Warehouse volunteer volunteer volunteer roles

WAREHOUSE OPERATIONS VOLUNTEER 

Will you use your time and practical skills to help raise funds for the fight against unfit housing and homelessness? 

Will you become part of our Sunderland Warehouse team and make a meaningful difference? 

Whether you’re sorting stock, preparing items for distribution, helping keep the warehouse organised and safe or supporting with online sales, you will play a vital role in supporting our work. You'll be joining a friendly team in a practical, hands-on role where you can share your skills to enable our Shelter shops across the country 

We rely on people who are willing to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in. If that sounds like you, we’d love you to join the team. 

Location: Shelter Warehouse, 244-246 High Street West, Sunderland

Suggested contribution: It’s up to you! Volunteers can support for a few hours a day, or a few days a week. 

Availability: Our warehouse is open Monday to Friday from 9am – 5pm 

If you can give even a few hours during any of these times, we’d really love to hear from you. 

The above is the essential information you need to know. You can apply now by clicking ‘fill in an application’ or read on more for details.

Shop volunteering helps fight the housing emergency by raising vital funds that enable Shelter to provide advice and support for people who are experiencing bad housing and homelessness, as well as powering us to campaign for change.

Benefits of volunteering with Shelter 

Volunteers are essential to Shelter’s mission to end housing injustice. We welcome volunteers from all backgrounds. The insights and life experiences our volunteers bring to Shelter are valued as much as their contribution through volunteering. 

We aim to provide our volunteers with a positive experience. This is by prioritising accessibility and tailoring the support we provide to the needs of the individual. We make sure our policies and processes are equitable, which means that no-one is unfairly disadvantaged while volunteering because of their background or identity. 

Your skills and experience 

We welcome applications from people with a wide range of skills and experiences. It doesn’t matter if you’ve not volunteered or worked in a warehouse before. What’s most important is that you are a team player, willing to learn and want to make a difference in tackling the housing emergency while gaining warehouse or logistic experience. 

Supporting you 

• You will be provided with an induction into your role, access to relevant learning and a copy of our volunteer handbook. 

• The role, including learning and communications, are flexible, so can be tailored so they best suit your needs and preferences.

• You will be able to claim reasonable volunteering expenses in line with Shelter’s volunteer policy. Where financial circumstances would be a barrier to volunteering, we may be able to offer these funds in advance.

• You will be able to access our volunteer support package, including our colleague assistance programme and Shelter’s network of mental health first aiders. 

Next steps 

• If you need to apply by an alternative method, please contact us or speak to someone at the shop.

• We will then get back to you about your application. Shortlisted applicants will have a recruitment conversation to discuss the role further. 

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Would you like to help end food insecurity and tackle climate change in Greater Manchester, whilst gaining valuable experience and skills? Or perhaps you'd just like to keep busy and active and make new friends, whilst supporting a great cause.

WHAT WE OFFER YOU

Induction, training and support.
Practical experience and transferable skills in food redistribution and warehousing.
A reference (after 2 months with us).
An understanding of warehousing and logistics.
Expenses: Reimbursement of travel costs of up to £5 for public transport, and up to £6 for car drivers. Up to £3 towards lunch, if you have special dietary requirements. (We provide lunch, so will contribute towards the cost of a meal, should you bring your own, only if what we are offering isn't considered suitable; e.g. a diet that's restricted for health, ethics or religion).

ABOUT US

As a sustainability charity, we take donated surplus (over-stocked) food and redistribute it to people in need.
The initiatives we support include food banks, schools, community groups and charities.

Our vital work supports people experiencing extreme hardship and prevents good food going to landfill, where it would contribute to climate warming through greenhouse gas emissions. 

We need help in our warehouse to receive and record supplies, load and unload vans, and prepare orders for delivery.
In return, we offer training and support to help you obtain skills and experience if you are seeking work.
If you're not looking for a job, volunteering with us is rewarding in many other ways; offering an opportunity to make friends, keep physically active and support your community.

This role is vital to FareShare's work, ensuring that the food in our warehouse is sorted, labelled and organised into orders.
It is perfect for someone who is:

a) Looking for a practical activity to keep busy and physically fit.
b) Looking for experience and skills to gain employment in the food industry and warehousing.
c) Wanting to help their community and help tackle global warming.
d) Wanting to make new friends.

