Volunteer
JOIN THE MOVEMENT TO END HUNGER
Our work is not possible without YOU!
We are proud to offer a diverse range of group and individual volunteer opportunities, each with its own unique purpose and impact, such as:
-
- Helping with Food Recovery and Distribution
- Preparing meals in our kitchen
- Packing meals for our seniors
- Helping tend the crops at our 16-acre Farm
- Assisting with general tasks around our Community Gardens
We invite you to explore the various ways you can contribute to our mission and make a positive impact in your community. Sign up to volunteer with the Food Shuttle today!
ADMINISTRATION & SPECIAL EVENTS
Support the Food Shuttle with day-to-day office tasks and special events. Volunteers may answer phones, greet guests, help with mailings and projects, or represent the Food Shuttle at festivals, farmers’ markets, college campuses, and community events.
BACKPACK BUDDIES
Volunteers can help pack bags for delivery or hit the road to deliver them to local sites.
FOOD SERVICE & CULINARY PREP
Gain hands-on culinary experience while assisting with kitchen activities. Opportunities include learning food safety, knife skills, cooking techniques, baking, and event preparation and service.
LEARNING GARDENS
Help the staff with essential duties that keep the garden growing. These may include seeding, mulching, pruning, weeding, monitoring for pests/ disease, and the best part – harvesting!
COMMUNITY HEALTH EDUCATION
Volunteers help teach participants to shop smarter, use nutrition information to make healthier choices, and cook delicious, affordable meals.
SUMMER MEALS
Volunteer drivers deliver freshly prepared meals to summer feeding sites in Wake and Johnston counties. Drivers pick up meals from our Raleigh Warehouse and use their personal vehicles to complete deliveries.
FOOD RECOVERY & DISTRIBUTION
Opportunities include driver assistance, egg inspection, food donation sorting, and other warehouse-related tasks based on current needs.
FOOD SHUTTLE FARM
Volunteers help with seasonal farm tasks like harvesting, planting, weeding, packing, and greenhouse work. No experience needed, just a willingness to get your hands dirty!
GROCERY BAGS FOR SENIORS
Volunteers help pack monthly grocery bags with fresh produce, non-perishable foods, and healthy snacks. Volunteers can also deliver the bags to senior housing communities in Wake and Durham counties.
Need help navigating Bloomerang, our new Volunteer Platform?
Volunteer hours
24,588 volunteer hours were served across all our programs, including internships in fiscal year 2025-26.
“I had a wonderful time with the team today. The warm welcome, smiles, laughter, and sweat were an awesome way to spend the day. The best feeling was seeing the homeowners’ faces light up when they saw their finished raised beds. I also appreciated learning more about the Gardens For Everyone program and other volunteer opportunities. I will certainly be prioritizing more blocks of time to stay involved across programs as my work schedule allows. Thank you so much for a purposeful and rewarding experience!”
VOLUNTEER
Gardens For Everyone
Let’s Go
Ready to join the movement to end hunger? We’d love your help. Sign up to volunteer with the Food Shuttle today!
Volunteers can enjoy a shift packing the bags for delivery or hit the road by delivering our BackPack Buddies to various sites. To volunteer as a driver, we ask our volunteers to first pass a Motor Vehicle and Background check to permit them to drive our staff vehicles to and from the schools. All routes begin at either our Raleigh Warehouse or Child Food Hub – Durham Warehouse.
If you are interested in learning more information, please contact Emily at Emily@foodshuttle.org (Emily@foodshuttle.org) or 919.390.1968 to discuss this more in detail. Delivery Volunteers should be able to commit once a week between 8 AM – 1 PM.
Camden Street Learning Garden
An acre of land in downtown Raleigh that features over twenty raised beds, a 400-sq.ft. production garden, a food forest, a 5,200-gallon rainwater catchment system, two beehives, a greenhouse, a composting facility, and a covered outdoor classroom.
Location: 807 E Davie Street, Raleigh, NC 27601
Parking: Free parking located behind Revelation Missionary Baptist Church (811 East Davie Street, Raleigh, NC 20601)
Geer Street Learning Garden
Conveniently located in Durham’s urban food corridor, the garden’s neighbors include Reinvestment Partners, Farmer Foodshare, and an urban demonstration apiary managed by Bee Downtown. The garden has twelve vegetable beds, community garden beds, fruit trees, an outdoor kitchen, a small greenhouse, a vermicompost system, a perennial rain garden, a pollinator garden, and areas for community gatherings, all on only a quarter-acre lot!
Location: 110 E Geer Street, Durham, NC 27701
Parking: Free street parking is available on N Mangum and N Roxboro St. Please DO NOT park at Reinvestment Partners. For a detailed map, click here.
Delivering in a Food Shuttle staff vehicle may be an option for those already qualified to drive. Please check in with the Volunteer Team at Volunteers@FoodShuttle.org if this applies to you. If you’re interested in driving a staff vehicle and committing to at least five shifts, please let us know so we can consider certifying you to drive.
Please read our Summer Meals Guide 2026 for more information and images of the food containers.
Qualifications
-
Drivers must be 18 or older but may have a younger family member or friend ride along for the volunteer shift. For our younger volunteers, we ask that they be old enough to help lift the containers.
-
Must be able to lift 25 pounds. Closed-toed/heel shoes, a sleeved shirt, and a hair covering (i.e. hat or hair net) are required to enter our kitchen at the Malone Center.
-
Must have a valid driver’s license upon arrival.
These opportunities are NOT eligible for Court-Ordered or Lawyer-Recommended community service hours.
Please review our Farm Policies and Procedures below and our plans for food safety, inclement weather, general dress code, and allergy notices.
Location: 2300 Dover Farm Road, Raleigh, NC 27606
Parking: Follow the gravel drive to park in front of the fence/ tree line. Parking can be limited, so we strongly encourage carpooling if possible.