Who Can Be a Volunteer?

Volunteer Spotlight

Congratulations Pat Deruyter on being chosen for June’s Volunteer Spotlight!

“My name is Pat Deruyter, and I have been volunteering for the food bank for 8 years. Right now, I am packing pre-packs for 1 or 2 person families. The impact on the community is tremendous. That makes us feel good because we’re being a part of that,” said Deruyter. Samantha Kirstein, the Fairbanks Community Food Bank Community Development Director, needs and appreciates your support and is ever so thankful for everyone who volunteers.

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.

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.

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!

The Fairbanks Community Food Bank cares about your personal safety.

Therefore, we have chosen to be an ALICE focused organization, meaning we proactively train for bad situations!

Therefore, we have chosen to be an ALICE focused organization, meaning we proactively train for bad situations! We chose ALICE, because it is the leading training solution that increases an organization’s and individual’s odds of survival during a violent intruder event. ALICE, which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate, is a post-Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook strategy that goes beyond the conventional lockdown. Ask Anne at anne@fairbanksfoodbank.org to learn more about ALICE for your Own Personal Safety!

There are more ways than one to be prepared for a violent event. Whether you are at a mall, in a theater, grocery shopping, attending a game or listening to a concert, you have options. By the time law enforcement arrives, violent events are usually over. Seconds count during a violent event. The actions taken by civilians, in between when the event begins and law enforcement arrives, are significant and can increase survivability.”

At the Fairbanks Community Food Bank we have signed up for this online, comprehensive, thorough and options-based response to a violent intruder event.

Please click HERE to take the ALICE Training Institute course that has been developed to enable a successful implementation of the ALICE concepts. Username: wcarpenter@fairbanksfoodbank.org Password: Foodbank

The Fairbanks Community Food Bank is a Proud Member of These Organizations