Our volunteer roles are available Monday to Friday, for a whole or half day, with shifts between 8:30-am-12:30pm and 12:30-4:30pm. 

Volunteers are typically involved on one day a week.

WHAT WILL I BE DOING?
Receiving, sorting, cataloguing and storing chilled and ambient food and preparing orders for delivery. 
Ensuring food quality and safety by checking ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates.
Unpacking deliveries, recording and categorising food.
Assembling food orders.
Maintaining health and safety and hygiene standards. 
Helping with cleaning and other routine tasks.

PERSON SPECIFICATION: You must...
Be reasonably physically fit to carry out tasks, including lifting and loading.
Be reliable and able to commit to an agreed session/day.
Speak English well in order to understand and follow instructions and health and safety rules. 
Have basic literacy and numeracy skills to record details of donated food.
Be able to work to Health and Safety standards.
Be happy to complete tasks independently according to instruction.
Be positive, friendly and enthusiastic about tackling food waste and food insecurity.

LOCATION
We are located in Maynard House, New Smithfield Market, Openshaw, M11 2WJ, which is easily reachable on public transport. We have free-onsite parking and secure storage for bicycles.

​IMPORTANT NOTE:
You must be a UK resident and living within easy commuting distance of our base in order to volunteer with us. This is because our volunteers must be able to reliably commit to regular shifts for our roles.
We are unable to offer sponsorship for overseas applicants.

Know someone else who might be interested in volunteering with us?
Please pass our details on to them as we always welcome new people on our teams. :)

St. Barnabas House and Chestnut Tree House provide specialist palliative care within the hospices and in the comfort of patients' homes, treating adults and children with advanced progressive life-limiting illnesses.

To ensure our shops are packed with new and exciting stock and look appealing, we rely on a team of volunteers working behind the scenes to make this happen at our Retail Distribution Centre in Worthing. It's a hive of activity, with donations sorted from bags of clothes, and boxes of Bric-a-brac, to large furniture items.
This is an excellent role if you like being part of a team and enjoy keeping active. There's always lots to do, and it's fascinating when our volunteers spot something rare and valuable.

You can volunteer for one or more shifts a week for a morning, afternoon, or all day, but we're delighted to consider any time that suits you, even if it's just a couple of hours.

Apart from a willingness to help, no special skills are needed because we'll show you what to do and provide all the training you'll need.

Why we want you
As a food bank warehouse team leader, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the smooth running of the food bank warehouse, supporting volunteers, coordinating activities and being the main point of contact for handling queries for the duration of the session. In this role you can make a real difference to both the people you serve and the volunteers you lead, ensuring a positive experience for all.
 

What you will be doing

• Supervise and motivate a team of volunteers.

• Support the recruitment and induction of new volunteers as required.

• Oversee and delegate tasks to ensure the smooth running of the food bank warehouse.

• Uphold safeguarding, health and safety and hygiene policies, reporting any concerns to your Main Contact.

• Ensure food bank policies and procedures are followed.

• Create a welcoming, caring and friendly atmosphere for volunteers and people coming to the centre.

• Lead a volunteer debrief at the end of each session.

• Attend team leader meetings as required.

• Regularly report to your Main Contact / Food bank Project Manager.

The skills you need

• Strong team player.

• Excellent communication skills.

• Empathetic.

• Organised and self-motivated.

• Strong leadership skills.

• Drivers License (preferable).

What's in it for you

• Using your existing skills to make a difference.

• Meet new people who share your passion to eradicate poverty in the community.

• Make a real difference to the running of your food bank.

Description

Would you like to make a difference to the lives of blind and partially sighted people by supporting the RNIB Enterprises Team in a varied warehouse admin role? Do you live in or close to Peterborough?

We're looking for a volunteer to help us with:
• Processing scanned return notes and entering details into a spreadsheet.
• Supporting the Warehouse Coordinator with the administration of claims handling.
• Assisting the Warehouse Coordinator in managing dropship courier collections.
• Provide administrative support for reselling returned items.

We're looking for volunteers who are available sometime during weekdays for either a full day or a couple of half days a week.

This role is based within RNIB’s Peterborough office but there is also the option to volunteer remotely from home.

