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Volunteer FAQ
The following will provide you with general information about volunteering at the Food Bank. Depending on your specific volunteer activity, you will be given further direction upon arrival.
How can I start volunteering with the Food Bank?
How can I sign up with a team to volunteer?
What can I expect if I volunteer at the Food Bank?
I forgot my volunteer account password. What should I do?
How can I schedule my group to volunteer?
Can I bring my children to volunteer?
Can I complete my court-ordered community service at the Food Bank?
My volunteer hours are not verified, what should I do?
I can no longer make my volunteer shift. How do I remove myself from a shift?
Besides volunteering, what other ways can I support the Food Bank?
How can I start volunteering with the Food Bank?
To start volunteering with the Food Bank, you will need to register as a Food Bank volunteer. Once you have registered to volunteer with the Food Bank, you can look at our volunteer calendar and sign up for volunteer shifts! Unsure how to register as a Food Bank volunteer or how to sign up for volunteer shifts? Here is a quick video to guide you through the process.
How can I sign up with a Team to volunteer?
Just use our “Sign up with a Team” function in order to sign up with more than one person or any child between the age of 11 and 15 years of age.
If you have already signed up for a shift as an individual, but want to create a team, please sign in to your volunteer account, remove yourself from the shift (Volunteer > My Account > Overview), and then sign up again using the below instructions:
STEP 1: Create your team by navigating to Volunteer > My Account > My Teams. Choose a Team Name and enter the names, ages, and email addresses of all team members. You can designate more than one team captain. Team Captains must be at least 16 years old and have an email address on file.
STEP 2: Please search for an opportunity that has enough available slots for the number of people who will be attending.
STEP 3: When you have selected a volunteer opportunity, select “Sign up with a team.” If the button does not appear, team registration is restricted.
STEP 4: After you select “Sign up With a Team” you will be given the option to use a team you have already created.
STEP 5: Please make sure there is a check mark in the box next to the names of all who will be participating.
What can I expect if I volunteer at the Food Bank?
We have different types of volunteer opportunities available in our Concord and Fairfield warehouses. We also have different types of volunteer opportunities at our many community distribution sites in Contra Costa and Solano Counties each week. When you are exploring our volunteer calendar, if you click on an opportunity, you will be able to view the opportunity details. Still wondering what volunteering with the Food Bank looks like? Here are videos that provide a glimpse into volunteering at our distribution sites and volunteering at our warehouses (coming soon!).
I forgot my volunteer account password. What should I do?
To request a new password, click here.
How can I schedule my group to volunteer?
The Food Bank would love the opportunity to host your group. Please submit your Group Volunteer Request and the Volunteer Services Team will respond to your request to offer volunteer opportunities that best match your group’s interest/availability.
I want to volunteer on a particular day and time, but I don’t see the shift on the calendar. Can I just show up?
As outlined in our Volunteer Waiver, Policies, and Safety Rules, all volunteers must be registered as Food Bank volunteers and are required to be signed up for the volunteer shift. NO WALK-INS ALLOWED. This process is critical for emergency accountability as well as for verification of community service hours.
Can I bring my children to volunteer?
Yes! The Food Bank offers volunteer opportunities for youth as young as five years old. Below are the youth volunteer parameters that adhere to the Food Bank’s Safety Policies:
- Youth 16 and older can register for their own volunteer account and schedule themselves for select volunteer opportunities.
- Youth between the ages of 11 and 15 are welcome to volunteer with an adult.
- Parents and guardians are required to register themselves and use the “Sign up with a team” function to add the youth as their “teammate” (See Section: How to sign up with a team).
- Due to safety reasons, youth between the ages of 5 and 10 can ONLY volunteer at our Family Food Sorts.
- Due to safety reasons, youth under age 5 are not allowed to volunteer at the Food Bank.
Can I complete my court-ordered community service at the Food Bank?
Yes! The Food Bank approves volunteers to complete court-ordered community service on a case-by-case basis. Please review our Court-Ordered Community Service Volunteer Policy and complete the express interest form if you meet the qualifications.
My volunteer hours are not verified, what should I do?
If your hours are not verified for a Senior Food Distribution, please allow 6-8 weeks to see the update on your volunteer account. At Senior Food Distribution volunteer opportunities, attendance is completed on paper sheets and requires manual input.
If your hours are not verified from a warehouse shift or another distribution site and you signed in on paper, please allow up to 2 weeks to see the update on your volunteer account. If it is not there after 2 weeks, please contact the Volunteer Services Team at volunteerhelpdesk@foodbankccs.org or 855-309-3663, ext. 605. We understand that sometimes the tablets are down or you forgot to sign in for the shift. We are more than happy to help verify your hours.
I can no longer make my volunteer shift. How do I remove myself from a shift?
Volunteers are critical in the Food Bank’s ability to connect our neighbors in need with food resources. If you are unable to make your volunteer shift, we please ask for you to remove yourself to allow for other volunteers to support. If you can no longer participate, please click here to view your Account Overview and select ‘Remove me’ next to the shift you wish to cancel.
Besides volunteering, what other ways can I support the Food Bank?
Thank you for joining us in leading the fight to end hunger! There are a variety of ways to support the Food Bank in addition to volunteering:
- Become a Food Bank advocate
- Host a food or fund drive
- Join us for an event
- Donate to the Food Bank. Every dollar donated provides enough food for two meals!