Volunteers bring their hearts and their hands to their work at the New Hampshire Food Bank. Their efforts are vital to our mission of feeding the hungry in our state.
In 2021, our volunteers dedicated more than 20,750 hours to the NH Food Bank – that’s the equivalent to approximately 10 full-time employees!
Volunteers are a central component of the NH Food Bank’s efforts to help our neighbors experiencing hunger – including children, senior citizens and entire families. Our warehouse and office are abuzz with hunger-relief activity, and your help is needed more than ever!
Questions? Contact our volunteer coordinator, Ashley, at 603.669.9725 ext. 1131 or email volunteercoordinator@nhfoodbank.org.
Individual Opportunities
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Mobile Food Pantries
When: Locations and times vary. To see available opportunities, visit: www.nhfoodbank.volunteerhub.com
About: This is a drive thru style event! Volunteers help food bank staff distribute meals to families by loading cars with food in boxes, weighing up to 30-35 pounds. Additional tasks include helping direct the flow of traffic.
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Production Garden – Seasonal April through November
When: Monday-Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm (can schedule a group for part or all of this entire time slot) Where: 1056 River Road, Manchester NH
About: Our Garden Coordinator manages our production garden in Manchester, growing fresh vegetables for the NH Food Bank to distribute. During the spring, summer, and fall, volunteers help with gardening tasks like planting, weeding, harvesting, and preparing the fields. These tasks are performed outdoors and volunteers should be prepared for physical activity in whatever weather conditions are expected for the day. (Individuals/ groups welcome)
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JFK Food Drop
When: Every Saturday from 8:30 am – 12:30 pm
Where: 303 Beech Street, Manchester NH
About: Saturday mornings, the NH Food Bank brings food to the JFK Coliseum in Manchester to distribute directly to hungry families. Our volunteers help set up tables, give out the food, carry items for those who are unable to and clean up the area when done. This takes place outdoors despite the rain, snow, heat so volunteers should dress appropriately for the weather conditions. (Individuals/ families welcome) Max of 30 people.
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General Facility Support
Where: NH Food Bank
About: With everything required to move food through our warehouse and into the hands of hungry people, the NH Food Bank staff sometimes needs help keeping up with general facility tasks like mowing the grass, washing windows, and keeping our racks dust-free. Projects like these are good for individual volunteers and those with difficulty fitting other opportunities into their schedules.
Group Opportunties
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Mobile Food Pantries
This is a drive thru style event! Volunteers help food bank staff distribute meals to families by loading cars with food in boxes, weighing up to 30-35 pounds. Additional tasks include helping direct the flow of traffic. Locations and volunteer times vary.
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Fresh Rescue Sorting (for groups of 6 or more)
Where: New Hampshire Food Bank
When: Tues – Thurs, 8:30am-11:30am
Every day, the NH Food Bank trucks bring back a variety of frozen foods that need to be sorted into categories. Volunteers involved in this process inspect the food for any signs of contamination or damaged packaging and sort all the good product into boxes that we can distribute to Food Bank agencies. This task requires some bending, lifting, and standing for the duration of the activity.
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JFK Food Drop
When: Every Saturday from 8:30 am – 12:30 pm
Where: 303 Beech Street, Manchester NH
About: Saturday mornings, the NH Food Bank brings food to the JFK Coliseum in Manchester to distribute directly to hungry families. Our volunteers help set up tables, give out the food, carry items for those who are unable to and clean up the area when done. This takes place outdoors despite the rain, snow, heat so volunteers should dress appropriately for the weather conditions. (Individuals/ families welcome) Max of 30 people.
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Meal Prep
When: Monday-Friday 8:00am – 3:00pm (can schedule a group for part or all of this entire time slot) Where: New Hampshire Food Bank, 700 East Industrial Park Drive, Manchester, NH
About: Volunteers assist our Production Kitchen chefs by prepping raw ingredients, and occasionally cooking of panning up meals that go out to our agencies around the state. Volunteers are asked to work with knives, food processors, and various other commercial equipment. No experience necessary; all instructions will be provided to accomplish tasks.
