Opportunities From: Operation Food Search

Organize food from food drives/donations

Tasks include:

This helps feed 200,000 people a month!

All volunteer groups include a tour of Operation Food Search's facility. 

Important information: 

The Operation Food Search MetroMarket is a mobile farmers market that brings fresh, healthy food directly to communities with limited access to it. Grocery Volunteers are an essential part of the MetroMarket team, helping create a welcoming, efficient, and enjoyable shopping experience for every customer. Volunteers participate in a variety of activities—including providing friendly customer service, arranging produce displays, ensuring product quality, engaging with the community, maintaining a clean and vibrant market space, and assisting with setup and breakdown.

This is a fun, fast-paced opportunity for energetic, adaptable individuals who enjoy learning quickly, working as part of a team, and making a meaningful difference in their community. 

This event will take place indoors at Homer G. Philips Apartments. Upon arrival, please enter the building and follow signage or ask for the MetroMarket location. You’ll meet the MetroMarket team at the site for orientation and role assignments.

Volunteer requirements:    

   *Ability to lift up to 15 pounds    

   *Ability to stand for 2–3 hours

The Operation Food Search MetroMarket is a mobile farmers market that brings fresh, healthy food directly to communities with limited access to it. Grocery Volunteers are an essential part of the MetroMarket team, helping create a welcoming, efficient, and enjoyable shopping experience for every customer. Volunteers participate in a variety of activities—including providing friendly customer service, arranging produce displays, ensuring product quality, engaging with the community, maintaining a clean and vibrant market space, and assisting with setup and breakdown.

This is a fun, fast-paced opportunity for energetic, adaptable individuals who enjoy learning quickly, working as part of a team, and making a meaningful difference in their community. 

This event will take place inside the St. Louis County Library Natural Bridge Branch. Upon arrival, please enter the building and follow signage or ask for the MetroMarket location. You’ll meet the MetroMarket team at the site for orientation and role assignments.

Volunteer requirements:    

   *Ability to lift up to 15 pounds    

   *Ability to stand for 2–3 hours

The Operation Food Search MetroMarket is a mobile farmers market that brings fresh, healthy food directly to communities with limited access to it. Grocery Volunteers are an essential part of the MetroMarket team, helping create a welcoming, efficient, and enjoyable shopping experience for every customer. Volunteers participate in a variety of activities—including providing friendly customer service, arranging produce displays, ensuring product quality, engaging with the community, maintaining a clean and vibrant market space, and assisting with setup and breakdown.

This is a fun, fast-paced opportunity for energetic, adaptable individuals who enjoy learning quickly, working as part of a team, and making a meaningful difference in their community.

This event takes place OUTDOORS at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center in East St. Louis, IL. Please dress appropriatly for the weather. Any adjustments to the schedule based on inclement weather will be communicated with volunteers as early as possible. 

Volunteer requirements:    

   *Ability to lift up to 15 pounds    

   *Ability to stand for 2–3 hours

Organize food from food drives/donations

Tasks include:

This helps feed 200,000 people a month!

All volunteer groups include a tour of Operation Food Search's facility. 

Important information: 

The Operation Food Search MetroMarket is a mobile farmers market that brings fresh, healthy food directly to communities with limited access to it. Grocery Volunteers are an essential part of the MetroMarket team, helping create a welcoming, efficient, and enjoyable shopping experience for every customer. Volunteers participate in a variety of activities—including providing friendly customer service, arranging produce displays, ensuring product quality, engaging with the community, maintaining a clean and vibrant market space, and assisting with setup and breakdown.

This is a fun, fast-paced opportunity for energetic, adaptable individuals who enjoy learning quickly, working as part of a team, and making a meaningful difference in their community. 

This event will take place inside at Flance Early Learning Center. Upon arrival, please enter the building and follow signage or ask for the MetroMarket location. You’ll meet the MetroMarket team at the site for orientation and role assignments.

Volunteer requirements:    

   *Ability to lift up to 15 pounds    

   *Ability to stand for 2–3 hours

In order to distribute the large quantities of food safely and efficiently, we rely on packing boxes for distribution. This position would require that you lift boxes of food and drinks with varying weights and sizes on to carts. Sorting the meat donations we receive is important to agencies that are not able to receive a certain type of meat, as well as making it easier to distribute. 

