Pantry Distribution at Community Kitchen & Pantry

Project Description:
Food Bank for New York City's Community Pantry distributes nutritious bags of groceries to 3,000 households each month, providing over 100,000 meals to the community. Volunteers are needed to help pack and distribute grocery bags with fresh produce and shelf-stable items for community members. 

• Packing fresh produce and shelf-stable grocery bags in preparation for distribution to community members. 
• Engaging with community members while distributing bags of groceries. 
• Assisting with pantry clean-up at end of shift.  
• Assisting with other pantry tasks, like sorting donations, as needed.
• Supporting our Older Adult Center as needed.

• We ask that volunteers are comfortable lifting up to 30 pounds repeatedly. 
• If you are bilingual, please let us know onsite! 
• We ask that you are flexible as the positions may vary or change based on the demand of distribution for the day. 
• Limited onsite storage is available for personal belongings, but we recommend traveling light and leaving valuables at home. Please bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated throughout the shift.
• Our shift times account for arrival, check-in, and a brief orientation, so there is no need to come early! If you choose to arrive early, we ask that you come no more than 10 minutes prior to the start of your shift.
• If you are interested in volunteering with a group, please email [email protected] to coordinate!
• All volunteers must agree to our Volunteer Waiver and Photo Release Waiver in order to participate.
• Please only register for this opportunity if you are sure you can attend for the full shift duration. If anything changes with your availability, please cancel your registration on the Volunteer Portal at least 24 hours in advance.
• See here for our Volunteer Guidelines.   
• All Volunteers are welcome to access Food Bank For New York City’s services, which you can find outlined on our website here. In order to ensure we have proper volunteer support, we ask that volunteers wishing to access our services do so before or after their scheduled volunteer time. Please note, some of Food Bank For New York City’s services may have eligibility requirements and therefore not all volunteers may be eligible to receive all services. 

• Volunteers are expected to present a neat appearance and dress according to the requirements of the volunteer shift.
• We ask that volunteers do not wear revealing attire such as muscle shirts, crop tops, “short shorts” or see-through clothing.
• Sturdy, closed-toe, closed-heel shoes are required for safety. Ballet flats, loafers, sandals, slide shoes, flip flops, Crocs, and high-heels are not allowed.  
• Outdoor activity may be required, so please wear weather-appropriate attire.
• During colder months, please be sure to dress in warm layers. Indoor temperatures will vary due to frequent activity in and out of the pantry.  
• Our staff reserves the right to turn away or reassign volunteers not dressed appropriately for their shift.

• Volunteers must be at least 14 years old to participate.  
• All volunteers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a chaperone aged 21 or older.  
• All volunteers under the age of 18 must have our Volunteer Waiver and Photo Release Waiver complete by a parent/legal guardian in advance of their volunteer shift.  
• All volunteers under the age of 18 should contact [email protected] at least 3 business days in advance of their first shift to confirm they have met our chaperone and waiver requirements. 
• Please note that our capacity to accommodate youth volunteers is subject to availability.