Join our volunteer team

Did you know that we need more than 350+ volunteers each week to keep our community well fed?

You will make an important difference in the lives of our neighbors.

*Please note that we are now requiring at least a 3 month commitment for volunteering, with the exception of community service. If you cannot commit to volunteering for at least 6 months with us, please attend drop in hours.

For individuals wanting to volunteer:

Here’s how: 

  1. For all individuals and families (non-groups), please complete this brief volunteer application
  2. You will receive an automatic welcome email when we are ready to start the process! Follow the instructions in the welcome email to get onboarded to volunteer. There will be an online orientation video and an in-person food bank walk through with a Q&A before your first shift. Please allow at least 2 weeks for your application to be processed before reaching out.
  3. Watch all designated training videos and attend the in person orientation. Set up your volunteer portal and self schedule your first shifts!
  4. Welcome to the team! Have fun, make friends and make a difference in your community

Drop in hours:

We have a few drop in volunteer times a week that do not require orientation. You do not need permission to come to these sessions, but we ask that you complete the steps below and you limit the number you bring to 4 people in your party. If you want to volunteer as a group larger than 4 please see the group volunteering info.

For drop in hours you must commit to helping a minimum of 2 hours during the window of time. 

Drop in hours are:

Tuesday 2:30-6pm 

Wednesdays 9:00am-11am

Friday’s 1:30-4pm.

*Please be sure to check our website for any closures we may have on drop in days to be sure we are open! 

Before attending drop in hours please:

1.) Please review and agree to our code of conduct and volunteer policies here.

2.) Please watch these three training videos to prepare you for roles you may work on:

https://youtu.be/nqYEu4-J2G8 Drop in volunteer orientation

https://youtu.be/LARw2yhptoM  Check out volunteer training

https://youtu.be/_70KskWtJcM Back of House volunteer training

3.) Please e-sign our liability waiver: 

You can e-sign our liability waiver here, and a copy will be emailed to the volunteer coordinator prior to your shift.

The tasks you will be doing will vary on the day based on what we need at the food bank, sometimes it is cleaning task, sometimes roles within the food bank.

This is a great way to get started right away, or try it out and see if it’s a good fit!

Community Service Workers and High School Learners 

Community Service Workers:

Need volunteer hours for community service? We host those needing to serve hours for non-violent offenses only.

Important! Please allow enough time to serve the hours you need. Please do not contact us with emergency timelines to get hours or letters of verifications. It is your responsibility to plan accordingly. Please allow the appropriate time you need to complete your hours, and notify us with at least 3 business days time to provide a letter of service.

We have a specific application for court hours. Look at our options and submit that application here.

Make sure to indicate that you need hours, how many, and when they are due. Please bring any documentation you need signed with you and if you need a letter of verification of your service hours, please send an email to volunteer@udistrictfoodbank.org when you have completed the hours you need, stating what you need the letter to say, where it needs to be emailed, and how many hours you are requesting to be verified. Please allow at least 3 business days for us to get this letter to you. Unfortunately we are unable to mail copies of your service letter and it must be emailed or picked up in person.

We also have drop in hours available (see below)

High School Service Learners:

Are you a middle or high school student wanting to volunteer?

We have many high school volunteers with us. We accept volunteers under the age of 18. Ages 13-18 are welcome to volunteer on thier own with parental permission. But those 12 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian during thier shifts.

To start volunteering submit an individual application or attend drop in hours.

You also have the option of volunteering during our drop in hours.

Please complete some of these necessary things before you arrive to drop in hours.

Drop in hours are:

Tuesday 2:30-6pm, Wednesday 9am-11am, and Friday 1:30-4pm.

*Please be sure to check our website for any closures we may have on drop in days to be sure we are open! 

If you would like to drop in at these times please come through the food bank garage (to the right of the food bank) and check in with a back of house floor manager.

For drop in hours you must commit to helping a minimum of 2 hours during the window of time. 

For those under 18 attending drop in hours, before attending please:

1.) Please e-sign our liability waiver: 

You can e-sign our liability waiver here, and a copy will be emailed to the volunteer coordinator prior to your shift.

2.) Please review and agree to our code of conduct and volunteer policies here.

3.) Please watch these training videos to prepare you for roles you may work on:

https://youtu.be/nqYEu4-J2G8   Drop-in volunteer orientation

https://youtu.be/LARw2yhptoM   Check out volunteer training

https://youtu.be/_70KskWtJcM  Back of House volunteer training

The tasks you will be doing will vary on the day based on what we need at the food bank, sometimes it is cleaning task, sometimes roles within the food bank.

High school hours are tracked through your high school. You will need to contact your school to determine what they need for proof of hours. In many cases you will submit your volunteer hours with your school and they will ask for a contact at the food bank to verify. Please use the email volunteer@udistrictfoodbank.org

Group Volunteering

*** We are taking a brief pause in accepting groups while we restructure our group volunteering schedule to work better with our food bank programs. We will miss having you, but please do not request to volunteer with your group at this time and check back on this page in a few weeks for updates.*** 2/25/24

Volunteer Roles at the Food Bank

Front of House (Food Bank Shopping Area)

Good skills for these roles: Customer service skills, someone who loves interacting with people!

Greeter: Manages the line of customers that are waiting to come into the food bank. Welcomes them, answers any questions, and allows a certain number of customers in to shop to allow for capacity, gives sheets to those who want someone to shop for them, hand out sandwiches and to-go bags.

Check in volunteer: Checks in customers into our intake database, gives them a shopping card, and answers any questions customers have. This role is sitting and working with a computer.

Check-out volunteer: Helps bag up customer groceries and check limits that are allowed based on their shopping cards, double bagging bags, and sanitizing. This role is standing.

Stocker: Goes back and forth between the warehouse area and the shopping store and stocks items that are low.

Back of House  (Warehouse Area) 

Includes: Sorting pallets of donations including produce, deli, dairy and other items. Repackaging bulk items; Receiving donations; Breaking down and recycling cardboard; Bagging up produce like apples, potatoes and onions; Clean-up of warehouse; Sanitizing work spaces; Double bagging paper bags.

Home Delivery Program Drivers:

Home Delivery Drivers support no-contact deliveries of bags and boxes of food to our neighbors who are disabled or otherwise homebound. Routes are usually about 7-8 stops and take about anywhere from 1 1/2- 2 hours. The routes are grouped in certain geographic areas in our service area in North Seattle (Green lake, U district, Sandpoint, Cap Hill etc.). This is a great way to get to know the neighborhood you live in better. You may have neighbors in need you might not even know about! We deliver Wednesdays and Saturdays and often need substitute home delivery drivers.

Requirements: Have your own vehicle. Being able to lift 40 pounds is good for this role. Must be able to pass a background check.

We are in need of sub drivers for the home delivery program! 

Being a sub requires no commitment and is super helpful, please sign up by checking the box in your application. Emails go out each week, and you take a shift when you are available.

Grocery Rescue Help:

Grocery Rescue is what we call going out to our neighborhood grocery stores to pick up (or rescue!) donations that have been set aside for us. This one major way we stock our shelves at the food bank! We have volunteers that go out in their own vehicles to collect from stores, or volunteers that do shifts riding along with a staff member in a UDFB vehicle to pick up donations. There is lifting of about 40 pound at times in these roles.

Grocery Rescue volunteers in thier own vehicles:  This job involves going out to a designated store once (or more if you like!) a week and picking up the donations they have set aside for us and bring them back to the food bank. This super important and helpful role helps us pick up all the donations that are available to us and keeps our shelves stocked. We have limited staff and time so we need helpers to collect everything! This is a fun one to see one system of support for the food bank, and how stores support the work we do, as well as reducing food waste!

This role requires at least a 3 month commitment, and a in person walk through of the store you choose with staff the first time.

Grocery Rescue Ride Along Volunteer:

This volunteer will ride along with a staff grocery rescue driver in our food bank vehicle and assist with picking up from local grocery stores donations.  This is a fun way to see how we stock our shelves and how our community partners support us. There is some heavy lifting required of about 40 lbs with this role.

Rooftop Roots Farm Volunteers:   Update: CLOSED FOR CONSTRUCTION! We are getting beautiful new beds built, and will reopen next year. 🙂 We will notify in our volunteer portal when shifts are available!

Volunteers support operations up on our Rooftop Farm. Includes: harvesting, planting, weeding, other farm projects. Using the link below, you can sign up to volunteer in the garden.