“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
Volunteer Teams
If you have a large team of volunteers, please consider scheduling your team with the food pantry coordinator. This will make sure that they show up at the time where they can make the most difference. Call (806) 557-0221 to schedule your team!
Volunteer Parking
Volunteers should park in the northwest parking lot. The south parking lots need to be clear for the clients and the east parking lot needs to be clear for the delivery truck and volunteer drivers.
Volunteer Opportunities
Here are all the ways you or your team can plug in. While most of the volunteering is needed during the food distribution, there are also needs for pre-packing certain items and sorting food before distribution. Feel free to show up and jump in. Click each opportunity for more information!
Time: Weekend prior to distribution
Bags of non-perishable items are packed the weekend prior to food distribution. This is usually fairly light work and can be done quickly with a team of 5-10 people.
Time: 11:30AM-1PM; 3PM-5:30PM
Most distribution Mondays we receive two trucks with pallets of surplus and perishable items. The first truck is usually lighter and arrives before noon. The second truck usually has much more food and arrives around 3. About 8-12 pallets of food have to be sorted and prepared for distribution in sometimes under two hours. This is a terrific job for a large team, but we can always use more individuals. Some heavy lifting may be needed from some volunteers.
Time: 4:30PM-7:30PM
We need at least two individuals each food pantry to help direct traffic in the parking lot. These individuals will be outside in the heat for extended periods of time. We need these volunteers to arrive around 4pm and serve until the end of the food pantry (7:30-8:00pm).
Time: 5:00PM-8:00PM
This team of volunteers prays with clients while their cars are being loaded. These volunteers will be outside and should be prepared for weather conditions. This is an amazing opportunity to hear the clients’ stories and take up their struggles to the Lord in prayer.
Time: 5:00PM-8:00PM
These volunteers load the food into clients’ cars. These volunteers do a lot of lifting, standing, and spend most of their time outside.
Time: 5:00PM-7:30PM
This team is frequently made up of youth volunteers. These volunteers place the food into shopping carts and roll them out the door for the Loading Team. These volunteers remain inside the building.
Time: 5:30PM-7:00PM
We need some volunteers who own a truck to help transport any clients who walked or biked to the food pantry back home. We do not offer rides to the food pantry. Only clients who walk or bike to the food pantry can get a ride back home after receiving their food.
Time: 4:30PM-7:30PM
We need volunteers to help translate for our Spanish speaking clients. These volunteers will generally be in the parking lot assisting with check-in or helping clients with any forms.
Time: 5:00PM-8:00PM
We need at least two individuals who can walk the grounds and patrol the church property during food pantry, inside and outside. These volunteers will be needed 5pm-end of food pantry.
Time: 5:00PM-8:00PM
We need individuals willing to watch volunteers’ children 0-10 years old from 5pm until food pantry ends. Any person in this position will need to pass a background check through MinistrySafe. This is a great opportunity for anyone who has wanted to help with the food pantry but couldn’t due to physical strength restrictions.
Time: Provide food around 7:30PM
Some of our volunteers are at the church building from 11:30am till around 8pm with a break for lunch. Others are there 3:30pm-8pm. We would love to be able to thank them for their hard work by serving them a meal at the end of the food pantry. This could be a homemade meal, pizza, or any other take-out meal. There would be approximately 30 volunteers to feed.
Time: 7:00PM-8:30PM
Can’t make it to distribution but still want to help? The volunteers are usually exhausted by the time all the clients are served, but there is still work to be done. Tables and floors need to be cleaned, boxes need to be stored for next distribution, pallets and non-perishables need to be put back in the closet, the gym needs to be reset for whatever activity comes next, and other odd jobs sometimes pop up too.