Opportunities From: Montgomery County Volunteer Center

Market Distribution
Volunteers will assist with food distribution at our choice distribution Market. Volunteers must be 16 or older. We are looking for volunteers that can commit to a regular weekly schedule or serve as back up volunteers.

Activities
• Direct participants through the Market and answer questions.
• Volunteers will assist them to their cars if needed
• Shelf restocking/organizing
• Pack bags of additional food when available
• Housekeeping tasks related to the daily upkeep of the Market including breaking down boxes, taking out trash, light cleaning, sanitizing carts

Requirements
• This is a customer service focused opportunity. Volunteers communicate directly with a diverse population and must be courteous, patient, and understanding of each participant’s needs.
• Must be able to communicate calmly and effectively with participants, volunteers, and staff.
• The work is physical and you should be comfortable standing for a couple of hours; you will engage in some light to moderate lifting (up to 25 pounds) as well as bending and reaching.
• Volunteers must be able to work independently in a busy environment and easily transition between tasks throughout the day with minimal instruction.

Shifts

Mondays: 9:30-12pm
Wednesdays: 9:30-12pm

Volunteers are also need to serve as back up volunteers other days

Student participation in this service project is at the discretion of the student’s parent/guardian  and must be completed outside of school hours. The nonprofit organization is responsible for maintaining student safety. Parents/guardians should contact the nonprofit directly with any questions and/or concerns.

Please know due to the amount of training required for this opportunity we are only looking for volunteers that can make a regular weekly commitment for at least 6 months to a year.

Description

Call Center volunteers are highly trained to be able to manage any call.  Volunteers will learn how to direct questions from the public, assess if people qualify for our programs and delivery services, inform people of food pick up policies and location information, issue complaint logs, and direct people to other services.  Volunteers will learn to use several technologies to schedule participants including our Salesforce database, Nextiva phone system, and Microsoft Teams.

Skills and Qualifications

·       Excellent Communication: Proficient in verbal and written communication, able to convey information clearly and effectively.

·       Active Listening: Skilled at understanding and addressing the needs and concerns of callers.

·       Problem-Solving: Adept at identifying issues and providing effective solutions.

·       Multitasking: Capable of handling multiple tasks simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.

·       Empathy and Patience: Strong ability to empathize with callers and remain patient in challenging situations.

·       Technical Proficiency: Proficient in using a computer and familiar with database systems, Microsoft Teams, and basic troubleshooting.

Additional Requirements

·       Volunteers must be 18 or older. 

·       Volunteers must be able to make a regular weekly commitment for at least 6 months to a year. 

·       Volunteers will complete a training over 5 consecutive days.

·       Volunteers must attend monthly Call Center meeting the 3rd Wednesday of the month, 2:30-3pm.

·       This opportunity is NOT open to individuals in need of service hours for Court or Student Service Learning

Preferred Skills

·       Previous Call Center or Customer Service Experience

·       Experience with Salesforce or other databases, Nextiva phone system, and Microsoft Teams.

·       Bi-lingual skills are a plus

·       Some College Experience

·       Ability to bring a personal laptop into the office is ideal.  Onsite computers are limited and may not available.

Current openings: (Availability subject to change)

•           Mondays: 9am-12:30pm

•           Thursdays: 9am-12:30pm

Volunteers are needed to help distribute food to Manna participants, including setting up, checking participants in, directing traffic, and loading cars.  

This activity takes place outside, rain or shine. 

Ideally we are looking for volunteers that can commit to weekly schedule but intermittent opportunities may also be available.  You must schedule shifts in advance.  We are currently looking for 1-2 additional volunteers per shift.

Volunteers must be 16 or older.  This is a physical activity and includes bending, reaching, and lifting up to 25 lbs in weight.  Volunteers must be able to work independently, converse with Manna’s clients & volunteers, and easily transition between many tasks with minimal instruction. 

Shifts:

Wednesdays, 1:30-5pm

Student participation in this service project is at the discretion of the student’s parent/guardian and must be completed outside of school hours. The nonprofit organization is responsible for maintaining student safety. Parents/guardians should contact the nonprofit directly with any questions and/or concerns.

Community Food Rescue (CFR) is the coordinated food recovery network for Montgomery County, Maryland. The network enhances the good work of businesses, individuals, and organizations already recovering and redistributing good food to people experiencing hunger. 

We are in need of Food Runners – Individuals, families and/or groups that transport donated food from the Food Donor to the recipient. 

Requirements:

Desired:

If this is something that you are interested in helping with please follow this link https://www.communityfoodrescue.org/covid-19-response/ for more information on how to register