Are you looking for a unique way to take a break this summer that will not only bring you great joy but also make an impact on your community? Take a break from your daily routine and join us for one or many of our volunteer opportunities this summer. Vacations require lots of planning, packing and travel, but at the Freestore you can escape your everyday routine for a day and make a huge impact on the lives of others without any of the fuss. Check out these opportunities!
Mayerson Distribution Center
Located at 1250 Tennessee Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45229.
Come, spend time with us at our Mayerson Distribution Center to assemble food boxes for the children in our rural communities! During the school year, students receive food through their free and reduced breakfast and lunch programs. With school closed for the summer, our food boxes will ensure they have nutritious meals during the summer months. We need at least 30 people each shift in June and July!
Family Nights This Summer at the warehouse
Thursday, July 5th and Thursday, July 19th from 5:00 p.m. to 7pm
Normally, the age requirement at the warehouse is 13, but this summer we are trying something new and have created a special event for younger children to join us. Bring your family and help us feed our neighbors. Activities include possible packing of summer food boxes and food sorting! Volunteers must be at least 8 years old to participate and need to be accompanied by an adult. Click here for more information: Family Nights at the Warehouse!
Regular Warehouse Shifts: Shifts are held Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Both individuals and groups are welcome at the Distribution Center. Volunteers must be at least 13 years of age to volunteer. Student 13-18 years old must have parental consent and students 13-15 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.
The Giving Fields
Located at 101 Anderson Lane, Melbourne, KY 41059
The Giving Fields is our community farm located in Melbourne, Kentucky – approximately five minutes from NKU. We plant, maintain and harvest fresh produce for our partner food pantries and soup kitchens in Northern Kentucky. This is a great volunteer opportunity for people of all ages. Families with children five years of age and older, high school and college students, as well as individuals and groups are welcome.
Farm Shifts: Shifts are held Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Projects include planting, weeding, simple landscaping and once the crops are in…harvesting. Many hands make the work light. Come get dirty with us and feed our neighbors in Northern Kentucky.
Liberty Street Market
Located at 112 E. Liberty, Cincinnati, OH 45204.
The Liberty Street Market is the Freestore Foodbank’s very own choice pantry at the Customer Connection Center. On a daily basis the Customer Connection Center may serve up to 300 people and provide food and connections to other services which helps individuals and families.
Liberty Street Market Shifts: Individuals or groups of 10 or less can schedule a time to volunteer in the Liberty Street Market, Monday, Tuesday, Thursdays and Friday from 8am-4pm. On the third and fourth Saturdays of the month we have one shift from 9:30 pm to 2:30 pm. Projects include food sorting, restocking shelves with groceries, assisting customers with their groceries outside of the building and loading groceries in their vehicle in front of the building. Volunteers must be at least 16-years-old (with parental consent) to volunteer at this site.
Special Events
Located at various locations throughout the Cincinnati Area.
VA Produce Distribution Event at the Cincinnati Veteran Stand Down: Wednesday, June 20th
Freestore Foodbank is teaming up with Volunteers of America of Greater Ohio and Cincinnati Veteran Stand Down in partnership with the Cincinnati VA Medical Center to provide fresh produce this summer. This event will feature information from local veteran agencies, giveaway items, free lunch and much more. The Freestore Foodbank will be there to distribute fresh produce to veterans and their families who attend the event. Volunteers are needed to assist with setup, produce distribution and breakdown of produce area.
Check Out Duck: Mid-July through early September
At select Kroger stores in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana
We will be gearing up for “Duck Season” at the Freestore Foodbank in preparation for the 24th Annual Rubber Duck Regatta shortly! We are seeking volunteers to help maintain duck placards (coupon holders) with tear off coupons at local Kroger checkout counters and UScan stations for the coming campaign next month. This fundraiser is a convenient way for people to buy ducks as they pay for their groceries. Last year, this campaign yielded close to $200,000 in duck sales with the help of our partners at Kroger and our dedicated volunteers. Mark your calendar now for this upcoming special event opportunity. Details will be posted on the website by mid-June.
A Huge Hunger Walk Thank You!
While thousands of people walked to help raise funds to solve hunger on Memorial Day, a dedicated crew of over 100 volunteers helped the staff to run the event and made the 2018 Hunger Walk 5K a huge success! Each step taken helped the Freestore Foodbank to finish strong. The Hunger Walk raised funds that support many of community partner agencies who are on the front lines distributing food and supplies to the over 280,000 families and individuals in the tristate region who face food insecurities each year. Whether you ran, walked or helped the Freestore to “run” the event, we want to thank you for your efforts! Together, we can solve hunger!
All volunteers are welcome to join our team as TOGETHER, WE CAN SOLVE HUNGER! Individuals may self-register and groups may request special dates by visiting our website: freestorefoodbank.volunteerhub.com. Email our Volunteer Engagement Specialist, Carolyn Frank at volunteer@freestorefoodbank.org or call 513-482-7550 for further assistance.
Thank you to the following groups for your support in May 2018!
We sincerely appreciate their continued support and contribution of their time.