Who can Be a Volunteer?

We have SO MANY things for volunteers to do, for ages 6 and older, and for all abilities!

Individuals, families, groups – all welcome

Children under 16 must have adult supervision (parent or guardian) and we welcome Community Service workers.

What Do Volunteers Do?

• We recycle local surplus food, empty cardboard boxes, plastic sacks, egg cartons, paper sacks.
• We sort through the incoming veggies, fruits, bakery and meat we receive each day and prepare them for the people we serve. 90% of what we receive each day is perishable.
• We sort incoming cans for damage, check for their “use by” dates, and separate and inventory fruits, veggies, beans etc. so the stock can be fully used and rotated.
• We repackage bulk food (sometimes rice arrives in a 50 pound sack but we need some for a family of three people)
• We pack food boxes for daily distribution to various sites in Fairbanks and North Pole.
• Safety in the warehouse is the responsibility of everyone who enters. We ask everyone to adhere to DEC food safety regulations and also OSHA work-site safety regulations.
• We have fun! 

What Times are Available for Work?

Time slots are available from 1 hour up to 6 hours from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday work is also available (by schedule only)

If you are scheduled for a time slot and cannot make it, please call or email 24 hours in advance so we can find a replacement.

Complete our Volunteer Form and then call 45-SHARE to set up your time, or email Kathy at  

Over 50 volunteer hours are needed each day to help alleviate hunger in our area, and the Food Bank appreciates all of the people who take time out of their busy schedules to help make this happen.

Key Bank and "Neighbors Make a Difference Day" - 2009

Key Bank closed all but one branch on September 9th and sent their workers off to do various community projects. These volunteers packed several hundred Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) food boxes during their time from 1-5 pm.

Food Bank Day at the Tanana Valley Fair - 2007

On Thursday, August 7th many harworking volunteers helped us pack up and transport the donations collected on Food Bank Day at the Tanana Valley State Fair.

We collected 800 banana boxes of food totaling 55,300 pounds! At the end of the day we had 5 TONS more than last year's record breaking event. This is THE single largest canned food drive in the history of the food bank.

Plant-A-Row

Josh Ward and his family and other Scouts planted a row for the Food Bank this summer. Josh heard on the news that the Food Bank asked the community to plant an extra row of their garden to share with the Food Bank, and he liked the idea for this Eagle Scout project.

Planning started in February of 2003. He received donations from Holm Town Nursery, Eielson Officers Spouses Club and Eielson Enlisted Spouses Club, and the Eielson AFB Community Garden (he used 4 plots plus his family had one for their use). As of September 8, 2003, Josh has donated 386 pounds of produce and the few dollars he had left over from the cash donations were invested in 37 pounds of packaged food –– so he provided over 400 pounds of food for the Food Bank.

In these photos Josh and his family are bringing in the last of the potatoes –– washed even! He planted potatoes, peas, carrots, beans, lettuce, onions, turnips, radishes, beets, and 36 squash plants. The moose and the weather got his brussel sprouts and artichokes. He says there were three phases of this garden: Planting, Weeding and Harvesting, and as an aspiring Eagle Scout, his task was the "management" of the project. Josh estimates that at least 150 hours were invested over the summer, and this Food Bank says THANK YOU, Josh, your efforts are appreciated!