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Production Garden – Seasonal April through November
When: Monday-Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm (can schedule a group for part or all of this entire time slot)
Where: 1056 River Road, Manchester NH
About: Our Garden Coordinator manages our production garden in Manchester, growing fresh vegetables for the NH Food Bank to distribute. During the spring, summer, and fall, volunteers help with gardening tasks like planting, weeding, harvesting, and preparing the fields. These tasks are performed outdoors and volunteers should be prepared for physical activity in whatever weather conditions are expected for the day.. (Individuals/ groups welcome)
Court-Mandated
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Court-Mandated Policy
The NH Food Bank accepts volunteers performing court-mandated community service.
Volunteers who are performing court-mandated community service must disclose the nature of their conviction to the Volunteer Coordinator and/or any other staff member of the NH Food Bank.
Please note:
- The NH Food Bank will not accept volunteers who have been convicted of violent crimes, crimes of a sexual nature, theft, burglary, drug sales, or identity theft crimes.
- The NH Food Bank reserves the right to decline any volunteer or to limit which days or hours a volunteer can work.
- The NH Food Bank may establish pre-conditions for a court-mandated volunteer to work, and reserves the right to dismiss a volunteer at any time during their scheduled time.
- Court-mandated volunteers are responsible for tracking their own hours. Any paperwork to be signed must be brought to the NH Food Bank to be signed upon completion of the hours worked each day. Hours for court-mandated community service: Monday thru Friday, 8am-4pm.
- Proper dress close-toed shoes are required; any volunteers failing to arrive in such will be sent home without completion of hours.
- It is not the responsibility of the NH Food Bank to accommodate court-mandated community service volunteers who wait until the last minute to fulfill their obligation. No exceptions will be made to this policy.
For more information please call 603.669.9725 x 1131
Click below to download the form that must be filled out, signed, and submitted to the NH Food Bank Volunteer Coordinator a minimum of 3 days prior to any community service:
Cooking Matters NH Volunteer Opportunities
Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters® is a cooking-based nutrition education program that empowers low-income families with the confidence and skills to prepare healthy, tasty meals on a limited budget. Cooking Matters® courses meet for two hours, once a week for six weeks and are team-taught by a volunteer culinary instructor, nutrition educator and classroom assistant. Volunteers must have an interest in working with low-income individuals with diverse backgrounds, as well as the Cooking Matters mission.
To learn more about these opportunities, including how to sign up: Click here
For additional information, email MacKenzie Kittery, Cooking Matters program assistant.
Cooking Matters NH
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Cooking Matters Volunteer Class Assistant
Cooking Matters Volunteer Class Assistants are expected to actively participate as a teaching team member. Volunteers go through Cooking Matters® volunteer training before attending a class and must have a reliable form of transportation or ability to travel to class location. Class Assistants will be the support system to the nutrition and culinary instructors which may include; managing class materials (food, dishes and equipment), set-up and take-down, leading small groups, lifting 20lbs, good communication skills.
For more information, see Cooking Matters Volunteer Opportunities.
To learn more and sign up, contact MacKenzie, Cooking Matters Program Assistant: Email MacKenzie
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Cooking Matters® Volunteer Culinary Instructor
Volunteer Culinary Instructors will be teaching basic food safety skills, knife skills and help with recipe preparation. Cooking Matters volunteers are expected to actively participate as a teaching team member. Volunteers go through Cooking Matters® volunteer training before attending a class and must have a reliable form of transportation or ability to travel to class location.
For more information, see Cooking Matters Volunteer Opportunities.
To learn more and sign up, contact MacKenzie, Cooking Matters Program Assistant: Email MacKenzie
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Cooking Matters® Volunteer Nutrition Instructor
It is highly recommended that Volunteer Nutrition Instructors to have a strong nutritional background or strong understanding of nutrition. Cooking Matters volunteers are expected to actively participate as a teaching team member. Volunteers go through Cooking Matters® volunteer training before attending a class and must have a reliable form of transportation or ability to travel to class location.
For more information, see Cooking Matters Volunteer Opportunities.
To learn more and sign up, contact MacKenzie, Cooking Matters Program Assistant: Email MacKenzie