Volunteer
Help out for an afternoon — or move in as a worker.
Volunteer short-term
We cannot do this work alone and value volunteers as co-workers in our work to foster a community of justice, healing, and respect. Below are three ways to volunteer with us. Specific tasks seem innumerable here at Su Casa with diverse options for how to engage in our work.
Individual Volunteer
Individuals from all of Chicago help us each week with many tasks and projects including pick-up and processing of food donations, cleaning our refrigerators, tutoring families, and cooking meals for our house and Frieda’s Place.
Interested in volunteering? Contact us.
1-day Group Volunteering
Groups ranging in size from 5 to 50 have joined us for a few hours at Su Casa to take on a variety of projects and learn more about our work with social justice. High school and college groups, families, and church youth and adult groups are all welcome to spend a few hours or more at Su Casa.
Group projects depend upon the number of volunteers and the season. Opportunities include:
Gardening and Land stewardship
Cleaning and organizing our donation rooms
Special maintenance projects ranging from window-washing to painting
Organizing a special event for our families
Interested in group volunteering? Contact us.
3-7 Day Plunge Groups
A plunge into our Community is an opportunity for a group to spend deep time in our life. Each group is invited to stay on the premises and receives a detailed tour and talk about the history of Su Casa, our work, and mission. While staying with us, groups are invited into the full Su Casa experience, including work projects on our campus and partaking in community dinners. Additionally, we seek to educate interested groups on non-violent living, poverty, and the Catholic Worker Movement.
Ultimately, a plunge serves to be a first step toward understanding the lives of poor and marginalized. Our hope is for groups to leave here with a new-found or deeper commitment to social justice, non-violence / anti-violence, simple living, and community.
All Plunge Groups are requested to provide Su Casa with a per diem fee for their stay.
Interested in joining us as a Plunge Group? Contact us.
Become a Worker
Live-in workers are a foundational component of the Catholic Worker movement and Su Casa’s mission. These individuals pledge to living at Su Casa and providing consistent volunteer work. Live-in workers can choose to be seasonal or long-term, full-time or part-time community members depending on desires and availability. Prospective workers join us for a come-and-see week to learn about our community, followed by a 30-day discernment period. If the community and prospective worker mutually agree, the new worker then becomes a full member of the community.
Seasonal Worker
Seasonal workers are volunteers who come to Su Casa for less than 6 months. Scheduling and work commitments are flexible. Because of the shorter time commitment that these workers make, they do not participate fully in consensus meetings. They receive a room, access to communal food, clothing and toiletries, and other resources.
Interested in being a seasonal worker at Su Casa?
Long-term Worker
Long-term workers attend weekly consensus and project meetings, assist with the various tasks of maintaining the house and community, and participate in our community life, including weekly dinners. Workers may be part-time or full-time: Hours dedicated to Su Casa work are flexible based on the workers' skills, interests, and availability. They receive a room, access to communal food, clothing and toiletries, and other resources. Long-term workers who are not employed outside the house are offered a stipend of $200/month. They stay for at least six months, with a 1-2 year commitment welcomed.
Interested in being a long-term worker at Su Casa?