How do I become a Daily Bread Food Bank volunteer?
Take a look at what volunteer opportunities are currently available on our Volunteer Opportunities page. There are many opportunities available, so please take some time to read through them and email the contact whose information is provided.

What are the regular Daily Bread warehouse volunteering hours?
Food sorting shifts for volunteers are: Monday to Friday – 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. There are also full day shifts from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please show up 30 minutes before your scheduled shift in order to sign in at the Welcome Centre (9 a.m. if you are in at 9:30 a.m, and 12:30 p.m. if you are in at 1 p.m.).

While other volunteers opportunities exist outside of those hours, they are primarily for special events or special projects and need to be scheduled.

*Please note that Daily Bread is closed on weekends and on major holidays other than our scheduled Public Food Sorting events.

What if your regular warehouse hours don’t work for me?
If our regular business hours don’t fit your schedule then you can choose to come in during our scheduled Public Food Sorting days. These typically occur during each of our 3 major drive campaigns (Fall, Holiday & Spring).

What does a Daily Bread volunteer do?
There are several volunteer opportunities available at Daily Bread. Most of them involve sorting food and getting it ready to go to the people who need it. Volunteer roles include:

• Food sorting: sorting food donations into different categories and palletizing them
• Order picking: preparing the weekly food orders for our member agencies
• Reclamation food sorting: sorting damaged product into special categories and palletizing
• Bulk food processing: re-packaging bulk food items like beans and rice
• Administrative work: data entry, mail preparation

These roles are considered light to medium labour, but we can find opportunities for those who have special needs with advance notice. Other volunteer jobs involve helping out with administrative tasks, like preparing large mailings, conducting surveys, and preparing materials for special events.

Can I choose my volunteer assignment?
There are a variety of projects that volunteers can complete on any given day. Daily Bread staff will choose the assignments for individuals and groups depending on the needs of our warehouse, member agencies or administrative offices.

Do I have to schedule a time to come in and volunteer or can I just stop by when I have time?
All volunteers (individuals and groups) must be scheduled in advance. No walk-ins are permitted. This important rule exists to alleviate confusion in task assignments. In order to work effectively and efficiently, we need to determine the highest priority tasks for the day based on the number of
volunteers scheduled to come in. We must also prepare work areas with supplies and have staff members on hand to ensure a positive volunteer experience. You can schedule daily, weekly or monthly volunteer shifts for yourself or your group.

Can I bring a group?
We welcome corporate teams, office groups, schools, service organizations, alumni groups, associations, fraternities and sororities, and religious organizations. Our volunteer projects can accommodate groups of various sizes and can provide team-building opportunities. Groups must schedule in advance.

What is the largest group size?
We can accommodate groups of 4 to 30 people. Depending on our workload, we may be able to accommodate larger group requests.

Can children volunteer at Daily Bread?
Children under 18 years of age
Any individual under the age of 18 wishing to come to Daily Bread Food Bank to volunteer independently of a school, youth or community group must bring with them a Daily Bread Food Bank Parent/Guardian Permission and Waiver Form for Minors signed by a parent or guardian.

Children 14 years of age and under
Any individual aged 14 and under wishing to come to Daily Bread Food Bank to volunteer independently of a school, youth or community group must be accompanied by an adult (1 adult : 6 children) and must bring with them a Daily Bread Food Bank Parent/Guardian Permission and Waiver Form for Minors signed by a parent or guardian.

School, youth and community groups (under 18 years of age)
Groups made up of children under the age of 18 and interested in booking volunteer experiences may do so subject to availability. If the above-mentioned groups do not have an internal field trip waiver form signed for each participant, they will be asked to complete a Daily Bread Food Bank Parent/Guardian Permission and Waiver Form for Minors for each participant under the age of 18. Groups must come in accompanied by adults (1 adult : 10 children).

Children under 8 years of age
Due to health and safety regulations, children under 8 years of age are not permitted to come to Daily Bread Food Bank in a volunteer capacity; however, Daily Bread Food Bank is able to organise a tour of the facilities provided children come in accompanied by an adult (1 adult : 6 children).

Please note that all volunteer opportunities and visits must be scheduled in advance.

What do chaperones, parents or guardians with youth do?
We ask chaperones and parents or guardians who come in with children and youth to help these volunteers to complete the assigned volunteer project. When chaperones come in with youth, they are responsible for the youth that they are accompanying.

Can I complete community service hours required by school or my religious organization at Daily Bread?
Absolutely! We thrive on a consistent number of community members who are willing to volunteer. Please be sure to schedule your volunteer hours with us.

What should I wear?
The dress code at the Daily Bread is casual and comfortable. Shoes must be close-toed, so sneakers, work shoes or boots are ideal. No heels, open-toed shoes or sandals are permitted in the warehouse. The warehouse is not temperature-controlled, so layers are a good idea. Please
leave purses, jewelry and other valuables at home. Daily Bread Food Bank will not be responsible for any missing personal belongings.

What if I have food allergies?
We are not a peanut-free environment. Know your allergies and medical history. Daily Bread Food Bank cannot be responsible for any existing medical conditions.