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 the Monday description).
If you are an English-Spanish bilingual speaker, that’s a definite bonus for us!
Currently (fall/winter 2022), we are in need of Spanish-speaking bilingual volunteers who can volunteer
on a relatively regular basis.
If you are interested in volunteering here, please give us a call or come by for a visit prior to coming to volunteer. 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 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.
Here’s a short description of our most common volunteer needs and shifts.
Bilingual volunteers are particularly helpful on Tuesdays
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.
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.
Data Entry personnel–we have need for computer savvy personnel who will come in to take care of the daily/weekly/monthly data entry following client services shifts. The scheduling for this is flexible and can be discussed/altered as needed.
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.
Children ages 10 and younger are welcome in a group (for example, a Sunday school or VBS class, scout group, school field trip, or similar) with adult chaperones on a day/time when we are not serving clients. These type of groups are usually arranged for in advance and we put together projects for them to do. We love to introduce the children to the facility, talk about what Provisions is all about, and give them something to do that needs to be done but can be done when the facility is quiet and closed to clients.
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 CONCERNING TEMPORARY VOLUNTEERS NEEDING COURT-ORDERED HOURS:
WE DO NOT ACCEPT SHORT-TERM, COURT-ORDERED VOLUNTEERS.
Individuals needing to fulfill court-ordered community service hours are accepted on a case-by-case basis upon consultation with Provisions management.