This is a busy role and would suit someone will excellent admin and customer care skills who has a methodical and organised approach and is able to pay attention to detail.

How you will be supported in your role:
Full training on the role will be provided. You will also receive support from your volunteer manager which will include regular updates and catchups.

What you will gain from this role:
This is an ideal opportunity for someone looking to develop or refresh their admin skills in a volunteer role with the UK's leading sight loss charity and you will gain experience in dealing with customers, supporting sales and order teams, potentially increasing your understanding of MS Office and experience within a warehouse setting.

How often will I be needed?

• 1 Days per Week

Key requirements

• This role requires 1 reference.

The Retail Distribution Centre (RDC) is where donations are stored, sorted, cleaned and distributed to the shops. Our volunteers help with household items ranging from crockery, toys, small electrical items, pictures, as well as clothes, shoes and bags. You will become part of the team that will sort, prepare, and recycle donations for resale.

Would you like to help end food insecurity and tackle climate change in Greater Manchester, whilst gaining valuable experience and skills? Or perhaps you'd just like to keep busy and active and make new friends, whilst supporting a great cause.

WHAT WE OFFER YOU

Induction, training and support.
Practical experience and transferable skills in food redistribution and warehousing.
A reference (after 2 months with us).
An understanding of warehousing and logistics.
Expenses:
Reimbursement of travel costs of up to £5 for public transport, and up to £6 for car drivers.
Up to £3 towards lunch, if you have special dietary requirements. (We provide lunch, so will contribute towards the cost of a meal, should you bring your own, if what we are offering isn't considered suitable; e.g. a diet that's restricted for health, ethics or religion).

ABOUT US
As a sustainability charity, we take donated surplus (over-stocked) food and redistribute it to people in need.
The initiatives we support include food banks, schools, community groups and charities.
Our vital work supports people experiencing extreme hardship and prevents good food going to landfill, where it would contribute to climate warming through greenhouse gas emissions. 
We need help in our warehouse to receive and record supplies, load and unload vans, and prepare orders for delivery. In return, we offer training and support to help you obtain skills and experience if you are seeking work. If you're not looking for a job, volunteering with us is rewarding in many other ways; offering an opportunity to make friends, keep physically active and support your community.

This role is vital to FareShare's work, ensuring that the food in our warehouse is sorted, labelled and organised into orders.
It is perfect for someone who is:

a) Looking for a practical activity to keep busy and physically fit.
b) Looking for experience and skills to gain employment in the food industry, warehousing or customer service.
c) Wanting to help their community and help tackle global warming.
d) Wanting to make new friends.

Our volunteer roles are available Monday to Friday, for a whole or half day, with shifts between 8:30-am-12:30pm and 12:30-4:30pm. 
Volunteers are typically involved on one day a week.

WHAT WILL I BE DOING?
Receiving, sorting, cataloguing and storing chilled and ambient food and preparing orders for delivery. 
Ensuring food quality and safety by checking ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates.
Unpacking deliveries, recording and categorising food.
Assembling food orders.
Assisting our Community Food Members with their order collections.
Maintaining health and safety and hygiene standards. 
Helping with cleaning and other routine tasks.

PERSON SPECIFICATION: You must...
Be reasonably physically fit to carry out tasks, including lifting and loading.
Speak English well in order to communicate clearly with our Community Food Members, and to understand and follow instructions and health and safety rules. 
Have basic literacy and numeracy skills to record details of donated food.
Be able to work to Health and Safety standards.
Be happy to complete tasks independently according to instruction.
Be positive, friendly and enthusiastic about tackling food waste and food insecurity.
Be reliable and able to commit to an agreed session/day.

LOCATION
We are located in Maynard House, New Smithfield Market, Openshaw, M11 2WJ, which is easily reachable on public transport. We have free-onsite parking and secure storage for bicycles.

​IMPORTANT NOTE:
You must be a UK resident and living within easy commuting distance of our base in order to volunteer with us. This is because our volunteers must be able to reliably commit to regular shifts for our roles.
We are unable to offer sponsorship for overseas applicants.

Know someone else who might be interested in volunteering with us?
Please pass our details on to them as we always welcome new people on our teams. :)

Our shops help raise vital funds, and volunteering with us is a great way to make a difference, meet new people, and join a fantastic team.

