Maybe you’ve been wanting to volunteer at a food pantry for a long time, but just aren’t sure what to expect or if there’s a role that fits your schedule, abilities, and personality. Well, the good news is that food assistance systems are constantly evolving to be more innovative to provide the best experience for both guests and volunteers. Today there are more ways than ever before to help feed neighbors in need. Here are a few of the options for getting involved:

Be a food rescue hero:

Food rescue is definitely having its moment right now, and with good reason. Quality, nutritious foods of all kinds are often discarded because they will not sell quickly enough, too much was ordered, or a store needs to make room for new items. This represents an abundant resource that is keeping landfills full while people go hungry.

Pantries and food establishments are making more and more connections to help reclaim food waste. However, this can demand a lot of extra work from pantries that are already short staffed. Volunteers can help lighten the load by offering to do regular pickups for their local food pantry. This one can fit nicely into hectic schedules, since you can multitask and help out with hunger relief while you’re already out on your weekly grocery run.

Do the heavy lifting:

EFN believes that food pantry guests should have a similar level of choice as they would going into a grocery store. For this reason, many of our partner programs are moving to a self-select model that more closely resembles the shelves of your neighborhood store. It’s a big job to make sure shelves stay organized and full, to make it as easy as possible for volunteers to guide guests through selecting foods for their family.

Since managing a food pantry is often a full-time volunteer position, the job is commonly taken on by retired seniors. If they have any physical limitations for bending and lifting, it can be hard to keep up with all of the food that flows in. Volunteers with the ability to lift heavy boxes and be on their feet for long periods are a huge help. You’ll get the benefit of building some muscle while you lend a hand.

Break down the bulk:

Food pantries get donations in all shapes and sizes. This means that sometimes they’ll receive a one pound bag of rice, and other times a twenty pound box. Breaking down bulk donations into smaller portions can be an opportunity to zone out and get lost in your thoughts while filling and weighing bags of food pantry staples. You can pop in your earbuds or chat with a friend for this relaxing task. If you’re an introverted volunteer and talking to guests is not for you, this is your chance to work at a food pantry while staying behind the scenes.

Make food pantry visits friendlier:

If you are detail oriented and have great people skills, guest intake is a perfect volunteer task. Food pantries are required to keep records, especially if they receive resources from the government, so it is incredibly important that they have organized data about visits to the pantry. For EFN, this information helps us stay up to date on who needs help! When guests come in, you can be the friendly face who greets them, checks them in, and gets them to a volunteer to help them select food.

Think outside the box:

Packaging and storing food at a pantry requires a lot of the same odds and ends that you might have in your home. This can include clean grocery and garbage bags, bread ties and twist ties, cardboard boxes, and empty water bottles. What is currently cluttering your cabinet or ending up in the trash could help your local food pantry with their day to day operations, like providing a way for guests to take their groceries out to the car, or helping to seal portioned out bags of bread. Ask your food pantry what they are in need of; you might be surprised at the things they are able to creatively use! You can start collecting for them and even spread the word by asking your family, friends and neighbors to contribute.

Go the extra mile:

Several of our food pantries are solely delivery food pantries. These pantries receive calls from guests who do not have transportation to a pantry, and then a volunteer delivers food straight to their door. While this role might require a longer and more flexible time commitment than some others, it is incredibly important.

Seniors are the fastest growing group of food insecure individuals in Pierce County. Likewise, children, who might have more trouble getting to a food pantry, are more likely to be food insecure than adults. By being a delivery driver, you could be serving some of these most vulnerable members of our community.

These are just a few of the ways that volunteers can help a food pantry, so if you didn’t see one that appeals to you there are plenty more! Let 2020 be your year to start volunteering with a food pantry. Since we have 80+ partner programs, there’s bound to be one nearby with a place for you. To get started, visit https://efoodnet.org/get-involved/other-volunteer/ to see a few of our opportunities. For more info contact MadisonS@efoodnet.org to get connected with a program.