Volunteer
To volunteer with the Vermont Foodbank at our Barre facility, please fill out the Volunteer Application and send it to us or contact our Volunteer Coordinator Patrick Gilbert at 802-477-4127 or pgilbert@secondharvest.org.
Community Repack
Each week day from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., volunteers gather in our warehouse to sort and re-pack food, or pack boxes for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) in the warehouse. For groups of 10 or more, we are happy to arrange evening hours on Tuesday through Thursday until 8:30 p.m. Volunteers in the warehouse must be 16 or older, or 14 and 15 if accompanied by an adult. Please wear comfortable clothing but no sandals are allowed.
Community Kitchen
We take great pride in our Community Kitchen – where food from supermarkets, independent grocers, specialty markets, bakeries, restaurants, hotels, and college dining halls is used to create nutritious, ready-to-eat meals. Also, frozen meat is labeled and rewrapped for our Network Partners. We are currently looking for volunteers who can commit to a two- or three-hour shift on a regular basis for the short- or long-term.
If you enjoy cooking or just like being in the kitchen, this is the volunteer opportunity for you! No skills are necessary and volunteers must be at least 18 years old. The Community Kitchen will stay open evenings for small groups who reserved in advance.
Saturday Sort-a-thons
NOTE: Please call in advance to sign up to participate in a Sort-a-thon.
On designated Saturdays each month, Sort-a-thons are held at the Foodbank from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Volunteers may sort, re-pack or build CSFP boxes in the warehouse, work in the Community Kitchen, or even help prepare occasional mailings. Again, volunteers must be 14 or 15 years old and accompanied by an adult, or 16 years and older to work in the warehouse.
A wonderful added bonus – volunteers can designate a local Foodbank-affiliated food shelf to receive $2 toward the purchase of food for every hour they work. For every $1 received, the Foodbank’s Network Partners can purchase 3 pounds of food, so those dollars add up to lots of food for hungry Vermonters.
Saturday Sort-a-thons are an important means for many of our agencies to receive the food they need to feed people in Vermont communities.
Saturday Sort-a-thon Schedule
Foodbank Food Fights
Foodbank Food Fights provide an opportunity for a team of participants to sort and package food at the Vermont Foodbank, competing with others to become the organization that processes the most food in one year. This competition has included companies such as Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Sovernet, the Vermont Association of Insurance Women and area Rotary clubs.
- Each group's performance is measured on a per person, per pound, per hour basis, so both large and small groups have a chance to win.
- The Foodbank Food Fights run in conjunction with our fiscal year, from October 1 to September 30, so there is almost always time to get involved. At the end of the competition, scores are tallied and a winner is determined.
- The winners are presented with a trophy, media exposure and our gratitude for helping Vermonters in need.
All volunteer activities take place at our facility in the Wilson Industrial Park, 33 Parker Road, Barre. Children under 14 years of age are not permitted to volunteer at the Foodbank and cannot be present during volunteer events due to insurance restrictions. If a group of school age children wish to come to the Foodbank to learn about the work we do, take a tour, and talk about age appropriate ways to become involved, please contact Patrick Gilbert at 802-477-4127 or pgilbert@secondharvest.org to make those arrangements.
