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Volunteer

Volunteer to Join the Fight Against Hunger

Every hour of volunteer work generates exponential meals for your neighbors in need. When you give your time, you’re directly improving the lives of your neighbors. From sorting non-perishable goods in our warehouse to providing groceries at our mobile pantries, every volunteer opportunity makes a direct impact on the well-being of our community.

Sorting Shifts

We need volunteers to help us maintain high-quality standards for all food that is distributed from our facility to the community. As a volunteer in our warehouse, you will sort and inspect donated food or help pack meal kits for our neighbors in need. These opportunities are available to those 16 years of age and older.

Mobile Pantry Shifts

Join our Mobile Pantry volunteers to make a direct impact in communities across Jacksonville by helping prepare, bag, and distribute fresh food at rotating outdoor distribution sites. These events operate like a farmers market, with food displayed on tables where local families facing hunger can select what they need, and volunteers assist with carrying items to cars. Since all distributions are held outdoors at various locations throughout the city, volunteers should dress appropriately for weather conditions and be prepared for an active, hands-on experience serving their neighbors.

Our Volunteer Captain Program offers experienced volunteers the opportunity to take on enhanced leadership roles with specialized training, advanced project responsibilities, and direct collaboration with our staff team. Captain-level volunteers gain access to exclusive equipment training and lead complex, high-impact initiatives that go beyond our standard volunteer opportunities. As a Volunteer Captain, you’ll enjoy the prestige and flexibility of building your own schedule independently, bypassing traditional registration requirements while taking ownership of meaningful projects that make a lasting difference.

Our SNAP Enrollment volunteers receive specialized training to help community members navigate the application process for essential food benefits through one-on-one assistance. After completing the required training, volunteers set up recurring appointments at local community centers where they guide individuals through SNAP applications and support them during their interviews. This meaningful program offers scheduling flexibility while providing direct, personalized help to families working to access the nutrition assistance they need.

Sorting Shifts

We need volunteers to help us maintain high-quality standards for all food that is distributed from our facility to the community. As a volunteer in our warehouse, you will sort and inspect donated food or help pack meal kits for our neighbors in need. These opportunities are available to those 16 years of age and older.

Frequently Asked Questions

I want to volunteer! How do I sign up to do that?
Excellent! The first step in volunteering is to register for an account. Registering as a volunteer is crucial to our ability to plan for your workday and keep you safe in our buildings. Once registered, you can then sign up online for our volunteer opportunities.

We love volunteer groups large and small!

If you’re volunteering and want to bring along more than just yourself – just click on the “RESPOND AS TEAM” button on the opportunity page and register as a team. You can reserve slots on a shift for your team members, even if they don’t have their own email addresses or you don’t know who they are yet.

It’s important that we know how many people will be arriving for shifts so we can have accurate numbers for safety and project planning. If you’d like to volunteer with a friend or a family member, please register individually and take separate slots in the shifts or sign up as a team. Please don’t write in the notes section that you’re bringing along a buddy or relative as we don’t always see that info immediately – especially for last-minute registrations.

In order to create a safe and enjoyable volunteer experience, every volunteer needs to register in advance and sign up for an opportunity that has available slots in a shift. Our organization relies heavily on volunteer service to complete our mission. It important for us to have an accurate count of how many volunteers to expect so that we can staff and plan accordingly. We strive to provide a quality experience for those that we serve as well as our volunteers who are serving. When volunteers do not show up for their scheduled shift it negatively impacts the quality of the volunteer experience for volunteers, delays to distributing food and at times, and adds overtime in staffing. Please arrive on time and stay for the entire duration of the shift. Volunteers more than 15 minutes late will not be able to participate as our orientation provides important safety information and project instructions. We understand that things happen and appreciate advance notice for cancelations so we can accommodate waitlisted volunteers.

Our warehouse shifts and mobile distributions require a minimum age of 10. Youth between the ages of 10-16 must have a guardian present.

Tasks vary depending on the needs to be accomplished that week. Work may include sorting donated perishable or non-perishable food, packing food into boxes for distribution or pack bags for our Snack Pack program. Volunteers must be able to lift up to 20 lbs. and stand for up 2 to 3 hours at a time. Our volunteer coordinators will provide a brief orientation which includes safety protocols and project explanation.
Feeding Northeast Florida asks volunteers with food allergies to use their best judgment when determining to participate in food sorting or packing shifts. We cannot guarantee an allergy-free environment and strongly advise that volunteers with severe or life-threatening food allergies do not attend food packing events. Since much of our food is generously donated by various sources, it is possible that the food has been in contact with certain food allergens.

Closed-toe/closed-heel comfortable, safe footwear is required. No crocs, flip flops or sandals. Please wear appropriate length shorts and no crop tops or tank tops. Our warehouse is not climate controlled, please dress according to the weather.

Our warehouse is located at: 5245 Old Kings Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32254
By checking in with our Kiosk or the CauseConnect app, our volunteer management site will log your volunteer hours.

You can export your hours from the Track Hours tab in your volunteer profile, or you can download your volunteer resume that highlights your volunteer activity for a selected date range. This print-out includes graphs showing volunteer hours by month and what types of volunteer work has been done.

Yes! Remind your volunteers to take advantage of matching-grants or gifts their organization offers.

Support Our

Mission to End Hunger

Insights & Stories

Employee Giving

Thank you for supporting Feeding Northeast Florida through your workplace giving program. Whether through donations, volunteer hours, or company matching, your efforts help provide meals to those in need. Please complete the form below to share your giving details. Our team will follow up to ensure your contribution is properly recognized and matched.

Food and Fund Drives​

Thank you for your interest in hosting a Food or Fund Drive to support Feeding Northeast Florida. Whether you choose to organize a Virtual Food Drive or an in-person collection, your efforts will make a meaningful impact in the lives of neighbors facing hunger. Please complete the form below to share your plans and help us support your drive with the tools and guidance you may need. A member of our team will follow up shortly. We are deeply grateful for your commitment to fighting hunger in our community.

IRA Distributions

Thank you for your interest in supporting Feeding Northeast Florida through a charitable distribution from your IRA. To help us process your generous gift and ensure it’s directed according to your wishes, please complete the form below to notify us of your intent. A member of our team will follow up to assist you with the next steps. We are deeply grateful for your support in the fight against hunger.

Gifts of Stock

Feeding Northeast Florida is grateful for your interest in donating stock to support our mission. Please fill out the form below to express your intent and provide the necessary details. Our team will reach out to guide you through the process. Thank you for your generous contribution.

Hunger Relief Calculator

For each dollar you give, we can provide 6 meals.

Your Dollar Amount Of

$2500.00

Can Help Us Provide

3,500

Meals