Physical requirements: This position requires lifting, bending, and standing for long periods of time. Candidate must be able to lift 20-40 lbs., be on your feet for 2 and able to work in cold or warm conditions. Gloves provided. (Meat is transferred out of the freezer to be packed. You will not be in the freezer.)

Setting: Position is located at Operation Food Search in the distribution warehouse. The warehouse does have some temperature control measures, but due to the large garage doors sitting open for distribution it is difficult to control the temperature during extreme conditions.

Training: Training for position will be conducted on-site.

To Bring: Water bottle

The Operation Food Search MetroMarket is a mobile farmers market that brings fresh, healthy food directly to communities with limited access to it. Grocery Volunteers are an essential part of the MetroMarket team, helping create a welcoming, efficient, and enjoyable shopping experience for every customer. Volunteers participate in a variety of activities—including providing friendly customer service, arranging produce displays, ensuring product quality, engaging with the community, maintaining a clean and vibrant market space, and assisting with setup and breakdown.

This is a fun, fast-paced opportunity for energetic, adaptable individuals who enjoy learning quickly, working as part of a team, and making a meaningful difference in their community. 

This event will take place inside at Rosie Shields Manor. Upon arrival, please enter the building and follow signage or ask for the MetroMarket location. You’ll meet the MetroMarket team at the site for orientation and role assignments.

Volunteer requirements:    

   *Ability to lift up to 15 pounds    

   *Ability to stand for 2–3 hours

Fresh Rx is looking for dedicated volunteers to help empower families with fresh healthy food by assisting in packing food boxes. Nourishing Healthy Starts is a Fresh Rx program that provides nutritious food to pregnant individuals during their pregnancy and up to 3 months post-partum. Nourishing Healthy Starts provides nutritious foods to birthing people who are at risk of food insecurity in order to reduce stress during pregnancy, and help to prevent low birth weight, premature birth, and infant and maternal mortality. Participants of this program receive a food box delivered directly to their home twice a month.

This volunteer opportunity will include packing 100-160 boxes of food that can weigh 12-28 pounds. Volunteers could be packing fresh produce boxes, cold boxes containing meat and dairy, or shelf stable items. We will pack the boxes and sort them for pickup.

Volunteers must be able to stand for 3 hours and lift up to 40 pounds.

Join us in making a direct and meaningful impact on the health of our community! Volunteers will help pack bags filled with fresh fruits and vegetables that will be delivered to individuals experiencing illness and facing barriers to accessing the nutritious food they need.

In addition to packing fresh food, volunteers may be asked to assist with organizing and sorting fresh or shelf-stable items, or other helpful projects as needed.

This volunteer shift is scheduled for 1.5 hours. In some cases, the shift may wrap up early depending on the size and efficiency of the group.

The Operation Food Search MetroMarket is a mobile farmers market that brings fresh, healthy food directly to communities with limited access to it. Grocery Volunteers are an essential part of the MetroMarket team, helping create a welcoming, efficient, and enjoyable shopping experience for every customer. Volunteers participate in a variety of activities—including providing friendly customer service, arranging produce displays, ensuring product quality, engaging with the community, maintaining a clean and vibrant market space, and assisting with setup and breakdown.

This is a fun, fast-paced opportunity for energetic, adaptable individuals who enjoy learning quickly, working as part of a team, and making a meaningful difference in their community.

This event will take place indoors. Upon arrival, please enter the building and follow signage or ask for the MetroMarket location. You’ll meet the MetroMarket team at the site for orientation and role assignments.

Volunteer requirements:    

   *Ability to lift up to 15 pounds    

   *Ability to stand for 2–3 hours

The Operation Food Search MetroMarket is a mobile farmers market that brings fresh, healthy food directly to communities with limited access to it. Grocery Volunteers are an essential part of the MetroMarket team, helping create a welcoming, efficient, and enjoyable shopping experience for every customer. Volunteers participate in a variety of activities—including providing friendly customer service, arranging produce displays, ensuring product quality, engaging with the community, maintaining a clean and vibrant market space, and assisting with setup and breakdown.

This is a fun, fast-paced opportunity for energetic, adaptable individuals who enjoy learning quickly, working as part of a team, and making a meaningful difference in their community. Bilingual volunteers—especially those who speak Spanish—are greatly encouraged to join us in supporting our community.

