ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Welcome, Volunteers!
Volunteers are vital in our mission of fighting food insecurity in our communities. By volunteering even for a few hours, you are part of our effort to ensure that food is distributed to every community member in need. Our programs continue to grow each year, reaching more individuals within our 14-county service area struggling with food insecurity and we could not address these needs without the help of our volunteers. Our clients’ experiences depend on the quality of work done in the Volunteer Department. Likewise, we want our volunteers to experience a quality and meaningful experience volunteering with the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. Whether you provide administrative support, sort food in our warehouse, or weed in our Teaching Garden, volunteers are vital and deeply appreciated and help us ensure no neighbor experiences hunger.
Before committing to a volunteer opportunity at the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, we encourage you to read through our Volunteer Handbook. This booklet contains details of types of volunteer work you might experience at the Food Bank, our rules and regulations for volunteers, dress code, and other critical details of volunteer work at the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia.
GROUPS LOOKING TO VOLUNTEER
Groups and organizations looking to have a day of service or multiple volunteer events with the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia will need to contact the Volunteer Supervisor, Noah Cooke, to determine availability for volunteer dates. As signups for events are competitive, we greatly encourage groups to contact us no later than 2 weeks before the intended volunteer date. Due to our Covid-19 safety regulations, groups will be limited to 15 volunteers at a time within the facility; for groups larger than 15, we may offer on-site volunteer activities in our Teaching Garden as a possibility for excess volunteers. At this time, our availability for scheduling events is limited from 9:00AM to 4:00PM, Monday through Friday.
Once a date has been confirmed, please submit a list of full names, Email addresses, and phone numbers for each participating volunteer for verification purposes. To schedule group volunteer events, please Email us at:
At this time, we are currently looking for groups to assist us in hosting our mobile pantry distributions. We are currently in-need for regular assistance for our Bethel Baptist mobile pantry (third Thursday of every month from 3:00PM-5:30PM) and our Gardenview mobile pantry (fourth Tuesday of every month from 3:00PM-5:00PM). If your organization is looking to commit to regular assistance at either mobile pantry, please Email us at:
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
How To Get Started:
- Review our Volunteer Handbook for dress code and to read about volunteer events.
- Review our Covid-19 regulations here (insert drop-down link)
- Click the button below to view our calendar of events. First-time volunteers will need to create a profile before applying to events.
- For first-time and non-vaccinated volunteers, please make sure to take a picture or have your documentation available for verification before attending your volunteer event.
WE ARE NOT OFFERING COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS FOR VOLUNTEER WORK.
COVID-19 REGULATIONS
OUR COVID-19 REGULATIONS ARE APT TO CHANGE PERIODICALLY. ALL COVID-19 REGULATIONS FOR VOLUNTEERS WILL BE UPDATED AND REFLECTED HERE:
The Food Bank is committed to keeping our staff, clients, and volunteers safe during this pandemic. We are currently requiring all fully vaccinated volunteers to provide one-time proof of vaccination before partaking in volunteer activities. Vaccinated volunteers may either provide a valid vaccination record card or a picture of their card. Unvaccinated volunteers will be required to show negative test results before each volunteer event. Any volunteers who cannot provide proof of vaccination or test results will not be allowed to participate in volunteer activities and will not be allowed inside the facility.
We require face coverings to be worn covering your nose and mouth in our warehouses during Food Bank of Northeast Georgia hosted events. Gloves, face masks, and hand sanitizer will be available for all staff and volunteers for all Food Bank events and all volunteers on-site will be required to scan and record their temperatures upon arrival. If you are sick, please cancel your volunteer shift; any volunteer that is showing signs of illness will be immediately asked to leave and return when well.
At this time, our facility is limited to 12 volunteers inside at a time. For groups larger than 12 members looking to volunteer, outside activities may be available in our teaching Garden working alongside our Horticulture Technician, Kirsten Meadows.
We are currently suspending volunteer activities for those under 16 years old; we are not offering volunteer opportunities for minors at this time.
FOOD DRIVES AND DONATIONS
The donations we receive from food drives are essential for maintaining the variety needed for those we serve. The Food Bank of Northeast Georgia accepts all donations from our donors. Upon arrival at the Food Bank, volunteers can announce their donation and will be greeted by a Volunteer Department staff member who will weigh and accept their donations. For those looking to collect a record, donate as part of a food drive, or to report to an organization or job, weight receipts can be recorded and provided upon request. For those looking to collect volunteer service hours, hosting a food drive is a simple and effective way of gaining volunteer hours for you and/or your organization members. Our need for specific donations changes on a monthly basis and in relation to the current seasonal drives. To request a list of currently needed donations, please contact Tracey Massey using the contact information below.
