Volunteering
The Aurora Food Pantry appreciates all the efforts of the community and their desire to help out. The following will help you help us!
Pantry Closed: Sunday and Monday
Thank You to our Volunteers
Individuals
Individual adults interested in volunteering at the AFP can fill out a volunteer form below. We will only take enough volunteers to fill roles as needed. There is currently a waiting list.
Volunteer opportunities include:
- Volunteer Client Servers (when the food bank is open)
- Front Desk Volunteers (when the food bank is open)
- Warehouse Volunteers (Tues 9am-3pm)
- Picking up Bread Donations (Fri evening pick up, drop-off at Pantry Sat morning before 8:30am)
*Please remember we are warehouse environment and it is always safety first! Everyone volunteering needs to wear closed-toe shoes, comfortable clothing, and no scarves, please!
Groups
Open for Adult Groups by appointment: Mon 1pm-3pm, Wed 9am-11am, Fri 9am-11am and 1pm-3pm
We will only be able to take groups if we have enough work that needs to be done. During our slow season (Feb- March and June- Sept) we may not have enough food resources to keep a group busy. The max number of people in a group is 10, volunteer shifts are 2 hours long.
The Family Giving Event
Volunteering for Families
The Family Giving Event was inspired by families in the community that wanted to participate with their families in learning about food security at the Pantry. This event was created to accommodate children from JK- grade 8 so they can learn in a safe environment with age-appropriate activities that are educational, and assist the Pantry in practical ways. Children need to be accompanied by an adult, and children not yet attending JK need to be supervised by a parent at all times since they won’t be able to participate in the activities. For safety at the warehouse, please wear closed-toe shoes and nothing that hangs loosely around the neck.
We can only take a few families at a time so please sign up as soon as you are able. You can register for this event by contacting Sandra Seepaul at 905 841-1577 or emailing the Pantry at info@aurorafoodpantry.ca.
Please let us know the parent and children name(s), a contact number/email, how many children and the grade(s) your child is in.
Look forward to seeing you!
- Next Session: To be announced in 2024
High School Community Hours
The Aurora Food Pantry has a high volume of students applying to complete student hours. Please fill out a volunteer form on our website, this will place you in line for our next orientation. Student orientations are generally held at the end of the month Sept, Oct, Nov, Jan, Feb, May & July. We are only able to accommodate 10 students at each orientation.
We do have a few expectations we would like to highlight:
- Students are expected to do a minimum of 3 shifts (each shift is three hours long), not including the orientation. If a student does less than this we will not sign off on their hours.
Reverse Advent Calendar
A New Tradition for Your Family — the Reverse Advent Calendar!
Many of us are familiar with Advent calendars that include paper doors which open to show a winter scene or, if you are lucky, a piece of chocolate or other treat. One door gets opened for each of the 24 days before Christmas.
A new take on this calendar is the reverse Advent calendar.
It is the current reality that while some experience the holidays as a time of plenty, others struggle to meet basic needs. As your reverse Advent calendar is to help those who are hungry, instead of receiving small gifts you put aside an appropriate food item for each of the 24 days. The 24 items can then be donated to the Aurora Food Pantry.
This is a great opportunity to teach children about generosity and sharing at this special time of the year. And it is a good reminder for us adults about the joy of giving!
Looking for a theme?
- A holiday supper
- A “souper” holiday: a can of soup each day
- School lunches
- Any non-perishable food item, baby food, personal hygiene products. No pasta please as we have enough for the winter.
The Aurora Food Pantry will be open on December 23 from 9:00-11:30 a.m. to receive donations or you can use the donation boxes at any of the local grocery stores. However, you may wish to start earlier than December 1st so the food will be available to clients sooner well before the holidays.