This event will take place indoors. Upon arrival, please enter the building and follow signage or ask for the MetroMarket location. You’ll meet the MetroMarket team at the site for orientation and role assignments.

Volunteer requirements:    

   *Ability to lift up to 15 pounds    

   *Ability to stand for 2–3 hours

The Operation Food Search MetroMarket is a mobile farmers market that brings fresh, healthy food directly to communities with limited access to it. Grocery Volunteers are an essential part of the MetroMarket team, helping create a welcoming, efficient, and enjoyable shopping experience for every customer. Volunteers participate in a variety of activities—including providing friendly customer service, arranging produce displays, ensuring product quality, engaging with the community, maintaining a clean and vibrant market space, and assisting with setup and breakdown.

This is a fun, fast-paced opportunity for energetic, adaptable individuals who enjoy learning quickly, working as part of a team, and making a meaningful difference in their community. Bilingual volunteers—especially those who speak Farsi/Persian—are greatly encouraged to join us in supporting our community.

This event will take place indoors. Upon arrival, please enter the building and follow signage or ask for the MetroMarket location. You’ll meet the MetroMarket team at the site for orientation and role assignments.

Volunteer requirements:    

   *Ability to lift up to 15 pounds    

   *Ability to stand for 2–3 hours

The Operation Food Search MetroMarket is a mobile farmers market that brings fresh, healthy food directly to communities with limited access to it. Grocery Volunteers are an essential part of the MetroMarket team, helping create a welcoming, efficient, and enjoyable shopping experience for every customer. Volunteers participate in a variety of activities—including providing friendly customer service, arranging produce displays, ensuring product quality, engaging with the community, maintaining a clean and vibrant market space, and assisting with setup and breakdown.

This is a fun, fast-paced opportunity for energetic, adaptable individuals who enjoy learning quickly, working as part of a team, and making a meaningful difference in their community.

This event will take place indoors. Upon arrival, please enter the building and follow signage or ask for the MetroMarket location. You’ll meet the MetroMarket team at the site for orientation and role assignments.

Volunteer requirements:    

   *Ability to lift up to 15 pounds    

   *Ability to stand for 2–3 hours

The Operation Food Search MetroMarket is a mobile farmers market that brings fresh, healthy food directly to communities with limited access to it. Grocery Volunteers are an essential part of the MetroMarket team, helping create a welcoming, efficient, and enjoyable shopping experience for every customer. Volunteers participate in a variety of activities—including providing friendly customer service, arranging produce displays, ensuring product quality, engaging with the community, maintaining a clean and vibrant market space, and assisting with setup and breakdown.

This is a fun, fast-paced opportunity for energetic, adaptable individuals who enjoy learning quickly, working as part of a team, and making a meaningful difference in their community.

This event will take place indoors. Upon arrival, please enter the building and follow signage or ask for the MetroMarket location. You’ll meet the MetroMarket team at the site for orientation and role assignments.

Volunteer requirements:    

   *Ability to lift up to 15 pounds    

   *Ability to stand for 2–3 hours

The Operation Food Search MetroMarket is a mobile farmers market that brings fresh, healthy food directly to communities with limited access to it. Grocery Volunteers are an essential part of the MetroMarket team, helping create a welcoming, efficient, and enjoyable shopping experience for every customer. Volunteers participate in a variety of activities—including providing friendly customer service, arranging produce displays, ensuring product quality, engaging with the community, maintaining a clean and vibrant market space, and assisting with setup and breakdown.

This is a fun, fast-paced opportunity for energetic, adaptable individuals who enjoy learning quickly, working as part of a team, and making a meaningful difference in their community.

This event will take place indoors. Upon arrival, please enter the building and follow signage or ask for the MetroMarket location. You’ll meet the MetroMarket team at the site for orientation and role assignments.

Volunteer requirements:    

   *Ability to lift up to 15 pounds    

   *Ability to stand for 2–3 hours

The Operation Food Search MetroMarket is a mobile farmers market that brings fresh, healthy food directly to communities with limited access to it. Grocery Volunteers are an essential part of the MetroMarket team, helping create a welcoming, efficient, and enjoyable shopping experience for every customer. Volunteers participate in a variety of activities—including providing friendly customer service, arranging produce displays, ensuring product quality, engaging with the community, maintaining a clean and vibrant market space, and assisting with setup and breakdown.

