silver City Public Library), Silver City, NM (map)
Who it's for: Patient, kind people who like teaching. Fill out a tutor intake form and sign a background check form in front of a notary; Literacy Link pays the background check fee. Some training provided. Flexible schedule.
New Mexico Borderland Animal Rescue Coalition (NM BARC)
Volunteer: foster, walk and transport rescue animalsconfirmed October 2026
Pets · Volunteering
All-volunteer, foster-based animal rescue. Volunteers foster pets at home, feed and walk dogs at area shelters, help with trap-neuter-return for cats, drive animals to other shelters, and promote adoptable pets online.
New Mexico Medical Reserve Corps (NM Department of Health)
Volunteer: Medical Reserve Corps (medical and non-medical)confirmed October 2026
Weather and disaster · Volunteering
State registry of volunteers who help during public health emergencies and disasters (clinics, shelters, outreach). Both licensed health workers and non-medical helpers can sign up online through NM MRC Serves.
Who it's for: Adults; medical and non-medical volunteers. Upload training records (FEMA, CPR/First Aid) and sign code of ethics.
Volunteer: join a search and rescue teamconfirmed October 2026
Weather and disaster · Volunteering
Statewide council of volunteer search and rescue teams that respond to missions run by NM Department of Public Safety. They help you find the nearest team and training.
Who it's for: Join a member team and train. Email the membership director to get started.
Become a foster or kinship (relative) parentconfirmed October 2026
Children, youth and families · Volunteering
Get licensed to care for a child in foster care, including relatives or family friends caring for a child (kinship). Training and home study through CYFD; children get full medical coverage, child care help and behavioral health support.
Who it's for: Adults over 18 (single, married or cohabiting). Federal and local background checks for all adults in the home, physical exam, required training and home study. Process takes about 4-6 months.
Volunteer: museum greeter and store cashierconfirmed October 2026
Faith and community · Volunteering
Welcome visitors at the front desk, invite them to events, and help with museum tasks; or run the museum store register, help customers and keep the store tidy. Training on exhibits and local history provided.
The Commons Center for Food Security & Sustainability7 services
Volunteer: community service hours at The Commonsconfirmed October 2026
Legal help, courts and re-entry · Volunteering
People who need to complete community service hours can do them at The Commons (front desk, snack bags, cleanup and other tasks). Hours are tracked through The Volunteer Center.
Volunteer: food pantry helpers (Choose Your Own and Saturday pantry)confirmed October 2026
Food · Volunteering
Help with check-in, registration, restocking and handing out food at the grocery-style Choose Your Own Pantry, and set up and distribute food at the monthly Saturday pantry.
Who it's for: 18 and older. Requires walking and lifting. Shifts about 2 to 2.5 hours. Sign up for a shift on The Volunteer Center site or fill out a short application at The Commons.
Volunteer: The Volunteer Center of Grant County (sign up online)confirmed October 2026
Faith and community · Volunteering
Free online sign-up site run by The Commons. Make a profile, pick causes, and sign up for shifts at 30+ Grant County groups (food, animals, museums, outreach, schools). Sends reminders and tracks hours.
Volunteer: Mining District Mobile Pantry (Santa Clara)confirmed October 2026
Food · Volunteering
Pack food boxes and process produce, then check people in, hand out food and clean up at the monthly mobile pantry at the Fort Bayard New Deal Theatre.
Volunteer: horse rescue ranch helperconfirmed October 2026
Pets · Volunteering · 5 miles from Silver City
Volunteer-run horse rescue that cares for horses taken from neglect or abuse, many through the NM Livestock Board. Volunteers help feed and care for the horses. Horses can be adopted and tours may be offered.
Volunteer: Continental Divide Trail work days and trail adoptersconfirmed October 2026
Volunteering · 12 miles from Silver City
Free trail-building and maintenance projects on the Continental Divide Trail, including near Silver City (Burro Mountains, Jacks Peak). Tools, safety gear and food on multi-day projects provided. Trail Adopters care for their own section.
Who it's for: No trail experience needed. Kids under 18 with a parent on some projects. Physical outdoor work. The 2026 season is over; 2027 projects post in early 2027. Fill out the Volunteer Interest form now.
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (National Park Service)
Volunteer: park volunteers at Gila Cliff Dwellingsconfirmed October 2026
Volunteering · 44 miles from Silver City
Live-in volunteer roles: trail and facility maintenance, habitat restoration, guided tours and visitor center help. Housing (dorm room or RV pad with hookups) and training provided.
Deming Luna County Senior Center (Luna County Commission on Aging)
Volunteer: Deming senior centerconfirmed October 2026
Seniors and disability · Volunteering · 53 miles from Silver City
Help with activities, events, committees and community outreach at the Deming senior center, including the new Senior Olympics. Skilled volunteers (finance, legal, communications, HR) also welcome.
Volunteer: domestic violence shelter and program helpconfirmed October 2026
Domestic and sexual violence · Volunteering
El Refugio offers volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups supporting its domestic violence shelter and programs; it also takes donations from its wish list (children's items, diapers, school supplies).
Volunteer: weekend meal cooks for the drop-in centerconfirmed October 2026
Food · Volunteering
Cook a simple meal at home and bring it to the drop-in center to share with guests on Saturdays and Sundays. Ingredient costs can sometimes be reimbursed if arranged ahead.
Silver Regional Sexual Assault Support Services (SRSASS)
Volunteer: sexual assault advocateconfirmed October 2026
Domestic and sexual violence · Volunteering
Volunteer advocates support survivors at the hospital and at court, help answer the 24-hour crisis line, and help with outreach and fundraising events.
Who it's for: Free 40-hour advocacy training, self-paced online any time or on Zoom each fall and spring through the NM state coalition. Monthly meetings and trainings.
Some help people need still isn't available in Grant County, like inpatient detox, a local public defender office, and help applying for disability. See the list, and tell us if your organization can help fill one, or if you know of help we've missed.
📞 We need volunteers to keep this guide up to date
Phone numbers, hours and services change all the time. Volunteers call each place to make sure its listing is still right, so no one makes a trip for nothing. You can do it from home, on your own schedule. An hour a week makes a real difference.
For other organizations: this directory is free to use and share. Download the whole directory (spreadsheet, updated live).
Please credit the Silver City Gospel Mission, and remember that hours and services change: call ahead before sending someone.
Kept by the Silver City Gospel Mission · 111 S. Texas St., Silver City, NM 88061 · 575-388-5071 · Updated October 28, 2026.
Information comes from the providers themselves, public sources and our staff. It is offered as a help, not a guarantee; please call ahead.