Volunteer

Thank you for your interest in volunteering at the Newton Food Pantry. Unfortunately, we are not currently accepting new volunteer applications. We aim to strike the right balance — having enough volunteers for every shift, but not so many that it’s hard for anyone to find an open slot to sign up for.

Future Volunteering

All new volunteers must be 15 years of age and over. We ask that volunteers make at least a six-month commitment; one shift a month for adults and two shifts each month for teens. Due to the need for volunteer training and onboarding, we do not have short-term volunteer opportunities in the pantry. Please note our application process requires a brief background check and additional steps before volunteering.

If you have any questions, please email the Volunteer Manager by selecting “Volunteer Opportunities” on our contact form.

Volunteer Shifts at the Newton Food Pantry:

freedge Restocking (60-minute shift): Volunteers pick up bags from the pantry or donations from local businesses to restock the Newton Community freedge. Daily opportunities are available, including evenings and weekends!

Monday Morning Unloading (90- to 120-minute shift): Volunteers work with a small team to unload 7,000 pounds of food ordered/delivered from the Greater Boston Food Bank. Heavy lifting is required in this role.
Hours: 7am–9am

Tuesday Bag Preparation (120-minute shift): Volunteers bag nonperishable food and personal care products inside the Newton Food Pantry for home deliveries to eligible clients.
Hours: 9am–11am

Wednesday Morning Early-Bird Unloading (60-minute shift): Volunteers help unload produce and other deliveries that come to the Newton Food Pantry. Heavy lifting is required in this role.
Hours: 6:45am–7:45am

Wednesday Morning Pantry Setup and Produce Bagging (120-minute shifts): Volunteers help set up the pantry for that day’s in-pantry client shopping, as well as bagging groceries for home deliveries to eligible clients.
Hours: 8am–10am, or 10am–12pm

Wednesday Morning Client Deliveries (75-minute shift): Volunteer drivers pick up bags at the Newton Food Pantry and deliver them to medically homebound clients. Volunteers must have their own car and be able to lift 30-pound bags.
Pantry pickup times: 10am–10:45am and 11am–11:45am

Wednesday Afternoon Client Distribution (120-minute shifts): Volunteers support client shopping inside the Newton Food Pantry. Tasks include greeting clients, managing flow in the waiting areas and in the pantry, assisting clients as needed, restocking shelves, and loading groceries into cars once clients are finished shopping. Spanish, Russian, Mandarin and Portuguese speaking volunteers are an added bonus to our clients!
Hours: 12pm–2pm, 2pm–4pm, 4pm–6pm, or 6pm–8pm

Thursday Morning Pantry Setup (90-minute shift): Volunteers help set up the pantry for that day’s in-pantry client shopping.
Hours: 8:30am–10am

Thursday Client Distribution (120-minute shifts): Volunteers support client shopping inside the Newton Food Pantry. Tasks include greeting clients, managing flow in the waiting areas and in the pantry, assisting clients as needed, restocking shelves, and loading groceries into cars once clients are finished shopping. Spanish, Russian, Mandarin and Portuguese speaking volunteers are an added bonus to our clients!
Hours: 10am–12pm, or 12pm–2pm

Saturday Kids’ Bags (90-minute shift): The bags are filled by a small number of volunteers on a Saturday morning, once a month, working in two shifts inside the Newton Food Pantry. An adult volunteer must accompany all youth under the age of 18 for the entire shift.
Hours: 9am–10:30am and 10:45am–12:15pm

Food Drive Sorting (120-minute shift): Volunteers sort, date check and put away donated non-perishable food from various food drives. Shift hours vary, as well as the day of the week — sometimes weekends and sometimes weekdays. All sorting shifts occur at the Newton Food Pantry. Our Volunteer Manager will send out specific opportunities via a Signup Genius once you email them using our contact form.