Volunteer
Volunteers are the backbone of the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry. They participate in every aspect of Pantry operations. Volunteers may sign up for a regular shift or may choose to be placed on an as-needed notification list.
Volunteer opportunities include:
- working a distribution shift on a Saturday morning or Wednesday afternoon or evening
- unloading food deliveries on a Thursday
- packing standard bags of canned food prior to distribution
- picking up produce for “food rescue” at local grocery stores
- packing bags of produce prior to a distribution
- planning and running a food drive at your school, church, civic organization, book club, etc.
Prior to volunteering , we ask that all volunteers complete the Online Volunteer Form and attend a Volunteer Orientation Session. Orientations are usually held on the 3rd Wednesday of the Month. Please confirm your attendance prior to attending to ensure space availability and scheduling.
Please email kristi@oprffoodpantry.org if you have any questions or need additional information regarding the Volunteer Form or Orientation.
Volunteer at the Greater Chicago Food Depository and Make Money for the OPRF Food Pantry
Another opportunity to volunteer that will benefit the OPRF Food Pantry is to volunteer at the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD). When you volunteer at the GCFD and identify OPRF Food Pantry as the pantry you want your credit hours to benefit, your volunteer time turns into cash in our account at the GCFD. Also, the GCFD is able to accommodate groups of volunteers. For more information about these opportunities, please call GCFD at 773-247-FOOD, e-mail the Volunteer Services team at volunteerservices@gcfd.org. Or view the Volunteer FAQ page. Please note that we need to pre-register you as an OPRF Food Pantry volunteer PRIOR TO your volunteer shift at GCFD. It’s easy to do; just email kristi@oprffoodpantry.org and we’ll put you on our list.