Food Link Volunteer Onboarding

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Food Link!

In order to get involved, you will need to complete our online onboarding process. The process as a whole will take approximately 30-40 minutes to complete, and will involve the following steps: 
  1. Watch an informational video (~10 minutes)
  2. Review our shift types (~2 minutes)
  3. Fill out our  intake form (~10 minutes)
  4. Read and sign our code of conduct and waiver (~3 minutes)
After completing this process, you will receive a link to set up your account on our volunteer portal, FLIP, and can begin signing up for shifts!
1. Please watch this informational video.
2. Review of the types of shifts at Food Link
There are many ways to volunteer with Food Link!
  • Arlington-based shifts are available 7 days a week.
  • Roxbury-based shifts are available Monday-Friday.
  • Most shifts are 1.5 - 2 hours long.
  • Shifts are typically between 8am-3pm with the exception of a few 7am grocery shifts and some evening driving shifts in Arlington.
  • You can make a regular commitment to a weekly time slot and/or sign up for shifts as they work for you on a fill-in basis.
Grocery Store (Arlington-Based)
(Age requirement: 16+. Sorter-Drivers must have a driver’s license and a vehicle.)
  • Sorter-Packer: Groups of 2-5 volunteers meet at the loading dock of a grocery store to sort/pack rescued food. Quality sorting is crucial to ensure that our agencies receive high quality food and their recipients receive food with dignity and respect. 
  • Sorter-Driver: Same as above. When sorting is complete, load boxes of food into your personal vehicle for transport to a recipient agency or back to the Food Link Hub.
  • Grocery store volunteers help us build relationships with our food donor partners and ensure we are providing high quality food to our recipient organizations.
Pickups/Deliveries (Arlington-Based and Roxbury-Based) 
(Age Requirement: Arlington Drivers must be 16+ and Roxbury Drivers must be 18+. All drivers must have a valid driver’s license, and access to a vehicle. Passengers of any age are welcome to ride in the car. In Arlington, younger passengers may help with loading and unloading. In Roxbury, younger passengers must stay in the car.)
  • Pickup route: Pick up food from food donors (bakeries, farmers markets, small grocery stores, etc.) and bring it to a recipient agency,to the Food Link Hub in Arlington, or to NoHo in Roxbury. 
  • Delivery route: Pick up food from the Food Link Hub in Arlington and deliver it to a recipient agency, or pick up from Noho in Roxbury and deliver it to a recipient agency.
  • Pickup/delivery drivers form relationships with our donor and recipient agency partners. They are important conduits of feedback from our partners and represent Food Link to the community.
Van Driver (Arlington-Based)
(Age Requirement: Drivers must be 18+ and have a valid driver’s license)
  • Van Driver: Drive the Food Link vans to various destinations including Grocery shifts, Pickup/Delivery shifts, and bulk-pickups – large size pickups from wholesale partners. 
Ops Shifts (Arlington-Based and Roxbury-Based)
(Age Requirement: 9+. Volunteers ages 9-13 must be accompanied by an adult)
  • Ops Shifts: Assist with daily operating tasks including sorting produce and nonperishable food, loading/unloading vehicles at the dock, repacking food and bagging bread, composting, clean-up tasks, and other needs that arise.
  • Volunteers at the Arlington Hub and at Noho in Roxbury ensure that recipient agencies receive high quality food. They also help with the customization of deliveries by packing and allocating boxes of food according to the preferences of different agencies, helping to promote choice.
A graphic about grocery store shifts at Food Link.
A graphic about the pick up and delivery shifts at Food Link.
A graphic about the van driver shifts at Food Link.
A graphic about the Ops Shifts at Food Link.

Contact Information