Author: LaMorris Sellers

One of the best ways to get involved within a community is to volunteer time and energy. Whether it’s an organization that focuses on a specific hobby or a governmental agency, volunteering is an excellent way to feel empowered and to help others advocate for themselves as well. 

According to LaMorris Sellers, anyone can volunteer depending on their interests, ability, and time availability. How does volunteering empower yourself and others? Here’s how:

Partnerships With Organizations That Matter

When first thinking about volunteering, there is a myriad of organizations, clubs, or businesses that would be happy to take volunteers. It’s empowering to choose an organization that matters to the individual volunteer because it’s an individual choice of a worthy cause.

It also makes a difference to the people that the volunteer is helping. Sometimes volunteer opportunities mean working with people that cannot advocate for themselves. By pairing passionate volunteers with these individuals, empowerment is ever present. Helping one another makes everyone involved feel good.

Learning Opportunities

Learning new skills while volunteering is a great way to learn. From teaching or studying a new language to basic life skills, volunteering presents a lot of different paths to learning new things. 

Sometimes it’s intimidating to try to learn something new but with volunteering, the learning opportunities are often built into the volunteer event. Additionally, soft skills such as working with others or customer service aren’t taught in schools but are things that are learned on the job, which is a powerful skill to possess. 

Organizing and Legislative Knowledge 

Volunteering also encourages people to step or feel more confident when it comes to legislative action. 

Many volunteer opportunities have to do with politics or fighting for a certain cause. When volunteering for these kinds of events, people learn the best ways to advocate and empower not only themselves but others. 

Age is But a Number 

Many times, volunteering involves working with youth or older adults who have both historically been cast aside or victimized. Through volunteering, both parties are taught how to fight or speak up for themselves and others. This can be done through workshops, lectures, or in-person experiences. By lifting voices that are usually silenced, both volunteers and those they’re advocating for are empowered. 

Persistence Is Rewarded

While change often doesn’t happen quickly, it’s rewarding to see it occur after months (or even years!) of volunteering. This teaches volunteers that persistence is worthwhile and empowers them to continue fighting for or volunteering with an organization that matters to them. 

Volunteering is available to virtually anyone who is interested and is a wonderful way to feel and be empowered by others. Check-in with your community and see if there are opportunities nearby or ask friends or family if they know of volunteer jobs. 

Some volunteer opportunities can be found with volunteer.gov, VolunteerMatch, or organizations like Peace Corps or American Red Cross. Another simple way is to Google “volunteer opportunities in (name of town).” 

In LaMorris Seller’s article on the concept of mutualism, he describes how “There’s enough of everything to go around for everyone to win!” and explains that if the mindset of the world was “we, instead of me” it would be a much better place to live. Bolstering humanity through volunteerism is one of the ways to improve the lives of people. Within every community there are those who struggle, not knowing where their next meal will come from. This creates opportunity for others to be of service. How can someone start volunteering at a food pantry? In the article below, LaMorris Sellers talks about volunteering at a food pantry and how to find a role that suits you. He speaks from his own experience as someone who has frequently provided food from pantries to many and even cooked hot meals from food at pantries and given to the homeless.

The first step in getting involved is to reach out to a local pantry and ask what their needs are. Volunteer positions may include greeting and taking the information of those who arrive at the pantry, distributing food, picking up donations from around the community, delivering food to those in need, lifting and organizing food within the pantry, and breaking down large packages of food into smaller portions.
Discover more about the many ways to volunteer at a food pantry. As the author has discussed in his article on Mutualism, volunteering creates a symbiotic harmony between the giver and receiver where both are benefitted. There are volunteer opportunities for a variety of personality styles and physical abilities.

What Roles are Available when Volunteering at a Food Pantry?

From physically active jobs requiring good physical health and lifting, to sitting jobs greeting the public, just about everyone can find a role that suits them at a food pantry.

Volunteer Working Directly with Clients at the Food Pantry

Pantries need volunteers to work directly with the public. These roles are great for more extroverted people who have great people skills.

• Intake – When anyone shows up at the pantry, whether to donate, volunteer their time, or receive a donation, greet them, and write down vital information for the pantry’s record keeping.

• Food Service Line – Volunteers are needed to distribute items of food from various food groups to clients as they pass through. This helps clients receive the food they want and need most from each section of the food pantry.

• Food Delivery – Many clients are in need of food, but they do not have transportation or the ability to get to the food pantry. Delivering food directly to clients helps many who are most needy, including those with disabilities, children, and the elderly.

Volunteer to Help Stock the Pantry with Food

A big part of what keeps a food pantry moving forward and providing to those in need is saving food from going to waste. There are key roles available to help get excess food to those who need it most.

• Outreach – An important role is reaching out to businesses, churches, organizations, and government entities to make the community’s needs known. Many organizations, whether for profit or non-profit, have food that is wasted every day. Volunteers can work to make agreements that will divert this excess food to the food pantry, so it doesn’t end up in a landfill instead.

• Food pick up – As the food pantry develops relationships with more donors, the need for transportation grows. Volunteers are needed to drive, pick up, and haul donations back to the food pantry for distribution.

• Receiving and Organization – A more physically active, introverted person may enjoy receiving donations and preparing them for distribution. This involves lifting heavy boxes, breaking down large packages of food into smaller quantities, and keeping the pantry organized.

Get Involved by Volunteering at a Food Pantry Today

Volunteers are a vital part of keeping those most vulnerable populations fed. There are many roles available, making food pantries a great volunteer opportunity for a wide variety of people. As Margaret Mead says “never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it’s the only thing that ever has. Volunteer today to bolster humanity!