Help sort donated food for Coppin Food Pantry, Southside, afternoon

We will be sorting donated produce from local grocery stores to prepare for the distribution in the late afternoon at the Coppin Community Center's Food Pantry. Come help feed low income families in need of food in the Washington Park Neighborhood. The pantry is operated by the Coppin Memorial A.M.E. Church and Coppin Community Center. They have been serving the south side of Chicago for the last 95 years. The pantry has been operation since October 2011

Refreshments will be served to volunteers. We need help the most from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm on truck delivery. 1st truck arrives between 8:30-9:00. 2nd truck arrives between 12:00noon and 12:30. These are not hard and fast time slots. If you cannot stay for the full duration, you can still be very helpful for 1 or 2 hours.

Average weight for the bags and boxes are around 20 to 40 pounds. We work in teams so you do not need to lift anything heavier than you feel comfortable doing. You can take breaks whenever you need one.

Volunteers will help count and sort the food and prepare them for distribution to the pantry’s clients, that takes place later that night. Please dress in comfortable clothes, no open toe shoes as you may have to deal with heavy cans and boxes that may fall near your feet. Dress as if you are going to the gym for a light workout. If you are not capable of heavy lifting, we will do our best to accommodate you with other tasks that are not as physically demanding. There will be need for volunteers to organize and sort small and light items on the tables. The work we will be doing is very important. You will directly be helping feed over 200 households that may otherwise go hungry for the week. These includes children and at risk seniors.

This is a day time 5 hours project on Monday. Our volunteer team will help unload 4000 to 6000 pounds of donated food from a delivery truck and bring them up half a flight of stairs (6 steps) to be sorted and put in proper storage. This is your chance to get in on a weight lifting and Step Aerobics workout without having to go to the gym, and feel good about yourself in multiple ways.

Free parking across the street from the pantry in the Church parking lot.

We need 15 to 20 total volunteers each Monday afternoon. This is a great opportunity for volunteer groups from work or school, and family members to participate together.

Transportation and Car pooling: We encourage our volunteers to be green whenever possible or practical. Public transportation (bus, train, bike, walking) are easy at many locations, but other sites are remote or end late at night and can use some car pool planning. If you do not drive and need a ride, post below and ask about car pool possibilities. State what town and intersection you can be picked up. If you do drive, please consider helping a fellow volunteer that lives near you or along your way. Post where you are coming from and offer to pick up a fellow volunteer along your route. You will make some new cool friends even before you get to the volunteer event.

Honor your RSVP commitment: Keep your RSVP status up to date. Event organizers depend on an accurate volunteer count to plan their assignments correctly. If you RSVP Yes to help an event, please honor your commitment and attend the event to help. Arriving on time and staying for the full duration of the volunteer shift is expected, unless stated by organizer that shift time is flexible, and you emailed ahead to both agree on a different time. Most events have limited volunteer spots; don't waste one by being a no-show. All event hosts are grateful for volunteers' help and will try to accommodate your schedule if you are sincere in helping.

You have the option to change your RSVP to "No" if you no longer can attend. We understand volunteers also have jobs, school, and family, and unexpected things happen. Please cancel with at least 48 hours notice before the event time so other volunteers on the waiting list can have enough time to adjust their own schedule to participate. Don't wait until the last day to cancel on an event, unless it is serious emergency. If you are sick with a cold of flu, then of course stay home to rest and recover. Taking care of your health is important. Going to an event when you are sick will only spread your germs and get more people sick. Most of the people we serve are vulnerable populations with a weaken immune system (seniors, children, homeless). We must be mindful to keep them safe and healthy.