Volunteer with us!

Yes! You can learn more and sign up for a group volunteer experience here.

We can accommodate up to:

• 18 volunteers per shift on Mondays & Tuesdays
• 25 volunteers per shift on Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays
• 21 volunteers per shift on Saturdays

Volunteers must be 12 years or older, and volunteers between the ages of 12-15 must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of their shift. For every 5 youth, 1 adult should plan to volunteer with the group. To ensure safety, this policy is not flexible.

• If you are scheduled to help with Food Sorting/Repack, you can make direct changes to your reservation on Sign Up Genius. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact us by emailing volunteers@secondharvestsw.org or call (608) 216-7214.
• If you are a group coordinator, we ask that you inform us of any changes or cancellations at least 1 week before your volunteer shift.
• If you are an individual volunteer, we ask that you inform us of any changes or cancellations at least 42 hours before your shift.
• If you are scheduled to help with an individual unique volunteer opportunity, please let us know by emailing volunteers@secondharvestsw.org or calling 608.216.7214.

• Prepare for your Food Sort/Repack shift by exploring What To Expect at Your Volunteer Shift at The Distribution Center!
• Download and print our Preparing for Your Volunteer Shift at Second Harvest Foodbank document to keep our reminders handy.

• Yes, we are happy to verify hours for court-ordered service. You can learn more and sign up for a volunteer shift here!
• If you need hour verification, please reach out to volunteers@secondharvestsw.org after completing the hours needed. Please note that hour verifications can take up to 5 business days to complete.

Yes! We can confirm and verify hours for school and other volunteer programs. To receive an hour verification, please reach out to volunteers@secondharvestsw.org after completing the hours needed. Please note that hour verifications can take up to 5 business days to complete.

To keep a well-planned and smooth volunteer experience, we do not allow drop-in volunteers. Our schedule is up to date, so check Sign Up Genius often to see if a shift has openings the day before or the day of your shift!

Masks are optional and available at our front desk at Second Harvest facilities. This is in alignment with our commitment to following CDC guidelines. You are invited to review the Second Harvest COVID Protocol ahead of your shift.

Is your group interested in deepening your volunteer experience with a presentation or learning opportunity? Contact us at volunteers@secondharvestsw.org or give us a call at 608-216-7214 to learn more!

• We at Second Harvest encourage you to reflect on your experience and use the resources below to further your connection to the community:
• • Connecting the Cause
  • Morgridge Center for Public Service: Community Engagement Preparation Resources
  • TED Talk: How to overcome our biases? Walk boldly toward them
  • University of Memphis’ Comparison Between Asset and Deficit Based Approaches
• Educate yourself and others about food insecurity and food systems.
• Food insecurity is a complex issue that isn’t always easy to solve. We’ve linked some resources to help you learn more and reflect on the ways our communities can tackle hunger:
• • Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap
  • Feeding Wisconsin’s State of Hunger
  • Hunger Stats

• Support community through other pathways to service:
• • Second Harvest recognizes that the opportunity to volunteer is not available to everyone in our community. We also thank those that choose to help end food insecurity by means of community organizing, advocacy, philanthropy, voting, and self-education.