There is never any harm in volunteering. At the start of the school year, I think volunteering now until senior year is not going to look like an obvious ploy. Starting as a volunteer anywhere, at any time isn’t going to look bad though.
It also depends on the schools you apply to. Some colleges value it strongly, others not so much. Plenty of kids apply with no volunteer hours. You can check any college’s common data set, section C7, to see how they consider volunteering. If a school considers it and is selective, I’d make an effort to get some volunteer hours in.