Volunteer to Join the Fight Against Hunger

Volunteer to Join the Fight Against Hunger Every hour of volunteer work generates exponential meals for your neighbors in need. When you give your time, you're directly improving the lives of your neighbors. From sorting non-perishable goods in our warehouse to providing groceries at our mobile pantries, every volunteer opportunity makes a direct impact on the well-being of our community. Volunteer Opportunities: Sorting Shifts - We need volunteers to help us maintain high-quality standards for all food that is distributed from our facility to the community. As a volunteer in our warehouse, you will sort and inspect donated food or help pack meal kits for our neighbors in need. These opportunities are available to those 16 years of age and older. Mobile Pantry Shifts - Join our Mobile Pantry volunteers to make a direct impact in communities across Jacksonville by helping prepare, bag, and distribute fresh food at rotating outdoor distribution sites. These events operate like a farmers market, with food displayed on tables where local families facing hunger can select what they need, and volunteers assist with carrying items to cars. Since all distributions are held outdoors at various locations throughout the city, volunteers should dress appropriately for weather conditions and be prepared for an active, hands-on experience serving their neighbors. Volunteer Captain Program - Our Volunteer Captain Program offers experienced volunteers the opportunity to take on enhanced leadership roles with specialized training, advanced project responsibilities, and direct collaboration with our staff team. Captain-level volunteers gain access to exclusive equipment training and lead complex, high-impact initiatives that go beyond our standard volunteer opportunities. As a Volunteer Captain, you'll enjoy the prestige and flexibility of building your own schedule independently, bypassing traditional registration requirements while taking ownership of meaningful projects that make a lasting difference. Teen Ambassador Program - The Teen Ambassador Program engages motivated high school students across Jacksonville through leadership development, civic engagement, and hands-on volunteerism. The primary objective of the program is to deepen understanding of hunger disparities in Jacksonville while supporting FNEFL's mission through fundraising and community service. Participating students can earn a certificate of completion and compete for a merit-based $2,000 scholarship. SNAP Enrollment - Our SNAP Enrollment volunteers receive specialized training to help community members navigate the application process for essential food benefits through one-on-one assistance. After completing the required training, volunteers set up recurring appointments at local community centers where they guide individuals through SNAP applications and support them during their interviews. This meaningful program offers scheduling flexibility while providing direct, personalized help to families working to access the nutrition assistance they need. Frequently Asked Questions: How do I sign up? Excellent! The first step in volunteering is to register for an account. Registering as a volunteer is crucial to our ability to plan for your workday and keep you safe in our buildings. Once registered, you can then sign up online for our volunteer opportunities. How do I volunteer with family, friends, or coworkers? We love volunteer groups large and small! If you're volunteering and want to bring along more than just yourself – just click on the "RESPOND AS TEAM" button on the opportunity page and register as a team. You can reserve slots on a shift for your team members, even if they don't have their own email addresses or you don't know who they are yet. It's important that we know how many people will be arriving for shifts so we can have accurate numbers for safety and project planning. Can I just show up? In order to create a safe and enjoyable volunteer experience, every volunteer needs to register in advance and sign up for an opportunity that has available slots in a shift. Our organization relies heavily on volunteer service to complete our mission. It is important for us to have an accurate count of how many volunteers to expect so that we can staff and plan accordingly. Volunteers more than 15 minutes late will not be able to participate as our orientation provides important safety information and project instructions. Age Requirements: Our warehouse shifts and mobile distributions require a minimum age of 10. Youth between the ages of 10-16 must have a guardian present. What kind of work will volunteers be doing? Tasks vary depending on the needs to be accomplished that week. Work may include sorting donated perishable or non-perishable food, packing food into boxes for distribution or pack bags for our Snack Pack program. Volunteers must be able to lift up to 20 lbs. and stand for up 2 to 3 hours at a time. Our volunteer coordinators will provide a brief orientation which includes safety protocols and project explanation. Food Allergies: Feeding Northeast Florida asks volunteers with food allergies to use their best judgment when determining to participate in food sorting or packing shifts. We cannot guarantee an allergy-free environment and strongly advise that volunteers with severe or life-threatening food allergies do not attend food packing events. What should I wear? Closed-toe/closed-heel comfortable, safe footwear is required. No crocs, flip flops or sandals. Please wear appropriate length shorts and no crop tops or tank tops. Our warehouse is not climate controlled, please dress according to the weather. Warehouse Location: 5245 Old Kings Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32254 How do I track my hours? By checking in with our Kiosk or the CauseConnect app, our volunteer management site will log your volunteer hours. How can I print out and share my volunteer hours? You can export your hours from the Track Hours tab in your volunteer profile, or you can download your volunteer resume that highlights your volunteer activity for a selected date range. This print-out includes graphs showing volunteer hours by month and what types of volunteer work has been done. Do you accept matching grants from my company for volunteer work? Yes! Remind your volunteers to take advantage of matching-grants or gifts their organization offers.