Norwood and Brixton Foodbank
Volunteer Opportunities 2020
We currently have the following volunteer opportunities. If you feel you are able to support any of these, please do apply via our online application form at www.norwoodbrixton.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/volunteer/ OR send us your address and we will send a paper copy [email protected]
Please note all volunteers must complete an application form and provide 2 references which we will take up. We ask that referees are people who will respond. Depending on how quickly they respond, it can take up to 4 weeks to get a volunteer up and running.
Please do also consider your commitment before signing up. A minimum of once a month for regular help, otherwise it is better to sign up for ad hoc support.
In line with many organisations we aim for smarter volunteering. All new volunteers will need to attend an interview/initial meeting before starting a new role.
If you have already completed your applications forms, please do let us know which of these roles you would like to help with:
REGULAR COMMITMENT
- Help at our warehouse – St Margaret’s Church, Barcombe Ave, Streatham Hill SW2 3BH – Tuesdays – Fridays 10am – 1pm/2pm. We are keen to build our team who help manage our donations by sorting, weighing and shelving items. We would love some regular commitments or either weekly, fortnightly for 2/3 hours one day a week but can also consider those who can help on a more ad hoc basis.
- Wednesday Evenings – St Margaret’s Church, Barcombe Ave SW2 3BH to be part of a MEET AND GREET team. This team talks with clients, so we are looking for people with skills in this area or who are part of a Christian faith community. Or be part of the team picking and packing parcels for clients – 7pm – 8.30pm once-a-fortnight commitment. We are keen to have volunteers who can arrive for 6.30pm to set up. Currently due to lack of heating in this venue, we will not be able to run these sessions until late Feb.
- Driving/Cyclists – We have a team of drivers, some of whom are on a rota to do regular picks-ups from supermarkets and other donations and some who offer to do ad hoc pick-ups. You will need your own transport or be prepared to sign up with zip van to drive small vans. You must have clean driving licence. This is a growing area and there is a need to increase our driver base during weekdays. We are also looking for cyclists, particularly those who could use a bike to move food, so either with a trailer or panniers etc.
- Help designing posters – We use a lot of posters to help promote our work in public spaces at events etc. We are looking for one person who can help update our material. We have to work within fairly strict guidelines but are keen to hear from someone with a keen eye for detail, good knowledge of packages that can be used to create good quality posters and some creative flair. You must have good written English and have access to your own IT equipment. This would be on an ad hoc basis but could be 4/5 hours per month. We are generally busier at Harvest and Christmas and you must be able to respond rapidly to requests.
- Finance Support – As a growing charity our treasurer needs support dealing with Gift Aid donations and other support with finance. Commitment would be about 6-8 hours per month working from home and with the treasurer who is based in SE21. You must have experience of gift aid and managing accounts for business/charity or similar.
- Fundraising team – We already have a number of volunteers who support our work through fundraising and would like to build up this group. Areas could include help with providing stalls at key local events like Feast, local markets and festivals.
- Online selling/eBayers – We are regularly given items that would be better to sell to help us raise funds for the charity. We are looking for an individual or group of friends who would be willing to sell online and create an online presence for fundraising through eBay and other auction sites. Commitment varies.
- Campaigning – To help improve the situation for local community so they do not need to rely on foodbanks. We want to create a team who will help with raising the profile of issues affecting foodbank users such as #5weekstoolong and others or join a team helping to raise these issues. A lot of this work will be done online and possible few hours each month. Possibly attending events to represent foodbank.
- Website support – To work with another volunteer to help update and improve our website. Initially this could take time but once greatly updated commitment will be less. Must have experience of working on building websites and willing to work remotely with another volunteer.
- Driver Rota Support – We have a volunteer who manages the drivers rota for regular pick-ups but at times we can often have a large number of ad hoc pick-ups or deliveries to clients unable to get to a session. These can occur at short notice and I am looking for someone who is able to respond quickly and via e mail to arrange for drivers to fulfil these commitments. It is a role where we might not have any ad hoc requests for 3 weeks and then 4 requests in one week.
We look forward to hearing from you if you wish to take it further.