Volunteers are at the heart of the work of our food bank network, helping us provide food and important programs to people and families facing hunger.
During National Volunteer Week, we’re celebrating the incredible food bank volunteers who give their time and efforts every day to make a difference throughout Ontario!
Volunteers in our network make a big impact, and not just because of their generosity. Of the 1,200 food banks and hunger relief organizations in our network, a large portion of organizations are volunteer run or operate with significant volunteer support.
This means that volunteers and the skills, special talents, and expertise they bring are what make our work to end hunger in Ontario possible.
The top 5 ways volunteers power our network
The majority of our members count on the support of volunteers to provide food for those in need in their communities.
Over half the food banks in our network have 25 or more volunteers, and three quarters of our members have just 5 or fewer staff. Volunteers play an essential role in making sure people in need have access to the food they need today while working to address the root causes of hunger in their area.
Here are the top 5 ways volunteers power our network:
1. Sorting Food
When donated food arrives at a food bank, large boxes of assorted products need to be sorted so the food bank can stay organized and efficiently stock their shelves. That’s where volunteers come in: they sort donations by type and box the food until it’s ready to be provided to someone in need in their community.
2. Hosting Programs
Every year, Feed Ontario provides funding to food banks to provide programs that help meet the unique needs of their community. Volunteers often play a role in helping facilitate these programs on a local level. For example, a volunteer might run a resume-building workshop to help job seekers, or an accountant might offer a tax clinic to make sure food bank visitors can access the supports available through the tax system.
3. Board and operations management
Volunteers in our network strengthen operations behind the scenes as well. At volunteer-run food banks, they coordinate deliveries of food, manage the organization’s communications, lead other volunteers, and handle the food bank’s finances.
Board members of food banks volunteer to help the organization make progress toward its mission and ensure funds are stewarded effectively.
4. Holding third-party events to raise funds
Local individuals and organizations outside of the food bank also make a difference by coming together to hold community events to benefit the food bank’s work. Fundraising events like this help the food bank make essential food purchases and raise awareness about how hunger affects our province.
5. Greeting and welcoming
Volunteers are often the first face someone in need sees when they enter the food bank, and their kindness and support is essential in creating spaces where everyone can feel like they belong and access the support they need.
As food banks across the province face pressure as a growing number of people need to turn to them for help, the volunteers at every level of the organizations in our network are more important than ever.
Why it matters
In every region of Ontario, volunteers are helping distribute millions of pounds of fresh, healthy food every year, serving over 1 million people who need to turn to food banks to get by.
As we work to support food banks and address the root causes of hunger through evidence-based solutions, volunteers are integral to the front-line work of making sure that when their neighbours are turning to food banks, they are greeted with smiling faces, warm hearts, and helping hands.
Thank you, volunteers!
Volunteers across the province are working hard every day to help us be there for their neighbours facing hunger, and we’re grateful for their dedication!
Find out more about our work or help us make a difference in your community by getting involved with your local food bank. Use our Find a Food Bank tool to locate the nearest hunger-relief organization to you.