According to Feeding America, every dollar donated to the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia creates four meals. For that reason, we greatly encourage donors to donate online here or create a team and receive your own personalized link by calling us at the number below.
Tracey Massey: TMassey@FoodBankNEGA.org Phone: (706) 713-9319
HOW TO BECOME AN INTERN
Interning with the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia provides excellent experience and opportunities to serve members of our local community struggling with food insecurity. An internship provides first-hand knowledge and experience working alongside professionals specializing in nutrition, leadership, social work, horticulture, and warehouse distribution within our facility. Expectations for interns vary depending on circumstances and the department applied for. However, these positions often involve assisting a department and typically require some skills related to Microsoft applications, data entry, and time management.
All internships with the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia are unpaid and will typically take place on-site at our Food Bank warehouses. Interns must be available to work 2-3 days a week during our open hours for a minimum of 10 hours a week for 3 or more months. All interns must be fully vaccinated before being instated at the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia; all interns will need to provide a picture of their Covid-19 Vaccination Record Card or provide proof in-person for verification.
To apply for an internship with the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia in Athens, please email a cover letter, a resumé, your availability, and a photo of your Covid-19 Vaccination Record Card to:
For those looking for an opportunity to intern in the Mountain Distribution center in Rabun county, please email a cover letter, a resumé, your availability, and a photo of your Covid-19 Vaccination Record Card to:
For those with questions and concerns or requesting an internship, please contact a volunteer coordinator at the Food Bank by sending an email to Volunteers@FoodBankNEGA.org or calling our Volunteer Department at: (706) 354-8191, extension 112.
FAQs
FAQ: How to sign up on GivePulse?
After clicking our “Click Here” button, simply view our calendar of events (viewable in a week-to-week format), click on any available event, and register for that event. Follow the prompts given by the website to create your account, answer our quick survey, and upon finishing you will be registered for your event. Afterward, you are free to one-click register for any other available events.
For more support, please visit here
FAQ: What do my “points” on my account do?
The point system on GivePulse is for volunteer recognition, allowing our staff to celebrate our committed volunteers assisting the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia with differing recognition for our members at various point levels. For every hour recorded assisting the Food Bank at any event, one point is given. However, if a volunteer misses an event they have signed up for, they will lose 3 points.
FAQ: How to register a group on GivePulse?
GivePulse allows members to register a group in two ways.
- For a one-time event:
- You can manually [Add Registrant] using the dropdown box in the bottom right underneath your own name. You must type each member’s name and email.
- For a recurring group: (2 options)
- Option One: You can go to the event you want to register for. [Create a new group on GivePulse] with the drop-down menu under {Are you a part of a group?} in the event registration page. You can [Add Registrants] the same way as above and then on the following page select [Add All Registrants to a Group of GivePulse]. You will then be the Admin of this new group. Each member listed will need to confirm their registration and agree to the liability waiver before being officially registered. Until they confirm, they will be listed as “Unconfirmed”.
- Option Two: You can start outside of the event page and make a new group. Then, under the new group you will go to [Manage] à [Manage Users] à [Actions] à [Add User]. Manually add all the users you want to be a member of your group. Then, go to the event page and register for the event. In the event, use the [Add Registrant] drop down menu and select [Add from Group]. Then you will be able to select the members already in your group rather than typing them all out again.
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FAQ: How to unregister from an event?
If you are unable to attend an event you have registered for, go to “My Activity” and then “My Registrations.” From there, locate the event that you need to cancel your registration for and find the drop-down menu under “Actions” on the far right. From this menu, choose “Cancel Registration.”
This also allows you to cancel a single instance of a recurring event, as each recurrence is listed individually. You can also click “Update Registration” and return to the original registration page, where you can update which recurrences you are able to attend. From here, you can also cancel all recurrences by clicking “Cancel All.”
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LOCATION AND HOURS OF OPERATION
Our hours of operation for both facilities are Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. but we may have scheduled volunteer programs outside our normal hours. The Athens Branch and main warehouse of the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia is located at 861 Newton Bridge Road, Athens, GA. The Mountain Distribution Center in Rabun County is located at 5312 Highway 441 South, Tiger, GA.
