Volunteering at a food bank near you is a great way to get involved in your community while helping to support the efforts of a local charity. Unsurprisingly, it can benefit both the charity and you.

If you’re considering volunteering, keep in mind that it can be a great way to do good in your area. Here are some of the top benefits.

Why Food Banks Rely on Volunteer Work

Just like making a monetary donation or giving actual food, volunteering your time can be immensely beneficial to the operations of a food bank near you.

First, human resources expenses are often among the highest expenses that operations face, and that doesn’t just apply to charities. Wages can have an immense impact on revenue.

Since charities don’t really make revenue in the same way that corporations do–they have to fund their operations through donations–these costs eat into the potential impact that can be made through charitable contributions.

When a charity can rely on volunteer labor for its operations, that means even more dollars can have a direct impact on fighting hunger. The more volunteers we get, the more meals we can distribute, making every dollar stretch even further.

But that’s not the only way volunteers can benefit food banks. Volunteers sort and pack food for distribution, deliver food, and even prepare meals at kitchens.

Food banks in your area may also need help with administrative work, which is ongoing, or with marketing, spreading the word, and soliciting support for fundraisers or food drives.

Some food banks work with other partners or operate community gardens, in which case you might even be able to volunteer your time to help raise and harvest crops that will be used to help end food insecurity.

As a result, volunteering for our Philadelphia food bank helps us save time and resources so we can put more attention into driving hunger from our communities today and ending hunger for good.

There are also lots of ways you can get involved with a food bank near you, and ours is no exception. For those in our area, you can volunteer either as an individual or in groups, so whether you want to give your time or get your family, coworkers, church, scout troop or other organization together.

If you’re close enough to visit our warehouse, you can sign up for a repack shift to help us with packing, or prepare meals at the Philabundance Community Kitchen.

But, you don’t need to be in our area, or even work directly with us, to make an impact in your community. You can volunteer remotely through our Notes of Sunshine project, which aims to support senior citizens that are facing food insecurity. You can learn more about this project by emailing us at Volunteer@philabundance.org.

Looking for more ways to get involved? Philabundance works with more than 300 community partners, many of whom may also rely on volunteers to support their operations. For more information on how to support our wide network of community partners, please see the previous link.

How Volunteering at a Food Bank Helps You

As beneficial as it is to us when you give your time to help us end food insecurity, the benefits are not ours alone. Volunteering – at a food bank near you – is good for your health and wellness, too. Here are some ways volunteering can positively impact your life.

• Volunteering–at any charitable organization–can positively impact your mental health and wellness. It is a great way to keep occupied, which can help you clear your mind and help you live in the present. It can also serve as a welcome distraction from the worries, stresses, and even grief of everyday life. There may even be evidence to suggest that volunteering releases dopamine, a hormone that uplifts the mood.
• Volunteering can also be great for personal growth, as it fosters teamwork and interpersonal skills, improves your ability to cooperate with others, and has been shown to improve your communication skills.
• Volunteering is good for your social health and wellness, too. Not only can you nurture existing relationships through volunteer work, there are often opportunities to meet new people and grow your social network.
• For som individuals, volunteering can offer opportunities for career growth, depending on what their line of work is. Volunteering is the ultimate networking opportunity, and depending on what you volunteer with, can improve your marketable skills – for instance, culinary experience or administrative skills.
• Volunteering may be able to combat depression, and it may even improve your confidence, which has the potential to positively impact you in multiple areas of your life.
• Volunteering is educational! Spending time at your local food bank can introduce you to challenges that face your local community, and it can also teach you about local government, too.

Volunteering at a food bank near you can also (depending on where and how you volunteer) be beneficial to your physical health, as it can keep you active.

• Volunteering often provides a sense of purpose, especially if you volunteer locally where the efforts of your labor will make an immediate impact on the community where you live.
• One last reason – volunteering can just be a fun way to spend time with your friends, family, and neighbors!

For More Information on Our Philadelphia Food Bank

Are you looking for more information on food bank volunteering near you? For more information on volunteer opportunities at our Philadelphia food bank, see our volunteer page at the previous link, consult our Volunteer FAQs, or please contact us at Volunteer@philabundance.org.