Volunteer - Loaves and Fishes

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Volunteer

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Your Hands Help

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with us. Volunteers help Loaves & Fishes continue the mission of rescuing food and reducing hunger in Greenville County in tremendous ways. Thanks to volunteers, we rescue food from large and small organizations daily, 364 days per year.

In 2021, our volunteers increased our capacity by logging over 10,000 volunteer hours, in which they rescued over 1,000,000 pounds of food in Greenville County and assisted staff execute critical administrative duties. Thank you, friends.

Volunteers fall into one of three categories: rescue route volunteers, event committee members, or administrative/office support. Scroll down to learn about all of our volunteer opportunities and to determine if volunteering with us is a good fit for you.

Volunteers can:

Donate food personally, or arrange a neighborhood food drive
Pick-up and drop-off rescued food to partner agencies as a Loaves & Fishes rescue route volunteer
Conduct deliveries one-at-a-time or chose a regular weekly route, flexibility is baked right in!
Help us plan spectacular public events like Taste of the Upstate

We do not:

Offer group volunteer opportunities
Send out volunteers unprepared! in-person orientation is required and is held 2-3 times per month
Accept unsupervised volunteers under 17
Serve food insecure individuals or families directly
Offer same-day or short-term volunteer opportunities

Ready to jump in? Fill out the volunteer application on the sidebar to get started!

Rescue Routes

Rescue Route Volunteers rescue food that would otherwise be wasted by picking it up from a designated donor and delivering it to one of Loaves & Fishes’ 107+ partner agencies. Rescue routes take approximately 1 – 1.5 hours to complete and offer tremendous flexibility to volunteers. Choose either a regular weekly route, or run a route when you can – either choice is helpful! The first step after signing up is orientation, which is hosted 2-3 times monthly at our headquarters. Once a driver has been through orientation they can chose routes based on their availability each week thereafter.

Loaves & Fishes sends a weekly e-mail notification of available routes from which you can choose the best fit for your schedule, or none at all. Rescue routes are primarily run in the mornings, 7 days a week, 364 days a year.

Requirements to be a rescue route driver include: a valid driver’s license, proof of insurance and attending an orientation. Upon finishing a route, volunteers are required to report donation poundage information through our online reporting system. All rescue route volunteers must be at least 18 years of age or be accompanied by an adult.

Contact Jessica Nihiser with questions or fill out the form to get started.

Event Committees

Our event committees work with staff to ensure all logistic and financial goals are met. Volunteers work with staff to raise funds that assist with operational expenses of the organization. Fill out the form to the right or contact Naomi Horne for more information.

Taste of the Upstate is a Loaves & Fishes’ largest fundraiser of the year. This event is typically held downtown Greenville in the Spring and includes silent auctions, live music, local art, adult beverages, fantastic food from Greenville’s best restaurants and more! The all-you-can-eat brunch features unique tastes from many of Greenville’s most celebrated restaurants and chefs. This event is hosted and managed by the passionate Taste of the Upstate Committee that meets once a month from September – April. These committee meetings are crucial one-hour meetings that require participation. Positions include:

Graphic/Print/Technology Committee
Planning & Logistics Committee
Marketing and PR Committee
Entertainment Committee
Restaurant Committee
Silent Auction Committee
Restaurant Committee
Volunteer Coordination Committee

The day of the event, volunteers are needed in the following areas:

Food Judging Assistant
People’s Choice
Art Auction Assistant
Registration / Check-In Hosts

Program Registration Assistant
Raffle Table Host
Silent Auction Table Host
Event Set-Up / Break – Down

The Upstate CROP Hunger Walk is the local charity walk event held annually in Greenville, SC, to benefit local, national and international efforts to eradicate hunger. CROP Hunger Walks are community-based walk events held in cities and towns across the United States, raising funds to support the global mission of Church World Service, a faith-based organization transforming communities around the globe through just and sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster. One-fourth of the funds raised in the Upstate are donated to Loaves & Fishes and our work to rescue food and reduce hunger in Greenville County.

As a Team Captain, you will work to build a Loaves & Fishes team, raise event awareness in the Greenville area, and fundraise! Team members support the captain and participate in the walk.

Office Assistant

Volunteer office assistants work in the Loaves & Fishes office on Woods Lake Road and aid the staff members as needed. In this capacity, computer skills are required as well as a high level of confidentiality. Volunteers work using web-based applications and Microsoft Office Suite and have seasonal and typically irregular hours.

Contact Jessica to express interest or fill out the form on the sidebar.