Volunteer Opportunities

We are always delighted to welcome new volunteers to our team! There are four opportunities for volunteers to join in the work of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Food Pantry:

• Every Saturday: 9:30am-1:30pm – Assist with our weekly food distribution by welcoming our neighbors, assisting them in checking in, helping them to choose their food, filling individual orders, packing them up, carrying out bags, staffing tables, restocking, putting things away at the end of the day, taking inventory, etc. (Roughly 25 volunteers needed each week)

• Every Friday: 3:00-4:30 pm – Pre-pack fruit bags, unload deliveries, organize the pantry’s stock on pallets, set up the “grocery store” in the Social Hall for Saturday (Roughly 12 volunteers needed each week)

• Second Thursday of the month: Morning, two-ish hours between 8:00 and 11:00am – Unload the monthly truck delivery from the Greater Chicago Food Depository and place items in our various storage spaces. (Roughly 12-14 volunteers needed each delivery)

• Every Saturday: 7:30-9:30am – Pick up rescue food from Jewel-Osco store in McKinley Park, and deliver it to the pantry. Food safety rules include taking temperatures of the food on pick up and arrival [we provide training for this] (1-2 persons with a car needed per week)

We rely on your support to run the pantry. Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers!