The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco is offering its guests, locals and other San Francisco visitors an opportunity to help preserve some of Golden Gate National Park’s most treasured areas with its Give Back Getaways program.
Volunteers can donate a few hours to help preserve the Gardens at Alcatraz or restore the nursery at the Presidio by clearing invasive weeds, pruning, planting, etc. Guests receive free transportation from the Ritz-Carlton to the appropriate park and can enjoy the park after their shift ends.
The program launched in March but attendance has been light. If more volunteers appear in May, the hotel hopes to extend Give Back Getaways in the summer and fall.
Alcatraz volunteers, who must be 18 or older, will work from 8 a.m. to noon on May 22. Along with a shuttle from the hotel to Pier 33, volunteers receive ferry transportation and a free box lunch to enjoy at the end of their shift. If they stay to explore Alcatraz, volunteers will also receive a free cellblock audio tour. The round-trip ferry and audio tour usually costs $30 for adults.
