Volunteer

MEMO RE COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

As a member of Feeding America, the national network of 200 food banks, the Regional Food Bank is in close communication with this network, sharing contingency plans and best practices. In a recent statement regarding its COVID-19 planning, Feeding America emphasized it is “…actively consulting with FEMA, National VOAD (National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster), the USDA and leveraging other partners who are in a position to support measures to ensure access to food for the most vulnerable members of our communities during this situation.”

FOR OUR VOLUNTEERS

We value you, our volunteers. Your work is critical in getting healthy food out to vulnerable populations, and your wellbeing is important to us. If you feel sick, please stay home to reduce the risk of spreading illness. At this time, we have decided to keep our volunteer shifts intact. If cancellations prove to be necessary, we will communicate this information with you as soon as possible via email or phone calls.  If you need to cancel a volunteer shift, please contact our Volunteer Coordinators at volunteers@regionalfoodbank.net.

We have taken precautions to help ensure staff and volunteers stay safe during their shifts.

These precautions include:

• Messaging volunteers about not coming in if they are not well, have a fever, or have travelled outside the country
• Insisting volunteers age 70 and older, those with compromised immune systems, and those with underlying illnesses NOT volunteer to comply with Governor Cuomo’s Matilda’s Law
• Reducing the number of people per shift
• Setting up volunteer work spaces to allow for 6-feet between people
• Having volunteers sanitize and glove their hands when entering the building
• Stationing gloves, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting wipes in volunteer areas for frequent use
• Sanitizing high-touch points every two hours and at the end of each shift, including scales and touch-pads, tables, clipboards, pens, markers, sign-in consoles, door handles, broom handles, tape guns, and box cutters

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Donations come to us in all forms and often need to be sorted before we can distribute them. That’s where volunteers come in! We receive donations of non-perishable food, produce, paper products, household items, personal hygiene supplies, school supplies, clothes, diapers, and more that need to be repacked into useable, family-sized packages. Whatever you sort when you volunteer with us, your efforts help low-income families stretch their limited budgets and eat better.

Volunteer Activities

Sorting and Re-Boxing Donations on our Warehouse Dock

• All volunteers must wear closed-toe shoes
• Children age 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult

We host volunteers of all ages to help us sort and repack all kinds of donations. We run two hour shifts between 5:00pm and 8:00pm Monday through Thursday evenings as well as on weekends between 9:00am and 3:00pm. Volunteers of all ages and ability levels are welcome to help us organize primarily non-food items such as bedding, school supplies, personal hygiene products, clothes, and other items to be distributed to our member agencies.

Sorting in our Salvage Sorting Room

• All volunteers must wear closed-toe shoes
• Volunteers must  be 18 or older to work in the Salvage Sorting Room

Individual volunteers help us sort and pack non-perishable food donations in our Salvage Sorting Room Tuesday – Friday mornings from 9am-12pm. Because of the training involved, we ask those that are interested in this opportunity to make a regular commitment to volunteering (weekly, monthly, etc.). We will teach you about food safety policies and sorting date guidelines, as well as show you how to identify food items that have become unfit for consumption – ensuring the health of those on the receiving end of your efforts.

We also welcome groups of up to 25 adults to volunteer for afternoon shifts Tuesday – Friday from 12:30-3:30pm. If you are a group leader interested in scheduling one of these shifts, please complete the Volunteer Group Request Form below so we can follow up with you.

Click here for our Salvage Room Training Video.

How To Register for a Shift

If you are looking to volunteer as an INDIVIDUAL or FAMILY, please use our secure online volunteer management software below. Once you find openings that fit your schedule, click “Register for an Event” and you will be directed to create your secure volunteer profile in our system. If you are looking to register your family, see our directions on how to add family members to your profile. If you are looking to volunteer in our Salvage Sorting Room, please contact us directly by phone (518) 786-3691 ext. 263, by email at volunteers@regionalfoodbank.net to set up an individual shift, or by using the Volunteer Group Request Form below if you want to schedule a group Salvage shift.

Are you looking to organize a GROUP? Businesses, community organizations, school groups, and more are always welcome to volunteer with us! Scroll down to the bottom of the page and complete the Volunteer Group Request Form. A coordinator will reach out to set up an event! Include as much information as possible about your group- size, ages, and preferable dates/times. Please specify in the “Additional Comments” section you are interested in volunteering at our Latham Warehouse or our Cornwall-on-Hudson location.

If you are looking to volunteer as a family or with a few friends, please have each volunteer create an individual profile and sign up for a shift using our online registration below.

Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York | 965 Albany Shaker Road | Latham, NY 12110