Since 1919, neighbors helping neighbors.

What began in 1919 as a handful of volunteers responding to need in their own community is now a national movement of volunteer-led chapters serving Americans in every region of the country.

Assistance League was founded on a simple idea. The people closest to a problem are usually the ones best positioned to solve it. For more than 100 years, that idea has guided our work.

In 1919, in Los Angeles, a small group of volunteers led by Anne Banning began organizing themselves to meet the needs they saw around them. They had no playbook. They built one. They identified problems nobody else was addressing and created programs to fix them. They clothed children so they could attend school with dignity. They stocked food pantries. They sat with patients at hospitals. They created what would become Operation School Bell®, our signature program, in 1958, when one volunteer noticed a child being sent home from school because he did not have appropriate clothes.

That instinct, to see a problem and act on it locally, is still how every Assistance League chapter operates today. We do not parachute in. We do not run programs from a national headquarters. We are your neighbors, and we are doing this work in the city where we live.

Today, our network spans the country. Together, our volunteers invest tens of millions of dollars and millions of hours each year into the communities we call home.

1890Genesis

A social activist at heart, Anne and a small group of prominent ladies began doing local charitable work in the mid-1890s under the name Assistance League. Their humanitarian efforts extended beyond local boundaries to the victims of the San Francisco earthquake. To raise money for those people underserved by conventional charities, Anne used her social connections to establish the “pay to attend” fundraising model that has proven successful for nonprofit organizations. During World War I, Anne organized the Los Angeles Red Cross Chapter and served as its Director.

1919The First Chapter

Assistance League is founded in Los Angeles by Anne Banning and a small group of volunteers committed to community service.

Anne, Ada, and their charity-minded friends formalized Assistance League of Southern California as a precursor to the national organization. They began by providing food and clothing for local families severely impacted by the war. A few years later, they greatly expanded their efforts with a neighborhood Community House that offered programs and services, which were emulated by public and private agencies.

1935Founded

National Assistance League is formed as new chapters begin to charter across the country, building a national network from the original Los Angeles movement.

By 1935, recognizing the need to extend their efforts, Anne and Ada established the National Assistance League to promote volunteerism through leadership and education. The movement grew rapidly with chapters spreading across California and beyond.

1958

Operation School Bell® is born, creating the model of dignity-first programs that defines us today.

The iconic Operation School Bell® program was introduced in Bakersfield in 1958.

Read more about the history of Operation School Bell®

1965

The first Assisteens Assembly, attended by 16 auxiliaries, was held at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 1964, with the national officers serving as hostesses. The name “Assisteens” was registered in the United States Patent & Trademark Office in 1965, and at that time there were 22 auxiliaries.

1970s to 1990s

The network expands rapidly as new chapters charter across the country.

198550 years

By 1985, Assistance League celebrated 50 years of service, boasting 72 chapters in 17 states and 16,155 volunteers.

1997

In 1997, the organization officially adopted Operation School Bell® as its national philanthropic program, and in 2003, it introduced a new brand to unify chapters nationwide.

2020s

The network mobilizes during the pandemic to provide emergency food, supplies, and connection to vulnerable neighbors.

2026

Stars of Service launches as part of America250, honoring the country’s semiquincentennial through community service.

∞

Today, Assistance League continues to embody Anne Banning’s vision of volunteerism. With strong chapters and thousands of dedicated volunteers, the organization provides vital services to communities nationwide. By fostering a culture of “Caring and Commitment,” Assistance League remains a pillar of community-based philanthropic action.