Volunteering at Provisions

Volunteer and make a difference

We Love Our Volunteers!

Provisions is powered by Volunteers!

We could not serve our mission without the help and support of a loving and enthusiastic volunteer staff. We always welcome new volunteers to help us on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Our volunteer needs vary in scope, and we welcome folks with all types of skills. Our ideal volunteers are adults, available during weekly daytime hours, and are able bodied*(see below in Monday morning shift for description).

If you are interested in volunteering, please read through this page first. Then, give us a call or come by for a visit PRIOR to your first volunteer shift. The preferred days/times for us to receive calls or visits are Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. It is during these times that we would most likely have some time to have a good conversation with you about volunteering. Other than a short chat or visit, there is no advance paperwork or sign-up required. We take care of that on your first day.

We NEED bilingual volunteers!

We need adult, Spanish-speaking volunteers who have a heart for service and would be interested in serving on regular basis (ideally, weekly). We need this help on all shifts (as listed below) except Monday morning. Spanish-speaking volunteers will be trained to work directly with our clients, so potential volunteers need to be amenable to providing one-on-one service with people from all walks of life.

Our most common volunteer needs and shifts.

Monday mornings:

FIRST SHIFT: 8:00a until about 11:30a--this is a warehouse shift only to receive inventory. We are not open to clients on Mondays; this is strictly stocking and organizing, getting the warehouse ready for the week.
SECOND SHIFT: 10:30a-2:00p--this is a continuation of the first shift to accommodate the later delivery schedule of the San Antonio Food Bank truck.

Needs: able-bodied* volunteers who can generally lift, pull, push, twist, bend, carry, stand for periods of time, etc.; the food pantry generally is a physical-task-oriented environment.

Tuesdays:
Bilingual volunteers are needed!

8:00a-12:00p–warehouse and client services; this shift is crazy busy because we are multitasking—receiving and stocking a large delivery, as well as serving clients starting at 10:00. These volunteers need to be able-bodied (see above*), sociable, flexible, and able to see what needs to be done without a lot of supervisory oversight.
12:00p-3:00p–same as above, plus trash removal at the end of shift
3:00p-6:30p–this shift is a bit quieter than the two earlier day shifts and is primarily engaged with client services and organizing the warehouse after the day’s earlier busy-ness. This crew often does some cleaning inside the pantry in the warehouse, the client waiting area, office, restroom, trash carry out, etc.

Wednesdays:

Bilingual volunteers are needed!

8:45a-12:00p–primarily client services with background tasks of stocking the shelves and coolers, keeping the food filled and attractive, keeping the warehouse clean

12:00p-3:00p–same as above, plus a trash run to the dumpster.

We occasionally receive a San Antonio Food Bank delivery on a Wednesday mornings. Exact delivery times vary, so either shift may be the crew to receive and stock the items.

Thursdays:

Bilingual volunteers are needed!

12:00p-3:30p–client services and an emphasis on getting all of the perishables out of the pantry in preparation for the weekend closure. Client services get busy between 2:00p and 3:00p—there is always a last-minute rush of clients before the weekend. A heavy trash run at the end of shift, along with cleanup of the warehouse, produce bins and tables, refrigerators, etc. This shift benefits from having strong, able-bodied volunteers who are willing to put in a little extra sweat equity for the mission; sweeping, mopping, and general cleanup happen during this shift.

Please note that not all volunteers are expected to do all of the tasks listed above--the listed activities are examples of the type of things we do during the normal business day here--each volunteer works to his or her own capacity, at their own discretion.

Donation Drivers–we pick up donations weekly from local retailers and have need for drivers who are “morning people” and are willing & able to do some heavy lifting for us. We have a Provisions van that we can assign drivers to (insurance/driving record criteria required) or volunteers may choose to use his/her own truck. The donations we pick up are usually a fairly large quantity of product, so a large pickup truck and/or truck & trailer combination work best for this need. This volunteer position is a specialized position on which we rely heavily to be consistent and punctual. We need drivers on Monday, Tuesday, and an occasional Wednesday. Even if a volunteer can take on a delivery run only once a month, that helps us to bolster our driver roster and spread the responsibility across more folks. If you have the capabilities described and are inclined to drive for us once or twice a month, please contact us to discuss.

Volunteer Requirements

Age Requirements

Our volunteer age requirements are as follows

Adults ages 18 and older: all are welcome

Youth ages 16 and 17: all are welcome to volunteer after an initial visit here at the pantry accompanied by a parent or adult legal guardian.

Youth ages 11 through 15: these youth are welcome to volunteer, but a parent or adult legal guardian must accompany them to the pantry and stay on property for the duration of the volunteer shift. The parent/guardian is welcome to participate in the volunteer activities, or may simply wait in the lobby–however they wish to spend the time.

Children age 10 and younger:
Due to the nature of our warehouse environment and the activities that occur throughout our hours of operation when we are serving our clients, we do not allow volunteers age 10 and younger.

Our clients “shop” our warehouse much like in a grocery store. There is shelving and shopping carts and, sometimes, several people moving around all at the same time. In addition to the shopping activity, there is also stocking and other “warehouse” type activities taking place simultaneously. We are in pretty tight quarters when we are open for clients and busy. The environment is simply not completely safe or conducive to having small children working in the aisles or among the shelves and clients. We don’t have an area for volunteer tasks that is out of the way of the client shopping area. Even the waiting room gets crowded and/or isn’t really a useful area to complete tasks. Everything is generally done in the common space of the warehouse. Historically, we have found that it is somewhat counterproductive for both the child volunteers (along with their parent) and the normal client operations for little ones to be in the warehouse when we are open for business.

Appropriate Attire

Volunteers should always wear close-toed shoes and clothing that is okay to get a little “grubby.” Shorts are fine during warm weather, but jeans are recommended simply due to the nature of the “warehouse” environment. No tank tops, please. When available, Provisions t-shirts may be provided to volunteers who come on a regular basis.

Physical Requirements

Much of the work that we do at Provisions has some level of physical activity involved. The most productive volunteer is someone who is able to stand for an extended period of time, bend, lift, twist, push, pull, and walk with ease of movement. Generally speaking, Provisions is not a sedentary environment–there is much physical movement around the facility.

Volunteers who have limited mobility may be accommodated by taking on tasks that can be modified, however, those tasks are somewhat limited in number. Data entry and “front desk” volunteers do not have the same level of physical demand placed on them; the computer-based volunteer positions may be well-suited to someone who is limited in mobility but is computer savvy.

We are exposed daily to all manner of food products that are not sorted or isolated according to allergens; someone with food-related, airborne or contact allergies may not be well suited to volunteer in our facility.

All volunteers are encouraged to self-regulate and self-monitor while in service at Provisions, working to their individual level of comfort and capability. The safety of our volunteers is of the utmost concern.

Community Service Hours

Youth/Students
Students who volunteer at Provisions are welcome to report their time spent here as community service hours for credit at their school or church. We are happy to provide documentation of the time spent in service.

Court Ordered Community Service
NOTICE: We do not accept short-term, court-ordered volunteers, nor do we accept monetary donations in exchange for service hours.