Coby Palmer Food Pantry Assistants and Lobby Liaisons

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This volunteer role is critical for ensuring that Damien Center clients and participants receive the food assistance they need in an efficient and equitable manner. The forthcoming self-service model (predicted for opening in Q2 of 2025) will allow clients and participants to exercise agency and independence by selecting their own grocery items from the pantry. The Pantry Assistant Volunteer supports daily operations such as sorting, organizing, and distributing pre-packaged food items and other goods, as well as interacting with clients in a pleasant and helpful way. If you are unsure if you are good fit for this position, please apply anyway, and our Volunteer Manager will ensure you are matched to a program that best suits you.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Unload, sort, and organize food on shelves up to 8 feet high, as well as within refrigerators and freezers when necessary. Volunteers will help pantry staff ensure that all products are appropriately labeled, stored and unexpired.
2. Help Damien Center clients and participants select food items while providing friendly and respectful service.
3. Work alongside pantry staff to maintain a clean and organized pantry environment by sweeping, mopping and taking out the garbage and recycling as needed.
4. Always ensure compliance with food safety and sanitation standards, as determined by Coby Palmer Food Pantry Coordinator and other paid staff.
5. Help maintain the flow and order of clients in the lobby at the "Lobby Liaison" desk. Ensure clients are waiting in an orderly fashion and help answer questions about the food pantry while they wait for their turn to order.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Have a friendly and approachable demeanor - be a people person!
• Ability to work well both in a team and independently.
• Be sensitive to, and respectful of, a diverse and LGBTQ+ friendly clientele and staff.
• An ability to maintain confidentiality about who is present in the food pantry and their status as a client of Damien Center or a participant in a Damien Center program.

Physical Requirements:

‾ Ability to occasionally lift and carry items up to 25 pounds (with or without assistance) from one place to another within the pantry, as well as to and from the pantry during deliveries.

‾ Ability to sit, stand, walk and bend (with or without assistance) for extended periods of time.

‾ Ability to perform tasks that involve repetitive motion, such as shelving and sorting items.

Time Commitment and Training:

• Volunteers will complete a New Volunteer Orientation and Training either virtually or in-person prior to their first volunteer shift. This is required regardless of the position you are applying for.
• Once the New Volunteer Orientation and Training is complete, interested volunteers will be connected with the Coby Palmer Food Pantry Coordinator to determine a working schedule that (1) respects the time and labor of the volunteer and (2) addresses the needs of the pantry.
• Shifts are available Monday - Friday of each week during standard Damien Center operating hours. Shifts are coordinated directly between the volunteers and the Coby Palmer Food Pantry Coordinator via phone and/or email. We currently have the most need for help on Monday and Tuesday mornings, to help with the crowd waiting over the weekend.
• We ask that volunteers make a recurring or long-term commitment of at least two months to be considered. Those who cannot meet this requirement will still be considered, but preference will be given to volunteers who can.

About the Environment:

This role currently takes place in the Coby Palmer Food Pantry at the Damien Center Legacy Building (located at 26 N. Arsenal Ave). The current space is extremely small and only allows for 1 or 2 volunteers to be working alongside food pantry staff. It consists of a single room with a few tights aisles for workers to store goods while clients order from the pantry window (sort of like a drive-thru). Pantry volunteers should expect a somewhat consistent work pace, with Mondays and Tuesdays typically being a bit busier than the rest of the week. Damien Center pantry staff members will be present to work alongside volunteers each day, though volunteers may differ from day to day. The space is climate controlled but can run a bit warm when busy.