VOLUNTEER
Volunteer With the Food Bank
Whether it’s driving a refrigerated truck, sorting perishable food, or harvesting carrots on the farm, volunteers are the heartbeat of Clark County Food Bank. Each year, we have over 8,200 individuals who donate nearly 66,000 service hours. Every volunteer provides something unique and important to the food bank, and we could not serve our community without the support of neighbors like you! If you are interested in joining the fight against hunger here in Clark County, explore some of our volunteer opportunities below.
Sign Up To Volunteer
Fill out our volunteer interest form below.
Individual & Group Volunteer Opportunities
Food Volunteers
Every day at the food bank, we sort through thousands of pounds of donated food. We need volunteers to help sort through and inspect donations, repack bulk food into smaller packaging, and even drive and deliver truckloads of food. Volunteering to sort and repack food is a perfect opportunity to serve for both individuals and groups.
Many Food Volunteer positions require scheduling or training. Please sign up then Contact Us to get in touch with our volunteer coordinators.
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Over the course of a year, our Fresh Alliance volunteers sort through over 2 million pounds of produce, meat, and dairy donated by local grocery stores. Our Fresh Alliance volunteers sign up for a once a week commitment, Monday through Friday from 10:00 am - Noon. Training is required during volunteer's first shift. Contact us to schedule a training time.
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CCFB could not function without the faithful dedication of its truck drivers and truck riders. These shifts are scheduled Monday-Friday from 7:30 am-12:00 pm and involve either driving or riding along in one of our 20 ft. trucks. Routes travel throughout Clark County and stop at various local grocery stores that partner with our Fresh Alliance Program. Other duties include filling out donation slips and lifting 40-50 pound boxes. No CDL license is required.
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Our food repack volunteers help break down and repack bulk food donations into smaller quantities that can then be distributed to one of our partner agencies. Repacks occur Tuesday through Thursday from 2-3:30 pm.
Space is limited, so all volunteers must contact our volunteer coordinators to sign up.
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Over the course of a year, our warehouse team processes over 8 million pounds of food! The Warehouse Worker role helps with a variety of warehouse tasks including cleaning, maintenance, food sorting and order picking. Our warehouse operates Monday through Friday from 7:30am-4pm. Training is required. Contact us to schedule a training time.
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Clark County Food Bank oversees two food pantries in the community – both are called “Community Kitchen”. These sites distribute food boxes to clients experiencing food insecurity. Food Pantry Helpers are placed in a variety of roles including client intake and food restocking. We would love to have you join us! Contact us to schedule a training time.
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Our home delivery drivers deliver emergency food boxes to clients who are unable to access food due to transportation issues and/or who are homebound in Clark County. Volunteers pick up pre-packed food boxes and drive their own vehicles to assigned homes or apartments to have clients complete paperwork and leave the box of food with the clients.
Farm Volunteers
During the summer and fall growing seasons, Heritage Farm is open for volunteers during designated weekdays and weekends. Whether pulling weeds, planting seeds, harvesting fresh produce or leading groups of volunteers, we are in constant need of people to care for our crops. If you love working outside and getting your hands a little dirty, then come on out to our farm!
Please contact farm@clarkcountyfoodbank.org to for gleaning or group farm volunteer events!
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In the summer and fall, Clark County Food Bank cultivates and harvests more than 100,000 pounds of carrots, squash, and other vegetables at our 78th Street Heritage Farm plot, along with many community growers. We rely on hundreds of volunteers annually to sustain this important hunger relief effort. Volunteering at the farm is perfect for individuals or groups, including families, school field trips, community groups and faith-based organizations.
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Farm work parties are held Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from 9am to noon, June through October. During the growing season, feel free to stop by to volunteer with our work parties anytime! No prior arrangement is needed, except for groups of 6 or more.
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If you would like to arrange for a larger group, such as a school, business, or service organization, to come out and volunteer on our farm, we are open and flexible all throughout the growing season! Please contact us to arrange a group volunteering event.
