People Served/Type of Services: Urgent Services, Food Insecurity
Types of Help Needed: Food Preparation and Distribution
Service Opportunity Details: “The agency has a variety of volunteer opportunities available: (1) Working on days when it receives food items, typically 2-3
hours. It requires sorting, bagging, lifting or carrying items and placing them in the refrigerators/freezers, and breaking down boxes. (2) Working on distribution days, volunteers work on the assembly line or at the car line for about 2 to 2-1⁄2 hours. On the assembly line, the volunteer stays in one position, removes items from the refrigerators and places them in the bags on the conveyor table. They must be able to stand for two hours. If a volunteer is distributing the bags, they must be able to carry a bag of food a short distance and place the bag in the patron’s car. (3) Check-in and greeting during food distribution (2-1⁄2 hours). Greeting requires someone who is personable and helpful. Check-in requires computer skills and training. Both areas are more sedentary than in the area where the food is actually distributed. (4) Picking up food from the Evanston Farmer’s Market (2-6 people) between mid-May and early November. It is physically demanding work that involves loading large bins onto hand trucks and into the pantry truck for 1 to 1-1⁄2 hours. (5) During Farmer’s Market season (typically late May/early June through late October), volunteers are needed to bag produce for distribution on Saturday afternoons. ”
Location: Evanston
Volunteer Ages: Families with teens, Teens, Young adults, Adults
Frequency: One-time, On-going, Periodic
Frequency Details: Our volunteer coordinator speaks with the individual to determine the best possible fit for both the individual and the pantry. This is based on the volunteer’s ability and schedule, and our needs at the time.
Contact Info: Staff: Susan Gottlieb, Volunteer Coordinator, 847-251-6717
Other Information: To work in the food pantry, a volunteer must be in high school or older. During Farmer’s Market season, we allow middle school youth to help bag the produce, as long as they are with a parent.