#Volunteer at a Greater Chicago Food Depository Agency - Greater Chicago Food Depository

Volunteering at our member soup kitchens, pantries and shelters offers an opportunity to directly assist your community. Whether you help prepare and serve meals, deliver food or tutor, your time and talent are greatly appreciated.

Contact the agencies below directly to schedule a time to volunteer. (Agency info is subject to change.)

WHICH MEMBER AGENCY IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

North Side

BREAKING BREAD (A MINISTRY OF LASALLE ST. CHURCH), 1111 N. Wells St. is a soup kitchen that needs volunteers on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to help with food preparation, serving and clean up. Volunteers will be required to do some lifting, stretching and bending. Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator below to find out about volunteer openings.

Minimum age: 18. Maximum group size: 4.

BREAKTHROUGH URBAN MINISTRIES, 402 N. St. Louis, is looking for volunteers to help in two areas of the organization: the pantry and the produce mobile distribution. In the food pantry volunteers to drive to various grocery stores to pick up food donations, stock the storage area with delivered food items, and deliver fresh produce to seniors at the residential facility across the street. Volunteers are needed on Tuesdays 4 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Thursdays 7:30 a.m. - 12:30 a.m. and Saturdays 7:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. Up to 8 volunteers are needed for these shifts. In addition, volunteers are needed to help with the Produce Mobile on the 4th Tuesday of each month from 8:30am-12:30pm. Up to 30 volunteers are needed to help unload, set up, distribute and teardown for the produce distribution.

Minimum age: 15. Maximum group size: 8 in the pantry, 30 for produce mobile distribution.

Contact: Valerie Davenport freshmarket@breakthrough.org 773-346-1785 ext. 236

DEBORAH'S PLACE, 1532 N. Sedgwick and 1456 W. Oakdale, is a supportive housing organization with meal service for tenants (please note, this is not a soup kitchen). Help is needed Sunday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Sedgwick location, and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Oakdale location. Volunteers will prepare, serve and clean up from meals for 25 to 30 tenants and will need to be able to stand, carry and serve food. Volunteers may choose to bring food or help prepare the food that is planned for the day. A volunteer orientation is held once a month from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and is required for all volunteers at both locations. Volunteer requests for holiday meals (Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve/Day) are first come, first served. It is recommended to inquire about availability for these meals in August.

773-638-6579 or visit our website .

HARVEST FOOD PANTRY - VINEYARD CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF EVANSTON, 2495 Howard St. is a pantry that is looking for volunteers on Wednesdays from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and the 3rd Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to help with food preparation and distribution. Volunteers will assist with greeting patrons, preparing and serving snacks, bagging produce, filling grocery bags, moving stock, helping patrons select items, set up and cleanup.

MERCY HOME/FRIENDS FIRST MENTORING, 1140 W. Jackson Blvd. is a community based mentoring program that needs volunteers to share a few hours with a young person. Mentors will meet two or three times per month for one year, and are matched with a child of the same gender. You are encouraged to do fun, free activities throughout the city. Complete staff support and supervision is provided. Volunteers are required to attend an info session, and participate in an interview, background check and training. Just a few hours can make a lifetime of a difference to a child. Contact us for mentoring and volunteer opportunities.

ST. THOMAS OF CANTERBURY SOUP KITCHEN, 4827 N. Kenmore Ave. has opportunities for service on Tuesdays and Fridays from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Please note that this site does not have opportunities for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, or weekends. We are currently seeking volunteers for the week before Christmas and the first three weeks of January. Volunteers assist with food preparation, set up, serving the meal, and cleanup. This site is unable to take volunteers for court-ordered community service. Volunteers between the ages of 14 and 17 must be accompanied by an adult chaperone. Please note that this site is only accessed via stairs.

South Side

CANAAN MBC PANTRY, 6659 South Harvard, is a food pantry that is requesting volunteers to help restock shelves, sorting food, administrative duties, filing client records, loading/unloading food, and assisting with heavy cartons/bags for elderly and disabled clients. Volunteers are needed from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturdays. Volunteers may be asked to do some lifting, stair climbing, data entry and filing.

Minimum age: 5. Maximum group size: 13.

CHATHAM-AVALON MINISTRIES, 8601 S. State St. is a food pantry that is seeking volunteers to help unloading food and stocking shelves on the first Wednesday of each month from 9 to 11 a.m. Volunteers will need to be able to lift 20 pounds or more.

CHOSEN TABERNACLE MINISTRIES, 4310 South Champlain Ave. is a food pantry that is looking for volunteers to provide administrative client intake and to oversee food as clients choose food products from their "choice based" pantry distribution model. Volunteers are needed on Thursdays from 12 p.m. to 3p.m. Volunteers will need to able to stand for at least 30 minutes.

HYDE PARK KENWOOD FOOD PANTRY, 1169 E. 56th St. (side door of 5600 S. Woodlawn), is seeking assistance with their Saturday food distributions from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Volunteers will help to set up the distribution area, pack grocery bags and cases of food and carry them to the recipients, organize/clean the pantry storage area and take inventory after the distribution. Volunteers must be able to climb up and down the stairs while carrying groceries, arrive on time, and treat recipients with respect and friendliness.

MERCY HOME/FRIENDS FIRST MENTORING, 1140 W. Jackson Blvd. is a community based mentoring program that needs volunteers to provide one-on-one mentoring. This includes doing fun, free activities with an assigned child of the same gender, with complete staff support and supervision. Volunteers will meet two or three times per month for one year. Volunteers are required to attend an info session, and participate in an interview, background check and training. Volunteers choose the type of child they wish to mentor.

TRCDO - HARVEST FOR THE WORLD, 1415 W. 104th St. is a food pantry that is seeking volunteer help on Fridays and Saturdays. Volunteers are needed to pack food bags, give food to clients, take the food to clients' cars, and remove from storage areas. Volunteers will need to have good customer service skills and be able to lift bags of about 25 to 30 pounds.