Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer with the Pantry!
Gunnison Country Food Pantry Volunteer Experience: When you volunteer with Gunnison Country Food Pantry, you are making a real difference in your community. You are showing that you care that your neighbors receive the food they need to feed their families, their co-workers, and their grandparents. You are giving those in need the greatest gift—your time. The volunteers we have at Gunnison Country Food Pantry are more than volunteers, we are family!
Volunteer Opportunities: Each of the following opportunities is offered several times a week. Please share what days and times work best for you, look at the descriptions of each job as well so we can place you where you would most like to be.
Each shift will range between 3-4 hours and will involve a variety of tasks.
Equal Opportunity: Gunnison Country Food Pantry does not discriminate against any volunteer or guest because of age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin.
If you are ready to sign up to be a volunteer, please visit our Volunteer Resources page for an application and the GCFP Handbook.
Gunnison Country Food Pantry Volunteer Opportunities
Morning Pick Ups
Come help us recover food from our local vendors.: Safeway, City Market, Walmart, Natural Grocer, and Gunnison Vitamin. You will be partnered with another volunteer to do this task. Please know that there may be some heavy lifting involved.
Monday 8:30am-10:00am
Tuesday 8:30-10:00am
Wednesday 8:30-10:00am
Thursday 8am-9am
Friday 8:30-10:00am
Morning Prep
Join a fun crew in the morning sorting and organizing food to prepare for guests to come in and shop in the afternoons.
Monday 8:45-11:00am
Wednesday 8:45-11:00am
Thursday 8:00-10:00am
No Cost Grocery Distribution
Distribution volunteers will serve the public during open shopping hours, when community members are invited to come in and shop the choice Pantry. This time is broken up into a few tasks: Volunteer guide, Front Window sign in, door greeter, front reception, floor volunteer, check-out, Spanish Assistant, Guide for new guests and more.
Monday 12:45-4:15 pm
Wednesday 12:45-4:15 pm
Wednesday 4:00-7:15pm
Thursday 10 am-2 pm (Caters to Adults 60+).
Thursday is a great opportunity for older adults in the community to come Shop the Pantry. This time caters to older adults however, everyone is invited to Shop.
Bundle Packing
There are two days dedicated to those Guests who face barriers preventing them Shopping the Pantry during open distribution times. On these days, we pack food and deliver it to their home.
Tuesday 9-11:00am
Friday 9-11:00am
Delivery Drivers
Volunteer drivers deliver food to those in need that cannot otherwise get to the Pantry to shop on their own. The deliveries are within the city limits of Gunnison.
Tuesday 10:30-11:30 am
Friday 10:30-11:30am
Stocker
Join the fun and help stock the Pantry for the following week. This does require some heavy lifting.
Friday 2-4pm
Snack Packers
Snack packing can be done around a volunteer’s schedule. It is typically done when no one else is at the Pantry. Snack bags are packed to distribute to our recipients that have children in the household, each bag consists of 26 individual snacks, One for each day at school.
Schedule is flexible and determined between volunteer and Pantry manager.
Additional Volunteer Opportunities
Mini Pantry
We have established Mini-Pantries at all the schools in the County, A volunteer ambassador would follow direction from staff and assist with shopping for and deliver food 2 times a month to various school locations. Some driving is involved as well as some minimal lifting.
Fresh Mobile Pantry
Beginning early and running through late November, we offer a fresh mobile Pantry for neighborhoods in need. Volunteers are partnered together with our Mobile Pantry Lead to drive and park in predetermined neighborhoods around Gunnison offering food to those in need.
Saturday 9:45 am-12:00 pm
Snack Delivery to Gunnison Community Schools
Volunteer will assist with sorting and counting snacks for Gunnison Community School, Gunnison High School, and Lake School. Snacks are delivered the first Friday of the month. Time can be flexible and determined by the volunteer’s schedule. Snacks for Crested Butte Community School can be sorted and counted in preparation for pick up.
First Friday of the month before 3 pm
Recycling/Crate Return
Volunteers can expect to collect cardboard, crates and bread trays. Cardboard recycling in the large tote is taken to the recycling center. Look around to see if black Lucerne crates and blue bins can be returned to Safeway and City Market. Bread Trays are collected and returned to Storage Brother’s self-storage. Inspect the metal shelves outside and organize boxes. The outside of the Pantry should look neat an organized when finished. This task may be done Saturday/Sunday on a flexible schedule.
Saturday or Sunday on volunteer’s schedule.
Truck Day
Once each month, on the first Wednesday Gunnison Country Food Pantry has a semi-truck delivering food from Care and Share of Southern Colorado. Volunteers should expect to be lifting cases of food, stocking and organizing food in the Pantry. Pizza Party to follow.
First Wednesday 10am-12pm
Youth Volunteers
At Gunnison Country Food Pantry we encourage and welcome youth volunteers. Youth volunteers starting at age 12 may be dropped off without a parent/guardian if we have contact information to notify the family in case of emergency or when they are done with their shift. Youth volunteer shifts are typically shorter in length, about 1-2 hrs. Youth are also encouraged to volunteer with us through community groups like church or school. Youth under the age of 12 will need an adult to accompany them.
We welcome middle school and high school students to complete their volunteer service hours with GCFP. It is their responsibility to plan and schedule their volunteer time well in advance with the Pantry Manager. We will do our best to schedule everyone. However, registration is on a first, come, first serve basis and if we are full, we will not be able to honor your request.
Short Notice Volunteers
Do you have a flexible schedule, live close by, are retired or work from home? If so, we would love to add you as a short notice volunteer. We understand that not everyone fits well into this category.
In most cases, this volunteer must have the capability to work on a same day basis. Occasionally this might mean same week. If you are available on short notice and have the capability to volunteer, please inquire so we can add your name and contact information to our list.
Alternative Services
Gunnison Country Food Pantry accepts inquiries from community members that are court ordered to serve volunteer hours. We will only accept misdemeanor offenses and determination is on a case-by-case basis. Each person wishing to volunteer with GCFP must have their court paperwork sent to the Pantry Manager via email before scheduling. The volunteer is responsible for reaching out and contacting the Pantry Manager for a phone interview. GCFP may reserve the right to deny an application.
Alternative services volunteers are responsible for keeping track of all their own hours in order to fulfill their requirements.
If you are ready to sign up to be a volunteer, please visit our Volunteer Resources page for an application and the GCFP Handbook.
