Support People with Cancer

For 50 years, Shanti Peer Support Volunteers have been providing emotional and practical support to people living with life-threatening illness, as well as LGBT isolated seniors and adults with disabilities, much like you would support a friend or family member in need. If you would like to tangibly enhance the life of someone who needs it the most, we encourage you to contact us and learn more about this truly unique opportunity.

Peer Support Volunteers need to be 18+ years of age.

As a peer support volunteer, you will :

• Go through the internationally-recognized Shanti Model of Peer Support training
• Be matched 1-on-1 with a client to whom you will provide companionship, a non-judgmental ear and light practical assistance
• Join a community of thoughtful, supportive volunteers and staff

For this program, we ask for a commitment of 2 hours a week for at least 6 months. We also organize support groups once a month, and ask all volunteers to attend. The hours can be done according to volunteer's schedules a lot of our volunteers visit their clients on weekends or evenings so it's definitely flexible.

If you decide to enroll in the Peer Support Program there is a mandatory volunteer training. The next training will be in-person at our San Francisco office - January 23rd-25th, 2026.

The purpose of this training is to prepare volunteers to work with individuals who are isolated, or living with life-threatening illnesses and other disabilities. The training will supply information about challenges our clients face as well as teach communication and listening skills through a variety of interactive exercise. The training is intensive, but our volunteers typically find it to be an enriching, community-building experience.

If you are interested in becoming a Shanti volunteer, start by filling out an application here :