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Gleaning is when a crew of volunteers harvests unmarketable or extra produce at a local farm or helps out a community member in their efforts to grow food for the food bank. Every Sunday 2:30-4:00pm from June through October, we collect leftover produce from vendors at the Vancouver Farmers Market. Help us feed our community by joining our Farmers Market Glean Team! It’s important to note that this volunteer opportunity requires the ability to lift at least 25 lbs and the ability to walk long distances. If you are interested in being a part of the Glean Team, please contact us at farm@clarkcountyfoodbank.org, so we can put you on the schedule!
Nutrition Education Volunteers
If you have a passion for healthy living, nutrition, and teaching people the skills to shop and cook on a budget, then volunteering with our Nutrition Education Program is the right fit for you! Learn more about the programs we offer and ways you can get involved to help create a healthier Clark County.
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Class Assistants: Support the instructors by providing assistance to participants, distributing materials and facilitating clean-up tasks during and after class.
Chef Instructors: Lead class lessons as it relates to cooking skills. Collaborate with other instructors to deliver messages around cooking, food budgeting and food safety.
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Support the instructors by shopping for class recipe ingredients prior to class. Deliver groceries to class site.
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Facilitate the Nutrition section of our Cooking Matters and/or SNAC classes. Collaborate with other instructors to deliver messages on healthy eating, nutrition, cooking and food budgeting.
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Facilitate or support Seed to Supper class. Collaborate with other instructors to deliver messages around gardening on a budget in the Pacific Northwest.
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Lead cooking demonstrations at food pantries or Food Bank Fresh events. Cook simple, budget friendly recipes using pantry stables, to encourage clients to try new things.
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Help prepare food in advance of large food bank events.
Other Ways to Help
In addition to volunteering in our farm, food, or nutrition ed. programs, CCFB has other areas for volunteers to serve in. Whether helping to staff events, providing general maintenance, running our front desk, or driving one of our delivery trucks, dedicated volunteers make our everyday operations possible.
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Our facility would fail to run smoothly without the assistance of our receptionists. They are responsible for answering and directing our phone calls, filing paperwork, data entry, customer service, light cleaning and greeting all those who walk through our front door. Shifts are available Monday-Friday, between the hours of 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.
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CCFB hosts annual events which require the use of many helping hands. Groups and individuals can help facilitate these events by providing necessary assistance to the Clark County community. These shifts would be on-call and take place periodically throughout the year.
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For some, this is considered the Filet Mignon of volunteer work at the CCFB. Words we often hear are; Flexible, Fast Paced, Physically Active, Fun & Freedom (when earned). The more you volunteer, the more we understand how to use your strengths. The veterans are drafting, fabricating & building new solutions. Those new to the game, enjoy the satisfaction of deep cleans and the yearly battle of weed free landscaping. All in all, the facility team goes the extra mile, and we’d love to have you on our team!
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Interpret between food pantry clients and staff/volunteers when necessary. Ensure clients are informed correctly of policies and procedures as well as supporting them in communicating their needs. Translate food bank documents and flyers, nutrition education recipes and other supporting materials.
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Our SNAP volunteers help with a variety of roles in our SNAP Application Assistance program, including outreach to referrals, completing SNAP applications over the phone, and following up with our previous SNAP applicants. Volunteers will work in the Clark County Food Bank office and spend most of their time talking on the phone with clients regarding SNAP and recording data in excel.es, to encourage clients to try new things.
Volunteer of the Year Spotlight!
Congratulations to Clark County Food Bank’s 2024 Volunteer of the Year, Sally Schaffer !
Sally has been a dedicated part of our team since 2017, contributing more than 3,300 hours of service to Clark County Food Bank.
From sorting food with Fresh Alliance multiple days every week to helping at events, stocking pantry shelves, and assisting with mobile distributions, Sally has done it all. Her commitment, humility, and willingness to take on any task, big or small, truly exemplify the heart of volunteerism.
Volunteer Events
We have fun and informative events and trainings for our Volunteers. To get your invite to the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner and other opportunities sign up to volunteer today!
Still Interested in Volunteering?
Already signed up? If you already are signed up to volunteer, print out a copy of our Volunteer Registration Form at home to save time!
Visit our “Other Ways to Give” section to find out about the many ways you can contribute to Clark County Food Bank.