Doing Good with MaxFun-Volunteering at Food Banks
October 23-29, 2023
We’re so grateful that you’re interested in gathering other MaxFunsters to help your local community by volunteering at the food bank! We are hoping that you’ll make some fast friends along the way, too. Use this guide to help you organize your event. If you have questions, email stacey@maximumfun.org for help!
You can volunteer anywhere in your community, but because food insecurity is a constant concern–especially so with rising costs of goods–MaxFun is recommending a volunteer day at your local Food Bank! They usually have a few different projects you can help with, and most commonly they’ll need help either sorting donated food or preparing kits to be distributed to families. HQ staff will be volunteering with our local food bank, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, who noted, “If you can picture ‘Lucy & Ethel’ in the chocolate factory, but with non-perishable items- that’s what our volunteer project looks like.”
How to set up a group volunteer day through your local Food Bank:
Step 1: Gauge interest!
It’s a good idea to at least get a handful of folks together who are sure they want to do this before reaching out to the food bank. Consider posting on social media that you’re hoping to put together a MaxFun Volunteer Day at your local food bank, and ask for folks to comment or like if they are interested. If you tag @maxfunHQ, we’ll help spread the word. Some food banks have a cap on how many volunteers they can handle per project, so once you have even, say, five folks interested it’s probably a good time to reach out!
Step 2: Contact your local food bank!
Call or email your local food bank’s volunteer coordinator. Let them know you have a group interested in helping sort food or prep kits the week of October 23. They’ll let you know if they have availability, and what next steps to take.
Step 3: Recruit some pals!
The process varies for different food banks–sometimes they’ll have a signup link you can easily share, and sometimes they’ll need you to gather names and send them their way. You can create an event on Facebook and post the signup link there (and/or ask for folks to RSVP that they’re attending). Make sure to close signups once you reach capacity!
Typical requirements you’ll want to note in your post:
- Minimum age of 18
- Close-toed shoes
- Volunteers need to sign a waiver
- Any other requirements specified by your local food bank!
Step 4: Prep for the day
- You may want to grab a case of water to share, in case folks need a break. And/or snacks!
- You’ll also want to print a list of names and check off who shows up. Having a complete list and # of actual volunteers helps the organization track volunteer hours- which helps them secure more grant funding! So your volunteerism helps in multiple ways.
- Extras can make the day fun, like nametags! And/or you can encourage folks to wear MaxFun apparel, pins, etc.
Step 5: Show up!
- Show up and have fun doing good with your fellow MaxFunsters!
- If you want to take photos of your group and share them with us, we’d love that! Just make sure the food bank is ok with it (as well as the people in the photos!)
Step 6: Celebrate!
Consider building a post-volunteer hangout into your plan, be it grabbing a cocktail/mocktail at an outdoor local place right afterwards, or meeting up a few days later for a social. We hope you come away with a bunch of cool new MaxFun pals!
Thank you for your generous heart, and for being what’s best about the MaxFun community!
Like we mentioned, we would love to see your photos or posts about it, tag us @MaxFunHQ or use the hashtag #DoingGoodWithMaxFun.