VOLUNTEER FAQS

Thank you for your interest in volunteering. Below you will find answers to our most commonly asked questions. We hope this will give you the information you need — and help you decide to volunteer with us!

How old do I have to be to volunteer?
Volunteers must be at least 12 years of age. Volunteers under 16 years of age must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, teacher or other supervisor.


What should I wear when volunteering?
If volunteering in our warehouse, you must wear closed-toe shoes. We also recommend dressing in comfortable clothes appropriate to the season. The warehouse is cool in the winter – bring a sweatshirt or sweater.


What if I want to volunteer with a member agency?
If you would like to volunteer at one of our member agencies (a food pantry, soup kitchen, shelter) please contact them directly (a listing can be found on the site’s Programs page). Our agencies arrange for all of their own volunteers.


What time should I arrive?
Please plan on showing up 10 minutes before your scheduled volunteer event.


What do volunteers do at Helping Harvest?
Most of our volunteer opportunities involve the packing of food in our warehouse. Other than Healthy Sprouts and our Mobile Market distributions, none of our volunteer events involve directly distributing food packages or meals to clients.


What if I need to cancel?
If you need to cancel your volunteer commitment, please try to give us a 24 hour notice. Most of our events depend on having a minimum number of volunteers to be successful. If you cannot make it, we may need to find a replacement.


Can I get my hours documented?
Volunteer hours can be documented if you need them for your school, confirmation class, etc. Be sure to bring any required Volunteer Hour documents along with you on your volunteer day. Our Volunteer Coordinator will be happy to sign as proof of your time.


How long do I have to stay?
Plan on staying for the entire volunteer shift for which you have signed up. To successfully complete our projects, we plan on the assigned volunteers staying the entire time.

When are volunteer shifts?
Most of our volunteer opportunities are on weekday mornings from 8:30am-11:00am and 12:30pm-3:00pm in the afternoon. We do have various Mobile Market opportunities that include the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month.