Volunteer
We rely on our volunteers
Volunteers donate thousands of hours each year to help reduce hunger across the Peninsula. From college students and military groups to church organizations and youth groups, our volunteers are diverse in age, experience, and ability. Every volunteer brings a unique perspective and takes a central role in our ability to serve those in need across Hampton Roads. We love our volunteers!
“Volunteering is satisfaction, volunteering is needed. Volunteering helps the community grow and is an opportunity that no one should miss.” – Sudha N.
“Volunteering is an ideal way to spend ones free time in service to the community.” – Murali N.
“I enjoy the people that work here. They make me feel welcome, they’re always pleasant and always helpful. The food we prepare is excellent. I like being helpful.” – Linda G.
“I enjoy just doing things to make someone else feel good, just always offering that extra hand.” – Alex A.
Quality Assurance/Sorting Room
Volunteers working in the Quality Assurance/Sorting Room are the Foodbank’s first line of defense to ensure that only safe food is distributed to the community. Volunteers will be trained to organize and inspect donated food products to ensure that all donations meet the Foodbank’s standards for safety, and will sort donations into various categories.
USDA and CSFP Packing
USDA and CSFP Packing are large-scale events where volunteers work on an assembly line to pack the boxes that the Foodbank uses at our distribution sites. There are many different volunteer spots in the packing line, including building the boxes, placing items into the boxes, reloading food onto the line, and palletizing completed boxes.
Pulling/Palletizing Orders
Pulling/Palletizing orders is an important step in the process of getting food out to those in need. Volunteers work from an order sheet to build and organize food pallets that we use for Packing Events or deliver to our Partner Agencies.
Mobile Food Pantries/Senior Home Distributions
Mobile Pantries and Home Deliveries are how the Foodbank distributes food to the community. Volunteers attending these events will help load food into the recipient’s vehicles in our drive-through Mobile Pantries, or load carts with food and deliver them to recipients’ doors at our Senior Home Deliveries.
Produce Bagging
Healthy diets make for healthy communities, and the Foodbank wants to make good food accessible to our service area population. Volunteers that sign up for Produce Bagging will weigh and package the fresh produce items that we use at our distribution sites.
BackPack Packing
Kids across the Peninsula rely on their reduced lunch programs at school to keep them healthy and strong, but during the weekends they don’t have access to their school lunches. That’s why the Foodbank has the BackPack program, where volunteers back bags of food that students can take home with them during the weekends when school lunch isn’t available.
Events
Events make it possible for the Foodbank to procure the food that is provided to those in need. Volunteers are needed at events that take place throughout the community. Events include Tastefully Yours, Mayflower Marathon Holiday Food Drive, Chick-fil-A 5K, and more that benefit the Foodbank.
Virtual Food Drive
If you want to help, and don't have time to volunteer, consider setting up a peer-to-peer fundraising event to collect monetary donations from friends, coworkers, and family so that the Foodbank can purchase food for our feeding programs and families can live a healthier life. Visit https://www.justgiving.com/virginiapeninsulafoodbank to get started on raising funds to end hunger across the greater Peninsula.
For food safety precautions, all water bottles must be clear. The Foodbank has a water bottle refill station to fill up your bottles if volunteering in the warehouse.