Volunteer at an Agency
Volunteering at one of the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s member soup kitchens, pantries and shelters offers an opportunity to directly assist your community. From helping prepare and serve meals to delivering food to tutoring, our agencies can use your time and talents. Below is a list of agencies that have requested volunteer assistance. Contact the agencies directly to schedule a time to volunteer. The following information is subject to change.
Member agencies can apply here (PDF) to be considered for the agency volunteer program.
North Side
BREAKING BREAD (A MINISTRY OF LASALLE ST. CHURCH), 1111 N. Wells St., is a soup kitchen that needs volunteers on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to help with food preparation, serving, and clean up. Volunteers will be required to do some lifting, stretching and bending. Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator below to find out about volunteer openings.
Minimum age: 18. Maximum group size: 4.
Contact: Marianne Pytel walsgooger@aol.com 312-376-0118
BREAKTHROUGH URBAN MINISTRIES, 402 N. St. Louis, is looking for volunteers in its food pantry to drive to various grocery stores to pick up food donations, stock the storage area with delivered food items, and deliver fresh produce to seniors at the residential facility across the street. Volunteers are needed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at various times.
Minimum age: 16. Maximum group size: 10.
Contact: Tonisha Daniel freshmarket@breakthrough.org 773-346-1743
DEBORAH'S PLACE, 1532 N. Sedgwick and 1456 W. Oakdale, is a supportive housing organization with meal service for tenants (please note, this is not a soup kitchen). Help is needed Sunday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Sedgwick location, and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Oakdale locaation. Volunteers will prepare, serve and clean up from meals for 25 to 30 tenantsand will need to be able to stand, carry and serve food. Volunteers may choose to bring food or help prepare the food that is planned for the day. A volunteer orientation is held once a month from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and is required for all volunteers at both locations. Volunteer requests for holiday meals (Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve/Day) are first come, first served. It is recommended to inquire about availability for these meals in August.
Minimum age: 18. Maximum group size: 2-3 for lunch; 4-5 for dinner.
Contact: Laurie Respass, lrespass@deborahsplace.org 773-638-6579 or visit our website.
HARVEST FOOD PANTRY - VINEYARD CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF EVANSTON, 2495 Howard St., is a pantry that is looking for volunteers on Wednesdays from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and the 3rd Saturday of each month from 9 a.m to 1 p.m. to help with food preparation and distribution. Volunteers will assist with greeting patrons, preparing and serving snacks, bagging produce, filling grocery bags, moving stock, helping patrons select items, set-up and clean-up.
Minimum age: 12. Maximum group size: 6.
Contact: Lisa Haskin, harvest@evanstonvineyard.org 847-328-4544 ext. 2468
MERCY HOME/FRIENDS FIRST MENTORING, 1140 W. Jackson Blvd., is a community based mentoring program that needs volunteers to share a few hours with a young person. Mentors will meet two or three times per month for one year, and are matched with a child of the same gender. You are encouraged to do fun, free activities throughout the city. Complete staff support and supervision is provided. Volunteers are required to attend an info session, and participate in an interview, background check and training. Just a few hours can make a lifetime of a difference to a child. Contact us for mentoring and volunteer opportunities.
Minimum age: 21. Maximum group size: 1.
Contact: Dee Yelvington volunteer@mercyhome.org 312-738-7552
ST. THOMAS OF CANTERBURY SOUP KITCHEN, 4827 N. Kenmore Ave., has opportunities for service on Tuesdays and Fridays from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Please note that this site does not have opportunities for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, or weekends. We are currently seeking volunteers for the week before Christmas and the first three weeks of January. Volunteers assist with food preparation, set-up, serving the meal, and clean-up. This site is unable to take volunteers for court-ordered community service. Volunteers between the ages of 14 and 17 must be accompanied by an adult chaperone. Please note that this site is only accessed via stairs.
Minimum age: 14. Maximum group size: 15.
