Amazing Volunteers!

The Port Angeles Food bank operates with more than 50 volunteers a month, contributing to the equivalent of 3 Full Time Employees. Volunteers support The Market, Mobile Market, the warehouse, our commercial kitchen, and a variety of community outreach programs.   

We rely on volunteers to be a part of the team in our mission to Nourish Our Community.  

There are many ways to volunteer, including on a regular basis or for one-time events. Yes, we can help with Student Service Learning, Court Ordered Community Service, and short-term internships to help with jobs training and college applications. 

You can learn more about volunteer roles below.  

We are so glad you are here. Thank you for using your time to Nourish our Community. We could not stay true to our mission and impact without you.

Want to help but still not sure where to fit in? Please contact Hannah at volunteer@portangelesfoodbank.org or call us at 360-452-8568. 

 
 
 
 
 

About us:

Mission

The Port Angeles Food Bank has a simple, yet powerful mission: Nourishing Our Community.

Vision

Cultivating a hunger-free community through service, education, and partnerships

Values

EXCELLENCE IN SERVICES: Provide services with compassion and respect with a commitment to promote healthy eating.

STEWARDSHIP & SUSTAINABILITY: Committed to conscientious stewardship of all human, natural, and financial resources both now and in the future.

COLLABORATION: Educate and engage our community members through a network of partnerships.

RESPECT: We embrace and value the diversity, abilities, and multicultural needs in our community.

VOLUNTEER: We honor and provide opportunities for community members to share their time and skills in an accessible and positive environment.

 

Volunteer Roles:

  • Wednesday - Saturday

    Sort/Stock:

    The Market serves more than 200 households per day. We are constantly re-stocking our shelves to ensure everyone who comes in has access to nutritious food options. We supply fruits and vegetables, meat, milk, eggs, bread, and pantry staples. Volunteers will work in both the sorting area of the warehouse and The Market to help stock shelves.  

    Seated Tasks:  Some donations come in bulk sizes and we re-package them for individual / household sizes. Items like dog and cat food, hygiene products, dried beans and rice, will be measured and put into bags. This can be done seated at a table.  

    Register: During check-out, we scan each shopper’s card. Then, using a tablet, we record the type of groceries they receive. We record milk, eggs, frozen meat, and bakery items. This data helps us track inventory. Some items have limits on them, and we ask that people follow the limit signs. Everything at the Food Bank is free and people can shop once each day.

    Pagers: The mornings can be especially busy, and our pager system helps manage the flow of customers. You will distribute pagers to clients as they arrive, similar to the "buzzers" at a restaurant. Pagers allow shoppers to wait in their vehicles or designated areas until they are called. You may help with parking to ensure shoppers find available spots quickly and safely. 

    No Cook Bags: There are many people in our community with little or no access to cooking or kitchen appliances. No Cook Bags provide food options that are ready to eat and include high protein meals like canned soups, meats, or shakes, and nutritious snacks.  

    Volunteers are needed to help assemble bags on an on-going basis.  

  • Monday - Friday, 3rd Saturday

    The Mobile Market travels to 10 different locations throughout Port Angeles (and 1 in Joyce!). We bring food directly to neighborhoods and popular areas downtown to increase food options for people.  

    Volunteers will meet at the Food Bank and then ride along with a staff member on the Mobile Market. At each location, one person will 'check-out' shoppers with a tablet. The other person will distribute items from the van.  

    The morning location is from 11:00 - 12:00 and the afternoon location is 1:00 – 2:00, stopping at the Food Bank between routes to re-stock. You can volunteer to join one shift or both for the day.  

  • Monday - Friday

    The Food Bank partners with local stores to recover excess food. Food that the stores cannot move off the shelves or is nearing expiration is donated to the food bank to sort and distribute. It’s a great program to increase the variety of options on our shelves and to reduce food waste. 

    A staff member and/or volunteer will go to the scheduled grocery stores in the morning.

    Volunteers may drive the Food Bank van to the store, pick up the groceries, bring them back, and participate in sorting and stocking. Shift timing for this role is approximate and depends on the quantity of food to be picked up and unloaded.  

    Participating stores include both PA Safeways, Grocery Outlet, Walmart, Costco. 

    What is food waste?

    Food waste is perfectly good, safe-to-eat food that gets thrown away instead of eaten. It happens at home, in stores, restaurants, and farms. Food gets wasted because of things like: 

    • Ugly or oddly shaped fruits and veggies 

    • Upcoming sell-by or expiration dates (food is often still safe to eat) 

    • Overproduction at farms 

    • Food damaged during transport 

  • Monday - Saturday

    Students across Clallam County rely on schools to provide lunch and snacks. Friday Food Bags support student meals over the weekend when they don’t have access to their regular weekday meals while at school. Every week we deliver to more than 700 students at 13 different schools.  

    Volunteers are needed to pack bags and deliver bags to the schools.  

    Packing Bags: There is an assembly line set up to easily pack bags.

    Delivery: Using the Food Bank van, volunteers will load crates and deliver them to schools throughout Port Angeles. Delivery days are Wednesday and Thursday.  

  • Stay tuned for volunteer opportunities in the kitchen.

  • Every other Tuesday, we offer a drop-in volunteer day for sorting community donations.  This is a day for anyone to come and help. For those interested, there will be a tour of the facility. It's a great chance to check out potential volunteer opportunities if you want to join us on a regular basis. RSVP is not required but is super helpful!  

     

    Anyone 15 or younger must be accompanied by an adult. 

     

    Sorting Community Donations: 

    We receive canned and packaged donations from local community members. This helps the Food Bank shelf a variety of brands and foods and gives shoppers additional agency in their choices of food. Volunteers are needed to check donations for quality control and then sort them by type.