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What Can I Expect as a Volunteer?

What Can I Expect as a Volunteer?

Updated: August 2021

Volunteering at Good Shepherd Food Bank is one of the best ways to give back to your neighbors struggling with food insecurity, especially during the current pandemic. By donating a few hours of your time, you’ll provide meals to families, children, seniors and those in need across Maine.

Whether volunteering as an individual or in a small group, you’ll soon notice that being aware of and adhering to COVID-19 guidelines is part of your volunteer responsibility. As we’ve done throughout the pandemic, we are relying on data, guidance, and information from the CDC to inform this and all COVID-19 related decisions. To learn more about the guidance and data that informs these decisions, you can follow this link: Home | Covid-19 (maine.gov).

New Guidelines

  • Masks required, all volunteers (vaccinated and unvaccinated) at both locations. Masks are available upon request.
  • Maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from others during check-in, orientation, and during the hours in the warehouse.
  • Wash hands at the start and end of each shift, break, and change of task.
  • Gloves are recommended.
  • Hand sanitizer is available throughout the facility.

Other COVID-19 Changes

We are offering group opportunities again (maximum of 7 in Hampden and 8 in Auburn). Whether you are looking for service hours or a fun way to spend time with friends and give back to the community, individual and group volunteering is a great way to help our mission of ending hunger in Maine.

Community members who have been court-referred to volunteer may complete their required hours at the Food Bank. Register on our volunteer database, gsfb.galaxydigital.com and our volunteer engagement team will review your request.

What should I wear?

Please dress in comfortable clothing, such as jeans, t-shirts and sneakers. All volunteers must wear closed-toe shoes.

Common Volunteer tasks

  • Food inspection – ensuring that the food we provide to our partner network is safe and will support the wellbeing of the people we assist.
  • Food sorting – sorting through food donations from individuals, farms and our retail partners to ensure quality and food safety and assembling boxes of food distributed through our partner network.
  • Packing Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) Boxes – building and filling CSFP boxes with nutritious, USDA-purchased foods to provide to low-income seniors.
  • Packing Community Health & Hunger Program (CHHP) – building and filling CHHP boxes supplied to healthcare providers across the state to connect food-insecure patients with resources in their community.

Volunteering at Good Shepherd Food Bank is one way to give back to local Maine communities. Your generous donation of time and talent makes an impact in the fight against hunger and allows us to fulfill our mission of providing food to food-insecure Maine families.

For more information on how to start volunteering at Good Shepherd Food Bank, please visit our website or call us at 207-782-3554.