There are several ways you can volunteer for our Community Fridges. If you want to help monitor the fridges during our open sessions, or rescuing surplus food from businesses by collecting deliveries, or helping our food collectors unload and sort food, whatever task you may take up day to day, you will have an ongoing role as an ambassador for the fridge in the community and whichever way you choose to help us you will receive a warm welcome from other volunteers, who are all keen to make you feel part of our team.
We are always interested to hear from people who could spare some time to volunteer. You can volunteer from 1.5 hours a month, or whatever your can spare!
The volunteer roles
There are a range of volunteer roles available, from food collector, session monitor, social media assistant, fundraiser, to treasurer and other admin roles. Most of our volunteers either collect food or distribute food, and those roles are described below.
Surplus Food Collector
These are the people who visit local shops and food businesses to collect their surplus food. Shops prefer to donate food in the late evening which gives them the best chance to sell it before they give it away.
Some collections happen during the day. The Collectors use their own cars to collect food and transport it to the
Fridge Hub. It is then sorted into, Use by date today and Best before date today. This food is stored safely so it can be given out at the Fridge open days.
Requirements: You must have your own car. You don’t have to commit to a regular slot for collections as we can also use ad hoc volunteers from time to time, but it helps if you can. You’ll have to be able to work independently and represent the Fridge and Fare Divide when you go into shops to collect the food. You’ll need to be able to lift crates, boxes, or bags of food.
Weekday Monitors
The Weekday Monitors are the shopkeepers at the Fridge Hub during opening times. They take the food and lay it out on tables for our customers. When the Fridge is open, the Monitors control flow of customers into the Fridge, help customers find what they are looking for, endeavour to ensure a fair distribution of food and serve loose bakery items in line with Natasha’s Law.
Requirements: Volunteers are the public face of the Fridge and must maintain hygiene standards when working with food e.g. be able to tie back hair and have clean clothes and nails. Volunteers will be interacting with members of the public so should feel confident doing that, although training will be given.
Pop-up Monitors
Pop-ups are held at locations away from the main Fridge Hub. The first role of the Pop-ups team is to transport food to the pop-up location before setting up the pop-up and then doing the same as the weekday monitors do in the week. Any items left over, together with the set-up equipment, are then returned to the Fridge Hub.
Requirements: Volunteers are the public face of the Fridge and must maintain hygiene standards when working with food e.g. be able to tie back hair and have clean clothes and nails. Volunteers will be interacting with members of the public so should feel confident doing that, although training will be given.
How to register your interest
Volunteer registration form for the Horsham Community Fridge: https://forms.gle/5QTW5faaXdu4QHaa8
Volunteer registration form for the Littlehampton Community Fridge: https://forms.gle/uhhQRrK3HuYD9eDw5
Please get in contact if you want to get involved, or for more information please email volunteers@faredivide.org.uk.
We need to gather certain information about individuals, including volunteers, excess food suppliers and other people whom we have a relationship with.
All volunteer details are kept as part of your volunteer file and we will process it for all purposes in connection with your voluntary role.
Benefits of volunteering
Hopefully as a volunteer you’ll get to meet some great new people, be exposed to new ideas and have a great sense of well-being! You’ll also get some free training relevant to your role and be able to access the food in the fridge.