Volunteer Opportunities
MANNA FoodBank relies heavily upon the extremely important work done by the best corps of volunteers in Western North Carolina!! Without their help, our mission to involve, educate, and unite people in the work of ending hunger in Western North Carolina would falter!
On average, 450 volunteers provide 1,600 invaluable hours every month!
Food Drive Opportunities
- MANNAfest Food Drive Committee: Help coordinate quarterly community food drives.
- MANNAfest Outreach: Phone local businesses, faith communities, and schools about participating in food drives.
- National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive: During this nationwide one-day food drive each May, follow mail carriers in your vehicle to collect non-perishable food items or help sort food at post offices.
- Ingles Day at the Mountain State Fair: Collect food from fairgoers who in return receive free admission to the fair.
Food Sorting Opportunities
- Processing Assistants: Sort, clean, label and check salvage food and non-food items.
- Ability to lift 20-40 pounds is preferred.
- Time commitment is 2-3 hours a week: Monday through Friday, 9:00-12:00 or 1:00-3:00 (these are summer hours which will be in effect until September 6)
Community Distribution Opportunities
- Help drive 14’ truck (CDL not required).
Professional/Administrative/Clerical/General Office
- Clerical assistance: Filing, data entry, etc.
- Mailings: folding, stuffing, sealing, stamping.
- Media archive: Clip and organize news articles.
- Social media: help updating and creating content
- Graphic design: Professional-level help needed to assist with MANNA print materials.
- Speakers’ Bureau: Represent MANNA by speaking to community groups.
Special Event Opportunities
- Blue Jean Ball: Join a volunteer committee and help plan MANNA’s largest annual fundraiser, held every June. Committees typically meet January through June.
- Food & beverage
- Decorations
- Entertainment
- Sponsorship
- Silent auction
- Event staffing
- Empty Bowls: Help organize and staff these special fundraising meals, held in the fall.
- CROP Walk: Participate in this annual community walk to raise funds for hunger relief and awareness about local, national and world-wide hunger. Raise pledges and walk yourself, or help MANNA distribute free water to walkers. October.
- Ingles Giving Tree: Greet shoppers at the Asheville Mall Giving Tree location and accept food and money donations. Late November through New Years.
Warehouse Opportunities
- Mobile delivery assistant: Assist MANNA’s drivers with food distribution, which includes offloading orders and tracking offloaded product. Ability to lift a maximum of 40 pounds and commitment to once a month is desired.
- Food pickups: As needed, on call, your truck or ours.
- Distribution assistant: Assist in organizing and numbering product; weighing out product; restocking, cleaning, and discarding items as needed; organizing racks. Some lifting required.
- Order pullers and checkers: Assist our staff by pulling partner agency product orders for pick- up and delivery.
- Warehouse Assistant: Assist with preparing mobile delivery orders.
- Loading and unloading vehicles.
- Cleaning and organizing warehouse.
Agency Relations
- Coordinate and conduct on-site monitoring visits with member agencies;
- Oversee new agency recruitments;
- Coordinate agency surveys and events;
- Some travel required (weekdays, evenings or weekends).
Holiday Decorator
- Design and create festive decorations to add “pizazz” to the Ingles Giving Tree;
- Brainstorm in June;
- Make decorations in October;
- Assist with building of Tree the Sunday evening before Thanksgiving.
Nutrition Advocate
- Select, develop recipes for foods in distribution;
- Select, develop, evaluate and update nutrition education materials;
- Instruct groups, individuals and agencies on health promotion and therapeutic diets;
- Requires BA in Food/Nutrition/Dietetics or related field ADA registration and one year work experience.
