Volunteer

Apply to Volunteer

The Strathcona Food Bank is 100% volunteer run! There are no paid staff at the SFB. We depend on our amazing volunteers to operate. And what an incredible bunch of volunteers they are!

Please choose from the options listed below in order to apply. Groups or teams wishing to volunteer at the Food Bank will be put on a waiting list until we can find an appropriate event for your group. Thank you so much for your interest in helping others!

Did You Know?

Volunteer Stats for 2023:

Individual Volunteers
0
Total Volunteer Hours*
0
Hampers Built
0

*This does not include special event volunteer people and hours.

That’s equivalent to 16 full time employees!

Everyone is Welcome

Volunteers at the SFB come from all stages of life, from young people to retired folks. There is a place for everyone at the Strathcona Food Bank.

Something for Everyone

Volunteer jobs include such things as drivers, hamper packers, intake staff, sorters, special events volunteers among many others. Please note that if you are under 18 years of age, a parent/guardian must be present in order to volunteer.

Volunteer Positions

Strathcona Food Bank operates a 16 ft. cube van and our Drivers/Packers pack, collect and deliver donations from grocery stores and businesses early each morning. They also collect from churches, schools and businesses during food drives.

Drivers are subject to a Driver’s Abstract, obtained by the Food Bank, and must carry a valid Class 5 driver’s license. Applicants will train with regular drivers/packers. Minimum age 25 years.

Driving hours of operation:

Monday – Friday 7:00am -10:30am

Saturday mornings, Monday and Tuesday afternoons

*Occasionally, additional hours are required.

Our in-house volunteers carry out a variety of tasks, including answering telephones/taking applications, sorting donations, repackaging food, building food hampers, stocking shelves and organizing and cleaning the warehouse. Applicants will train with one of our experienced volunteers after which a regular weekly shift would be assigned. Minimum age 18 years.

We have 4 shifts available, Monday – Friday:

  1. 9:00am – Noon
  2. 1:00pm – 4:00pm
  3. Thursday evenings 4:00pm – 7:00pm
  4. Saturday from 10:30am – 1:00pm

Thank you for giving some of your valuable time to assist those in need!

Volunteer Application Forms

Select the appropriate tab below and fill out the corresponding dropdown form in its entirety. We will reach out to you to confirm details and answer any questions you may have as soon as your application has been processed. Thank you!

Individual Volunteer Application Form
Employment & Volunteer Experience
Availability & Area of Interest
*Please note, work will be assigned based on availability and suitability
Small Group Volunteer Application Form

Strathcona Food Bank Community Group Registration (Small Group – 10 people or less)

Hello and thanks for thinking of the Strathcona Food Bank!

This form will help you and your team (and us) stay super organized.

In 2023, the Strathcona Food Bank had over 17, 000 people visits and served over 5500 hampers to Strathcona County residents (35% increase over 2022). We are a 100% volunteer run organization – and look forward to community groups helping us out in the warehouse.

Please note that we are open to the public during the following dates/times and are not able to accommodate community group volunteers during these hours:

  • Monday to Friday 9:00am – Noon
  • Thursday evening 4:30pm – 7:00pm
  • Saturday 10:30am – 1:00pm

If you have a small group (10 people or less) who are interested in helping in our warehouse, here is what your 2-hour work bee would include:

  • A secure space for your team to meet and leave belongings.
  • A personal talk/presentation and tour of our building and operations.
  • A work bee in our warehouse to help Strathcona County residents in need (this could include putting together school snack kits/birthday bags/gluten-free bags/dog treat bags/etc.)
  • Team photo at the end of your shift!

Fill in this form and hit send and we will be in touch in the coming days!

Val Mitchell – Community Groups Volunteer, Strathcona Food Bank

*If YES: Groups that have individuals under the age of 18 must have an adult supervisor per six individuals and your organization is responsible for its volunteers.
We are always grateful for any donations that our community volunteer groups bring in to the Strathcona Food Bank as part of their work bee/visits!
Large Group Volunteer Application Form

Strathcona Food Bank Community Group Registration (Large Group – 11-20 people)

*Due to current space and activities at the Food Bank, we will be looking at large group volunteer spots starting in early 2025*

Hello and thanks for thinking of the Strathcona Food Bank!

This form will help you and your team (and us) stay super organized.

In 2023, the Strathcona Food Bank had over 17, 000 people visits and served over 5500 hampers to Strathcona County residents (35% increase over 2022). We are a 100% volunteer run organization – and look forward to community groups helping us out in the warehouse.

