Volunteer

Grocery Store Shifts are during our food distribution on Wednesdays between 12 to 6 p.m. and Thursdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 5 p.m. Four volunteer positions help us operate our choice-model pantry when it is open to customers.

Stockers: Grocery Store Stockers help replenish the food on the shelves while the store is open. Stockers make sure pantry staples, milk, bread, produce and more are readily available for customers regardless of when they arrive at the food bank.

Checker: The Checker scans each customer's barcode card and records the amount of pounds going to each household. The Checker also gives out frozen meat based on household size - meat is the only item limited in our food bank.

Boxer: The Boxer takes items from the customer’s cart and weighs them on the scale. They box/bag the food and might offer assistance to the customer’s vehicle if needed.

Resource Assistant: The RA greets customers as they enter NVFB. They also ensure the customer’s paperwork is up to date and assist them with any questions or concerns they may have. Resource Assistants will need training before signing up for a shift.

Distribution Prep shifts include Grocery Store Prep Crew, Gleaning Crew, Warehouse Crew and Holiday Prep. These shifts involve preparing the NVFB Grocery Store before it opens for distribution each week.

Grocery Prep Crew: These volunteers help stock the shelves, sort donations, organize, clean, and ready the store.

Gleaning Crew: The task of gleaning is sorting through food that we have rescued from local grocery stores that are potentially nearing expiration. Volunteers sort food items and produce – saving what is still good for our customers and composting the food that has gone bad. 

Warehouse Crew: This shift is similar to the Grocery Prep Crew but also often involves repackaging bulk food, pet food, and non-food items.

We collect "rescue food" from local grocery stores six days a week. Rescue food items are either near or at expiration, or are the result of over-ordering. We sort through these foods and distribute the items that are still good to our customers. 

The Rescue Driver drives our NVFB refrigerated van to collect food that grocery stores set aside for the food bank. Drivers bring the food back to the warehouse, weigh and record the amount and roll it into the walk-in cooler. Volunteers must be able to lift 30 lbs and are required to wear closed-toed shoes. 

Volunteers in this position must also be ServSafe Food Handler certified and participate in training shifts ahead of their first solo route. Ask us about rescue driving if you are interested in these shifts.

Do you have a group of 5-8 people that would like to volunteer at NVFB together? We love having groups come on our Monday afternoon group shift. Tasks will likely include sorting donations, repackaging bulk items into smaller quantities, and readying the store. Youth volunteers are welcome to volunteer alongside an adult during these shifts as well.

We can accommodate larger groups as well, but please contact Volunteer Coordinator Whitney England to schedule.

Kitchen volunteers assist NVFB Culinary Arts Director Rachael Broom in our state-of-the-art commercial kitchen. Tasks vary based on each shift but could include baking, food preparation, labeling, cleaning, and packaging. There is also a shift for Sample Helpers while the store is open.

Our kitchen staff and volunteers make over 100 ready-to-eat meals every week for our customers. They help utilize food that we rescue from grocery stores on the brink of expiration and turn it into delicious meals. Kitchen volunteers must complete the NVFB Kitchen Training before picking up these shifts. Let us know if you are interested in kitchen shifts.

North Valley Food Bank has several programs and events throughout the year. There are volunteer opportunities within these programs.

Wild Game Processing: During hunting season NVFB teams up with Montana Food Bank Network and their Hunters Against Hunger Program. Volunteers help process deer, elk, and other animals that are legally and ethically harvested and donated to the food bank.

Farm to Food Bank: Each summer, NVFB works with local farmers to bring fresh local produce to our customers. Volunteers will help with harvesting, gleaning, weeding, washing produce, and more. This volunteer shift is done mostly outside at farms and volunteers must be able to do physical labor. 

Events and more: NVFB needs volunteers for several events throughout the year. Volunteers help us host the Forever June Celebration annually, which is a community event celebrating NVFB. We also send volunteers to the Under the Big Sky festival and in return receive a donation from UTBS. We have volunteers hand out flyers during our food drives, and we have kid-friendly shifts and landscaping opportunities to name a few.