Central Storage Unit / Warehouse Volunteer

Derby Food 4 Thought Alliance (DF4TA) was formed to eliminate hunger using a coordinated approach, with voluntary and community organisations supported by different council departments, statutory & business sector to form a genuine partnership within the city working together.

DF4TA is about getting to the root causes of people’s needs and recognises that the solution is about more than just food - people have no money to buy food because of a range of wider issues, including, debt, homelessness, benefits, health issues and the cost of living crisis. DF4TA aims to offer a holistic approach and help people break out of the cycle of food poverty by offering information, advice and guidance. Where appropriate signpost to external agencies who will offer free tailored support.

What you’ll actually be doing

Accept deliveries into the CSU of donations and bulk orders.
Process stock on arrival, date and quality check, rotate goods, support with stock checks.
Help to keep the stores clean and tidy.
Using the order system to process orders from the foodbanks we work with, ready for them to collect weekly.
Follow basic food hygiene procedures when handling unpackaged food items.
Collecting food from supermarkets and other donation sources, if needed.
You will assist in the training of new volunteers by allowing them to buddy up with you and offer guidance within the role.
Feed in to Food 4 Thought decisions and keep up to date with developments by attending regular team meetings and engaging in training.
We are an ever changing organisation, with new tasks and issues coming up all the time, so please don’t think every shift will be the same.

Time commitment

There is no set time commitment from a few hours a week to full days, whatever you can give.
The volunteering opportunity is ongoing and not time limited.
We will arrange a suitable time for you to come in so we can check that staff are around to support you.

Skills and experience required

Friendly personality and approachable
Good communication and people skills.
Show empathy towards people and their different situations and be non-judgemental.
You will be meeting a wide range of people from different backgrounds, to ensure that they all receive the same level of service we ask that you comply with our Equal Opportunities policy.
You may having access to personal information from other volunteers and service users, it is important that you recognise and respect the need for confidentiality. We will ask you to comply with our confidentiality and data protection policies.
This role is suitable for people aged 18yrs+
Experience of working with people from diverse backgrounds would be useful but not essential.

Getting support

You will receive a full induction and training to give you the skills to do this role. You will then get a buddy from our team of experienced volunteers to support you in the role and offer guidance.
There will be a member of staff available to provide you with ongoing support while you are in the role. You will also be given regular opportunities to give and receive feedback on a more formal basis. At no point will you be expected to provide a service without the support of a trained member of staff.

We will provide

You with any equipment needed for the role.
Out of pocket expenses for travel will be paid on a reimbursement basis; if this causes difficulties we will make alternative arrangements.

Getting it right

We hope volunteering is a positive experience for you. We’ll review this task description with you after a three-month trial period. There may be some changes we can make together to make the role more suitable. If we can’t do this, or if we think you’re not suited to the role, we’ll discuss this with you and offer other opportunities either within the Food 4 Thought Alliance or signpost you to Community Action to look for alternative roles with other organisations.

Download the role description (77.50 KB)