Please note that we are open to the public during the following dates/times and are not able to accommodate community group volunteers during these hours:

  • Monday to Friday 9:00am – Noon
  • Thursday evening 4:30pm – 7:00pm
  • Saturday 10:30am – 1:00pm

If you have a large group (11-20 individuals) interested in touring our warehouse, here is what your  1-hour (approximate) visit would include:

  • A secure space for your team to meet and leave belongings
  • A personal talk/presentation and tour of our building and operations
  • A short team activity to learn more about the Strathcona Food Bank
  • Team photo at the end of your shift!

Note: Groups that have individuals under the age of 18 must have an adult supervisor per six individuals and your sports team / business / organization is responsible for its volunteers.

Fill in this form and hit send and we will be in touch in the coming days!

Val Mitchell – Community Groups Volunteer, Strathcona Food Bank

*If YES: Groups that have individuals under the age of 18 must have an adult supervisor per six individuals and your organization is responsible for its volunteers.
We are always grateful for any donations that our community volunteer groups bring in to the Strathcona Food Bank as part of their work bee/visits!

Financial Statements

Agency & Community Support

We offer weekly/bi-weekly food support to about 40 local agencies and programs such as The Robin Hood Association and The Safe Place. We also provide staples to mini food pantries in the community, such as the mini-pantry in the Family and Community Services building. These pantries help to ensure that people can access emergency food when and where they need it.

Child & Teen Snack Bags

We recognize that children and teens a unique need for nutritious snacks to support their healthy growth and development. Our snack bags, which have about 25 school-safe snacks including dried fruit, shelf-stable milk and fruit cups, are provided monthly in grocery orders for 5-17 year olds. We also provide these directly to schools to provide for students in need.

Love Food, Hate Waste

This is a unique partnership with Salisbury Composite High School culinary program. Foods that are not ideal for consumption,(such as over-ripe bananas) are repurposed by the culinary students into delicious products (such as banana bread) that are then offered to our guests. It’s a popular program that keeps foods out of the landfill, teaches students valuable kitchen skills and provides a wonderful variety of baking, soups and sauces to our guests.

Birthday Bags

One month prior to their next birthday, every child and teen ages 2 – 17 receives a special bag that provides supplies to help celebrate a birthday! Collecting for and building birthday bags is done by many community groups including schools.

Client Choice Shelves

As a supplement to our standard hampers, we offer a choice section so that guests can choose a few extra foods that fit their personal and cultural food preferences. It has a cooler, freezer and 24 ft of grocery store shelving and offers things like produce, dairy, spices, sauces, canned goods, baking items and toiletries.

Regular Hamper Service

As the foundation to our food provision, we offer full grocery orders once a month and weekly top-up bread, baking and produce orders. Our monthly orders provide groceries that offer a 7-day nutritionally-balanced diet according to the Canada’s Food Guide, and up to 14 days sustenance. On special request, we accommodate some dietary restrictions (vegetarian, gluten-free, pork-free, nut-free) and offer some additional items such as baby products and meal replacements.

Strathcona Food Bank Community Events

Hello and thanks for supporting the Strathcona Food Bank!

This form will help us all stay organized.

My name is Anke Berner and I’m the Public Relations Volunteer for the Strathcona Food Bank at 255 Kaska Road in Sherwood Park. I’ll be helping and supporting you through your important (and fun!) initiative.

We have many groups who support the Strathcona Food Bank throughout the year by hosting events for us. These events can vary from collecting non-perishable food items, events where entrance fees are donated back to us, 50/50 rallies to hanging door hangers throughout Sherwood Park.

Fill out this form and hit send and I will be in touch in the coming days! I can then explain better to you how we can help one another.

Anke Berner – Public Relations Volunteer, Strathcona Food Bank

Our Board Members

Tracey Cyca

Co-Chair

Kathryn Howden

Co-Chair

Leeann Mahé

Treasurer

Anke Berner

Secretary / Public Relations

Jo Paulencu

Director

Allee Dawson

Director

Rick McFadyen

Director & Chair, Capital Committee

Rodney Lamarre

Director

E-Transfer Instructions

You can make a donation via e-transfer through the financial institution of your choice. Please ensure that the recipient email address is set to treasurer@strathconafoodbank.ca

If you have any questions or concerns, please send an email to the above address and our Treasurer will assist you.

Thank you for supporting the Strathcona Food Bank, any and all donation are greatly appreciated!