Volunteers needed

Volunteers are the heartbeat of foodbanks. Thousands help the Trussell Trust Foodbank Network every single day.Without them, people in crisis wouldn’t get emergency food when they need it most.There’s a role for everyone. Whether you have an hour a week or specialist skills, you’ll make a real difference. And you’ll enjoy it too—our volunteers tell us it’s rewarding work.

If you think that you would like to dedicate some time to help us,  our volunteer roles include:

🚚 Volunteer driver

As a volunteer driver, you play a vital role in our mission to fight food poverty.
You’ll help transport food donations from supermarkets, suppliers, and community partners to our foodbank hub.

This role requires reliability, compassion, and a clean driving record. Your time and care make a real difference in ensuring no one in our community goes hungry.

• Have the ability to drive an automatic, electric van.
• Collect food items from supermarkets, wholesalers, farms, and other various donation points.
• Deliver food to the foodbank warehouse or distribution centres.
• Assist with loading and unloading food items when needed.
• Log deliveries and collections accurately.
• Report any issues or delays to the foodbank warehouse manager.
• Communicate with warehouse staff, coordinators, and other volunteers.
• Perform basic vehicle checks (fuel, tyres, cleanliness).
• Drive safely and responsibly, adhering to traffic laws and foodbank policies.
• Represent the foodbank positively when interacting with donors or recipients.
• Share feedback or observations that could improve service delivery.

Formal qualifications are not required, but some essential  guidance will be provided to ensure safety, efficiency, and respectful service.

• The foodbank’s driving policy and safety protocols,
• Basic training on handling and transporting food safely,
• Safe lifting techniques for crates and boxes’
• Awareness of fire safety and basic first aid (though formal certification will not be required),
• Training in the format of on-the-job guidance during initial shifts.

🥫 Volunteer Food Pantry Assistant

Location: Rochdale Food Pantry
Commitment: Thursday mornings
Reports to: Pantry Manager / Volunteer Team Leader

🌟 Role Overview

Food Pantry Volunteers are essential to the smooth running of our Pantry. From stocking shelves to assisting Pantry members, your support helps ensure that everyone in our community has access to nutritious food with dignity and respect.

🧡 Key Responsibilities

• Greet and assist clients in a friendly, respectful manner
• Assist Pantry members with picking and packing their food shop items according to Pantry guidelines
• Maintain cleanliness and food safety standards in all areas of the Pantry
• Restock shelves and sort incoming surplus food stock
• Support with inventory checks and stock date checks
• Handle small cash amounts and inputting information onto a computer (training provided)
• Assist with special events or seasonal food drives as needed

🧠 Skills & Qualities

• Friendly and approachable attitude
• Good communication and teamwork skills
• Reliable and able to follow instructions
• Respectful of confidentiality and sensitive situations
• Comfortable handling small amounts of money and basic transactions (or willing to learn)
• No prior experience needed—just a willingness to help!

🎁 What You’ll Gain

• A meaningful way to give back to your community
• Experience in customer service, retail, and food distribution
• Confidence handling money and working with the public
• Training and ongoing support from Pantry staff
• A warm, welcoming team and a sense of purpose

🍱 Warehouse Volunteers Urgently Required

We’d love to hear from you if you are able to volunteer at our Newgate warehouse. The role involves assisting the warehouse manager to sort and store donations. This involves an amount of lifting (creates about 10 kg). Hours are between 10-12.30 Monday to Friday (one day only). So, if you feel this role is for you please get in touch.

🛒 In-Store Collection Volunteers

From time to time local supermarkets allocate us a two to three days when we can collect food from customers in store. Could you spare an hour or more to support the Foodbank when these opportunities arise? You would be supported by a team leader and your function would be to engage with customers regarding the collection (handing out list of items required etc./storing food that has been donated)

Store

Pre-packing boxes with items that satisfy the client groups that come to us ie. single, couple, family etc. These boxes are then easily transferred into bags when the client arrives. We endeavour to maintain a collection of boxes ready to meet high demand and maintain a consistent throughput.

🖥️ Office

Processing the client’s vouchers when they arrive, checking and verifying the client’s details and providing the necessary information needed to help front-of-house staff.

🙋🏻‍♀️ Front of House

Meeting clients, having an informal chat with them over a cup of tea and biscuits and discussing their situation with them. Clients may also ask for extra signposting support.

In this role you are the first person the client sees when they walk through our doors.

Full training and support is provided for all our roles – and it’s pain free ! If you are interested in volunteering, we’d love to hear from you !

Click Here to get in touch with us
or use links below to complete a Volunteer Application Form.
We look forward to hearing from you!

Click Here for Printable Application Form:
Volunteer Application Form Printable Version