Contact: www.stcuptown.com
South Side
CANAAN MBC PANTRY, 6659 South Harvard, is a food pantry that is requesting volunteers to help restock shelves, sorting food, administrative duties, filing client records, loading/unloading food, and assisting with heavy cartons/bags for elderly and disabled clients. Volunteers are needed from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturdays. Volunteers may be asked to do some lifting, stair climbing, data entry and filing.
Minimum age: 5. Maximum group size: 13.
Contact: Claire Callahan canaanvolunteers@gmail.com
CHATHAM-AVALON MINISTRIES, 8601 S. State St., is a food pantry that is seeking volunteers to help unloading food and stocking shelves on the first Wednesday of each month from 9 to 11 a.m. Volunteers will need to be able to lift 20 pounds or more.
Minimum age: 18. Maximum group size: 4.
Contact: Anna Horton 708-557-4747
CHOSEN TABERNACLE MINISTRIES, 4310 South Champlain Ave., is a food pantry that is looking for volunteers to provide administrative client intake and to oversee food as clients choose food products from their "choice based" pantry distribution model. Volunteers are needed on Thursdays from 12 p.m to 3p.m. Volunteers will need to able to stand for at least 30 minutes.
Minimum age: 18. Maximum group size: 10.
Contact: Pastor Sandra Gillespie sandygill526@yahoo.com 312-749-8991
HYDE PARK KENWOOD FOOD PANTRY, 1169 E. 56th St. (side door of 5600 S. Woodlawn), is seeking assistance with their Saturday food distributions from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Volunteers will help to set up the distribution area, pack grocery bags and cases of food and carry them to the recipients, organize/clean the pantry storage area and take inventory after the distribution. Volunteers must be able to climb up and down the stairs while carrying groceries, arrive on time, and treat recipients with respect and friendliness.
Minimum age: 12. Maximum group size: 6.
Contact: Jan Deckenbach jdeckenbach@press.uchicago.edu 773-702-7034
MERCY HOME/FRIENDS FIRST MENTORING, 1140 W. Jackson Blvd., is a community based mentoring program that needs volunteers to provide one-on-one mentoring. This includes doing fun, free activities with an assigned child of the same gender, with complete staff support and supervision. Volunteers will meet two or three times per month for one year. Volunteers are required to attend an info session, and participate in an interview, background check and training. Volunteers choose the type of child they wish to mentor.
Minimum age: 21. Maximum group size: 1.
Contact: Mary Ann Pilet volunteer@mercyhome.org 312-738-7552
TRCDO - HARVEST FOR THE WORLD, 1415 W. 104th St., is a food pantry that is seeking volunteer help on Fridays and Saturdays. Volunteers are needed to pack food bags, give food to clients, take the food to clients' cars, and remove from storage areas. Volunteers will need to have good customer service skills and be able to lift bags of about 25 to 30 pounds.
Minimum age: 18. Maximum group size: 6.
Contact: Lynn Munson 773-881-7710
WORD OF TRUTH, 1845 W. 35th St., is a food pantry whose primary need is for volunteers to help with client intake, food/clothes distributions, stocking shelves, cleaning, organizing clothes, cleaning and assisting clients with bags. English-Spanish skills helpful. Volunteers are needed every other Friday (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and every Saturday (9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.). Volunteers must attend a 45 minute orientation and those volunteers under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Minimum age: 13. Maximum group size: 8.
Contact: Lawon Tidwell wotdmoutreach@yahoo.com 773-789-8956
West Side/Suburbs
Lighthouse of Hope, 1719 W North Ave Melrose Park, IL
Lighthouse of Hope is a soup kitchen that needs volunteers on Thursdays and Saturdays twice a month, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to assist with unloading trucks, carrying boxes, assisting with food distribution, cleaning and helping with setup. Volunteers will be required to do some lifting, stretching and bending. Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator below to find out about volunteer openings.
Minimum age: 16. Maximum group size: 3.
Contact: Donna Gaizutis gaziutis_donna@yahoo.com 708-456-3001.
