Get involved
Get involved as a volunteer! Meet new people and give something back to your local community and the planet!
There are approximately 620,000 people in Greater Manchester struggling to afford to put food on their table. Your work will help tackle hunger and food waste in Manchester.
Volunteers play a vital part in the running of the FareShare Greater Manchester operation. If you have time for a 4-hour shift to spare each week why not join our active friendly team.
To thank you for your precious time commitment, we offer volunteers; expenses (travel & lunch).
Crucially, for job-seeking volunteers, we provide training both on-the-job as well as accredited learning, such as Food Safety and Health & Safety at Work. Volunteers gain ‘hard’ skills like the formal qualifications, and also ‘soft’ skills, such as team-work experience, how to communicate effectively, and a wide range of ‘work readiness’ proficiencies. This all contributes to individuals’ CVs, we also offer work references for job-seeking volunteers.
Volunteering with FareShare Greater Manchester is a chance to give something back, join a busy and friendly team and learn new skills.
Apply to volunteer in our Manchester operation today and become a Food Hero! Whether you can spare 4 hours once a week or more, your contribution to communities across Greater Manchester is so valuable.
Volunteering opportunities are available for all abilities. Whether you’re looking for a short-term volunteer role or something more permanent as an employer supported volunteer, there are plenty of ways to get involved and make a difference.
Volunteers are essential in helping us get good-to eat surplus food out to the charities we support. Picking and packing in the warehouse, driving the orders out to the charities, being a driver’s assistant or helping in the office.
Contact us today on; 0161 223 8200 (option 6)
Warehouse Volunteer
The warehouse is a hive of activity and there is always plenty to do. Warehouse volunteers pick and pack orders for our charity members, they also sort labels and repackage food donations. Logging new food deliveries and ensuring food is within use by dates. There is lifting and loading involved so you need to be physically active. We are always looking for volunteers who are looking for a busy role, love meeting new people, being part of a fun and friendly team, being at the forefront of reducing food waste and getting it to those who need it.
Our warehouse volunteers are at the forefront of reducing food waste.
“It’s very enjoyable because of the variety, no two shifts are ever the same, I think that’s the beauty of it. There’s not an opportunity to get bored ever because you’re always active and doing something.”
Laura, Warehouse Volunteer.
Van Driver
Our drivers deliver food to charities across Greater Manchester; they load and unload the food orders along with a driver’s assistant, and complete paperwork on delivery.
We require drivers to be over 21 with 3 years driving experience, and confident to drive a medium sized van. We are looking for positive friendly and courteous people who enjoy meeting new people and being part of a friendly team.
“I’ve been a volunteer driver for FareShare for a couple of years now. After retiring from work I wanted to keep myself occupied, but also ‘give something back’. I thoroughly enjoy doing my deliveries and helping to support FareShare as well as the community organisations that benefit from the vital service that it provides.”
Mike, Volunteer Driver
Drivers’ Assistant
Our Driver’s Assistants help deliver food to our Community Food Members, which is vital to ensuring the food gets to people who need it.
Going out with our drivers and helping to load and unload the deliveries the charities, we support across Greater Manchester. You need to be able to perform physical manual handling tasks, and complete paperwork. We are looking for responsible volunteers who love to meet new people, are friendly, courteous and sociable, and enjoy being part of a fun team
“Volunteering like this is good for us, it gives us structure to our week now we are retired and it’s great to make a difference – we enjoy it.”
Ged & Julie, husband & wife team of driver & driver’s assistant.
Customer Service
In our busy FareShare office, you can get involved in lots of different tasks supporting the day-to-day operation in our warehouse. From logging food on our database, answering the phone, greeting visitors, completing food orders and filing documents, there are always plenty of jobs to be done. We look for volunteers who have basic computer skills knowledge, attention to detail, and want to be part of a fun team in a busy office. If you enjoy speaking to new people, handling customer enquiries on the phone, building relationships and are organised and flexible, this could be the volunteer role for you.
“I love my role. It’s never dull. It’s about helping to feed people and not wanting food to go to waste. Knowing food varieties helps. When I’m on the phone, being able to offer alternatives for meals goes down well.”
Glynis, Customer Service.
We’re looking for volunteers to join our team
Your work will help tackle hunger and food waste in Manchester. These issues affect thousands of people every year. That’s why we need your help! Volunteers are essential in helping us provide over 7 million meals each year.
Speak to us at FareShare Greater Manchester directly on 0161 223 8200 Option 6 or via email: voladmin@emergemanchester.co.uk