This is a fun, fast-paced opportunity for energetic, adaptable individuals who enjoy learning quickly, working as part of a team, and making a meaningful difference in their community.

This event will take place indoors. Upon arrival, please enter the building and follow signage or ask for the MetroMarket location. You’ll meet the MetroMarket team at the site for orientation and role assignments.

Volunteer requirements:

   *Ability to lift up to 15 pounds

   *Ability to stand for 2–3 hours

The Operation Food Search MetroMarket is a mobile farmers market that brings fresh, healthy food directly to communities with limited access to it. Grocery Volunteers are an essential part of the MetroMarket team, helping create a welcoming, efficient, and enjoyable shopping experience for every customer. Volunteers participate in a variety of activities—including providing friendly customer service, arranging produce displays, ensuring product quality, engaging with the community, maintaining a clean and vibrant market space, and assisting with setup and breakdown.

This is a fun, fast-paced opportunity for energetic, adaptable individuals who enjoy learning quickly, working as part of a team, and making a meaningful difference in their community.

This event will take place indoors. Upon arrival, please enter the building and follow signage or ask for the MetroMarket location. You’ll meet the MetroMarket team at the site for orientation and role assignments.

Volunteer requirements:

*Ability to lift up to 15 pounds

*Ability to stand for 2–3 hours

In order to distribute the large quantities of food safely and efficiently, we rely on packing boxes for distribution. We receive weekly donations of bread from Pepperidge Farms, which need to be checked for quality and sorted into variety boxes for our agency partners to receive. This position would require that you lift boxes of bread with varying weights on to pallets, as well as tape up the boxes needed to pack the bread in to. 

Physical requirements: This position requires lifting, bending, and standing for long periods of time. Candidate must be able to lift ~20 lbs., be on your feet for 2 hours and able to work in cold or warm conditions.

Setting: Position is located at Operation Food Search in the Volunteer Center. The VC does have some temperature control measures, but due to the large garage doors sitting open for distribution it is difficult to control the temperature during extreme conditions.

Training: Training for position will be conducted on-site.

In order to distribute the large quantities of food safely and efficiently, we rely on packing boxes for distribution. We receive weekly donations of bread from Pepperidge Farms, which need to be checked for quality and sorted into variety boxes for our agency partners to receive. This position would require that you lift boxes of bread with varying weights on to pallets, as well as tape up the boxes needed to pack the bread in to. 

Physical requirements: This position requires lifting, bending, and standing for long periods of time. Candidate must be able to lift ~20 lbs., be on your feet for 2 hours and able to work in cold or warm conditions.

Setting: Position is located at Operation Food Search in the Volunteer Center. The VC does have some temperature control measures, but due to the large garage doors sitting open for distribution it is difficult to control the temperature during extreme conditions.

Training: Training for position will be conducted on-site.

OFS hosts three in-person weekly events for our Nourishing Healthy Starts clients. As a volunteer, you’ll help parents engage in important classes while knowing their children are safe, entertained, and well cared for. Your support plays a key role in helping families build healthier, stronger futures. We’re looking for caring, responsible, and enthusiastic volunteers to assist with childcare during Nourishing Healthy Starts events.  

Responsibilities include: 

Supervise and engage with children, ranging from newborn to school-aged. 

Facilitate playtime, games, and activities like coloring and story time. 

Assist with snack or mealtime, prepared by OFS staff. 

Ensure a safe, welcoming, and fun environment. 

Ideal volunteers are patient, compassionate, and enjoy working with young children. Experience with childcare is helpful, but not required. We ask that volunteers commit to several sessions to help build rapport with children and families. 

A background check will be required.  

Interested volunteers must attend a training session prior to their first volunteer shift. Training will cover volunteer responsibilities and safety expectations.  

Training sessions will be held: Tuesdays 10am, Wednesdays 6pm, starting in September 2nd.The training will be virtual via Microsoft Teams. 

To register for a training session or learn more: 

Sign up for this opportunity and you will be contacted. A link to sign up for specific shifts will be provided to volunteers who commit to a training session and provide information for the background check. Training and background check must be complete prior to volunteering.  

Volunteer shifts are anticipated for: 

The second Wednesday of each month from10:30am-1:00pm 

The last Wednesday of each month 10:30am-1:00pm 

The third Thursday of each month from 5:30pm-8:00pm