On site we have two shops to volunteer in. The Showroom is Martlets primary furniture and home goods store and the Discount Shop is home to our £1 clothing rails. Both are hubs for our local community to share stories and bag a bargain! We work together with the warehouse to take in the majority of donations for the charity.

Volunteering in our shops offers a variety of exciting tasks. From sorting and pricing donations to spotting hidden gems, you'll roll up your sleeves in the backroom and assist on the shop floor. Engaging with customers is key, whether you're serving with a smile, working the till or helping donors complete Gift Aid forms.

Role summary

To work as part of a busy team, assisting the Donation Centre team to maximise income by supporting Drivers on deliveries and collections in the shops and some processing of stock. This role requires a level of fitness. 

Main duties of the role

• Accompany Drivers on deliveries and support with moving of cages and stock to and from the shops

• Assist in the shops with moving of stock and removal of unwanted items

• To act as Banksman when the drivers when moving vehicles in tight areas, to ensure that the vehicle is moved safely

• If required help with the sorting and assigning of donations to shops

• Be aware of and adhere to health & safety regulations at all times

Training & supervision

• Health and safety training is mandatory (repeated annually), some of which is online

• Training on site at Donation Centre for handling of stock and cages.

• Banksman training will be given

Experience & qualifications required

• Some customer services/warehouse environment experience would be advantageous

• Must have good communications skills to be able to explain trading standards regulations in a professional and polite manner when goods cannot be accepted

• Experience of having worked in similar role 

We’re looking for an exceptional leader to become our next Chair of Trustees — and help shape the future of Little Village. 
 
What began as a grassroots response has grown into a London‑wide baby bank network, supporting thousands of families every year. But with more than one in three children in London living in poverty, our work — and our ambition — has never mattered more. 
 
Over the next chapter, we plan to expand our reach across London and scale our advocacy, including our national leadership as a co-founder of the Baby Bank Alliance, to drive lasting systems change for families experiencing poverty. 
 
As our current Chair’s term comes to an end in early 2027, we’re seeking someone with strong governance experience, strategic vision, and a deep commitment to social impact — someone ready to help lead an organisation with growing influence, reach and responsibility. 

We’d love to hear from you if you:  

• Have experience chairing boards, committees or senior leadership meetings.  

• Have strong understanding of governance (best practice)  

• Have experience of charity fundraising and income generation  

• Can commit the time and expertise to play a key role on our Board.  

• Share our passion for tackling child poverty and supporting families.  

This is an opportunity to play a defining role in a movement for change. 

We are especially keen to diversify our Board and particularly welcome applications from men and people under-represented in charity governance, including those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and people with lived experience of poverty.  

Next steps  

If joining the Little Village family sounds appealing, we’d love to hear from you. You can find more details in our recruitment pack, including how to arrange an informal chat before applying 

Find out more and apply here: Recruitment - Little Village 

Closing date: 12pm, Wednesday 3rd June 

Location: Aston/Witton, North Birmingham

Over 18s only

Come and save vegetables from being wasted at the wholesale markets, turn them into tasty nutritious meals, and help to fight food poverty and food waste.

This is a great chance to learn about the practicalities of sustainability, fight poverty, and of course taste lovely food (Lunch is included!)

We have 2 roles available: warehouse helper and kitchen helper

Warehouse helper:

What will I be doing?

• Either, picking and sorting through fresh produce at the Wholesale markets
• Some lifting and use of light machinery such as pallet trucks and a bit of data-entry

When?

8am – 2pm weekdays. You do not have to stay for the whole shift - even a couple of hours is helpful

Kitchen helper

What will I be doing?

• Sorting, prepping and chopping produce
• packaging meals and washing up

When?

Shifts are between 10am-3pm on weekdays. You do not have to stay for the whole shift - even a couple of hours is helpful

Why volunteer?

Learn practical and fun skills

Free lunch or free fruit/vegetables

Help to change the food system to feed more people

Travel expenses included

How to get involved?

Please give our volunteer lead Alex Doyle an email or a call, we'll then ensure you are properly trained in safeguarding and health and safety. Come along and join us putting surplus food to good use for those who need it, Thanks!