Volunteer Opportunities

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

• Every Saturday, 9:30am-1:30pm – Food Distribution Regular Shift: assist with our weekly food distribution by welcoming our neighbors, checking them 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. (Roughly 30 volunteers needed each week)

• Every Saturday, 12:00pm-2:30pm – Closing Shift: assist with the final hour of food distribution, help put all stock away and clean up afterwards, recycle, compost, take inventory, etc. (4 volunteers needed each week)

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

• Every Friday, 3:00pm-4:30pm – Prepacking and Setting up for Food Distribution: prepack fruit bags, unload deliveries, bring stock upstairs, organize the pantry’s “grocery store” in the Social Hall, etc. (Roughly 15 volunteers needed for each week)

• Second Thursday of the month – Truck Unloading: roughly two 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 16 volunteers needed for each delivery)

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