Volunteer with us!

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

You can make an important difference in the lives of our neighbors, and work together with passionate neighbors.

For individuals wanting to volunteer:

Here’s how: 

  1. For all individuals and families (non-groups), Apply to volunteer. You can complete the volunteer application here.
  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.
  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

Our MOST needed times are Mondays 1-4pm, Tuesday 3:30-6:30pm, Thursday 3:30-6:30pm, and Fridays 2-5pm. If you have any availability at these times we would love to have you sign up for these shifts! (More info on how to do that in the volunteer welcome email you will get when you apply)

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.

We have a specific application for court hours. All those looking to serve community service hours must submit an application here.

Please bring any documentation you need signed with you. For a letter of verification of your service, please send an email to volunteer@udistrictfoodbank.org when you have completed the hours needed. 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. Apply to volunteer for community service hours above for more info.

High School Service Learners:

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

We have many youths that volunteer with us, and we accept volunteers under the age of 18. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian during thier shifts. Children 13-18 may attend on thier own but parents, please assess with your child whether they have the maturity to interact with the public and can stay on task. 

To start volunteering submit an individual application or attend drop in hours. Please read carefully and finish ALL required trainings before coming into the food bank.

Verifying your hours:

Please note that high school hours are tracked through your high school. We are not connected with them, and you are volunteering with us as a general member of the community. You will need to contact your school to determine what they need for proof of hours. We will not have paperwork you need for your school onsite. 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 to verify.

Children under the age of 12 who would like to volunteer:

Do you have a child 12 or under who would like volunteer? We would love to have them. Children 12 and under however must be accompanied by a parent or guardian while volunteering.

To get started the adults can sign up to volunteer by applying, getting oriented and setting up a schedule, and bringing their kiddo to shifts!

Some good shifts to get started with kids: 

These shifts are closed for distribution and tend to be better suited for children to start.

Monday 5:00pm-7:00pm North Pantry packing shift

Wednesday shifts packing bags for home delivery

Friday 5:00pm-7:00pm Store reset shift

Saturday shifts packing bags for home delivery

Group Volunteering

Do you have a group that you would like volunteer with at the food bank?

Whether a church, workplace, university or school group, we would love to have you!

Please note we have limited times available for groups, because of the small size of our food bank. We are unable to accommodate group sizes of more than 12 people at one time.

We currently offer these times to host groups at our food bank:

Monday 1-4pm, Tuesday and Thursday 3:30pm-6:30pm (for groups of up to 8 people) Working within the food bank distribution. This group shift works to bag groceries for customers, sort donations, and general tasks to help support the store. 

Friday 4 pm-7 pm (for groups of up to 8 people). Working within the food bank while it is closed for distribution. This group shift works to repacking dry goods, clean the store, restock and tidy up from a the days distribution.

Saturdays 11am-2pm (for groups 5 minimum – 12 maximum people) Working within the food bank, on a day we are closed for distribution. Cleaning tasks and help getting the store ready for next distribution day.

To sign your group up and manage your spot click the link below!

https://calendly.com/groupvolunteering/group-volunteering-shift

Are you a teacher of a elementary, middle or high school class or group wanting to volunteer?

We have times on Friday mornings 9am-10:30am to K-12 class groups. K-12 Groups can sign up here:

https://calendly.com/groupvolunteering/k-12-school-groups

Roof Top Roots Garden shifts 

We have group session available on the roof on an (as the work is) needed basis!

These group sessions are posted on a calendar sign up when we have work to host. If you are interested in these group sessions please check out our sign up calendar here:

https://calendly.com/shanelle-udistrictfoodbank/rooftoproots

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, if you are interested being on the list, 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 their 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 an 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: Opening soon! We are getting beautiful new beds built, and will start volunteering in May 2024. 🙂 Shifts will be posted on the volunteer portal, please apply to volunteer to sign up.

Volunteers support operations up on our Rooftop Farm. Includes: harvesting, planting, weeding, other farm projects.