Volunteer
We need your help!
Sign ups are open! We need volunteers for all roles, especially heavy lifters for the Greater Chicago Food Depository receiving crew. New volunteers are always welcome, as well as volunteers who need to complete service hours.
Service Hours Information
All volunteer slots are eligible as service hours. We use Signup Genius, so create an account and sign up for any open spots that work for you.
Become a Volunteer and Make an Impact in Our Community!
Volunteering at the Westchester Food Pantry can be a very rewarding experience. You will make new friends, be part of a team, and improve your community by assisting your neighbors in need.
There is an assortment of volunteering positions at the Pantry, which can be explored further below. It is essential that volunteers possess the ability to work amiably with a diverse clientele in a non-judgmental and compassionate manner. Any personal information of the clients is kept confidential, and every individual at the Pantry is treated with the utmost respect and dignity.
Please contact the Westchester Food Pantry, if you have any questions.

Seasonal Volunteer Opportunity
Yard Sale Extravaganza 2023
The Yard Sale Extravaganza is a major fundraiser for the Pantry, and lots of volunteers are needed to make it a success. Sale set-up is Wednesday, May 31, and the sale is June 1-3. There are many shifts available over the four days; shifts are three and four hours long.
This sale is always a ton of fun! And yes, volunteers are able to shop while they work!
Seasonal Volunteer Opportunity
Event Assistance, December 6 and 7
The Westchester Food Pantry will participate in the Westchester Park District’s annual Winter Wonderland event. Hand out candy and Pantry info while immersing yourself in holiday spirit. This is a great volunteer opportunity for families and students needing service hours. It is outside, so dress warmly!
Year-Round Volunteer Opportunities
For many of the below volunteering opportunities, the Pantry is using Sign Up Genius.
Sign Up Genius
The Pantry is now using Sign Up Genius for many of its volunteering opportunities. Thus, you will need to create a ‘sign up’ account to volunteer. It is free and very easy to do.
- Sign Up Genius will automatically send a reminder three days before your volunteer shift.
- If you are signing up for more than one person, please note that on the Sign Up Genius. If you are volunteering with children, please note their ages.
- If you need to cancel your shift, please do it through Sign Up Genius. That way another potential volunteer will see the opening and be able to fill in.
- If you need help with setting up an account or have questions, please email the Pantry.
For the past few years, the Pantry sent reminder emails every week to our Friday crews: set-up, food reclamation, client service, etc. But, keeping track of all the emails, spreadsheets, service hours, absences and week switches has become very difficult and has led to some scheduling mix-ups, i.e. too many volunteers one week, too few the next. To be respectful of all our volunteers’ time and experience at the Pantry, and to make things easier for everyone, the move was made to Sign Up Genius.
Receiving Crew
The 1st and 3rd Fridays of every month, typically between 8am – 10am. This crew receives our orders from the GCFD. It involves taking heavy boxes of cans, meat and produce from GCFD pallets into the pantry. These volunteers must have the ability to lift and move heavy items. Please provide your phone number if you are signing up for this slot, as sometimes the truck may be early or delayed. And, we will let you know when it arrives.
Food Sorting, Shelving & Setup
Client Services
Registration
Parking Lot Attendant
Every Wednesday from 4-6pm and every Saturday from 8:30-10:30am. Our Pantry continues to get busier and busier each week and an adult volunteer is needed to help manage the parking lot and direct the flow of traffic.
Wet Nose Pantry
Food Reclamation
Fundraisers
Outreach
Everyone we meet is a potential client, volunteer or donor which is why outreach events are so important! We want to meet everyone, because everyone has a place at the Pantry. We need volunteers who are confident talking about the Pantry – how to get food, how to volunteer and how everyone can get involved. The Pantry participates in numerous outreach events throughout the year.