Volunteering
Volunteers are the backbone of food relief, essential for sorting, packing, and delivering food, enabling organizations to serve millions facing hunger by providing direct relief, fostering community, and teaching valuable skills like teamwork and time management, turning an abstract issue into a solvable local problem with tangible results. Their dedication ensures nutritious meals reach vulnerable children, seniors, and families, extending an organization's reach far beyond what staff alone could achieve.
Key Volunteer Roles & Impact:
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Sorting & Packing: Volunteers organize donated food, making it ready for distribution, a critical step in preventing waste and getting food out quickly.
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Distribution: They help in distribution centers, assist families at pantries, or even drive food to homes, providing immediate relief.
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Skill Building: Tasks build focus, time management, and coordination, while providing hands-on learning.
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Community Connection: Volunteers create hope, build community, and offer compassionate support, vital for those struggling with food insecurity.
Why It Matters:
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Fights Food Insecurity: Volunteers directly address the gap left by rising costs, helping 47.4 million Americans in 2023.
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Amplifies Resources: Their work stretches budgets, allowing more food to reach more people.
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Provides Dignity: Beyond meals, volunteers offer connection and restore dignity, addressing broader needs tied to hunger.
Volunteer Opportunities
Food Processing
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Sort through the food and prepare it for distribution, gleaning products that might not be suitable for market shelves.
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Stock shelves and assign points with non-perishable food items.
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Stock cooler, produce, and bakery items.
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Rotate products and check expiration dates to ensure quality.
This position requires standing on a concrete floor. Sturdy, close-toed shoes are required.
Checker:
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Help guests unload their shopping cart.
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Add up all points used per guest.
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Give each guest a total points receipt from the adding machine.
Bagger:
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Bag, weigh, and tally the entire guest order.
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Assist guests as needed.
These positions work directly with our guests and require patience, understanding, and caring.
Warehouse Assistant
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Receive food collected from grocers, food drives, and community donations.
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Assist in unloading our refrigerator truck and van.
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Weigh the product and record the donation.
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Place non-perishable food in the area for sorting.
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Stock freezer with donated meat and freezer products.
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Hand the perishable food off to our Food Processing.
This position involves bending, standing, lifting (25 lbs), and pushing.
3rd Avenue Senior Café
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Serving meals
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Meal Prep
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Baking
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Setting up tables in the 3rd Avenue Senior Café
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Clean-up
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3rd Avenue Senior Café Activities
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Check-in desk
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Hosting a class
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Are you an expert on nutrition, health, fitness, crafting, or a particular card game? Contact us at 208-773-0139 to see if you can share your knowledge with our seniors!
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Administrative tasks: filing, writing cards, preparing mailers & other office needs.
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Additional Information:
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ALL youth 17 and under must have parental/guardian consent to volunteer.
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Youth 14 and younger must be accompanied by an adult and are welcome by appointment.
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Special event organizations and groups are welcome to set up volunteer opportunities by appointment.
Contact
Brana Cully
Development Assistant & Volunteer Coordinator
208-773-0139