Our <b>Needs</b>

Our Needs

AFAC depends on the help of thousands of volunteers. Volunteers bag, distribute, drive, glean, grow, help in the office and warehouse and organize and assist at special events. Volunteers donated more than 51,000 hours in the last fiscal year.

Not a volunteer yet?

Volunteering with a group? See below for more information!

Volunteer Type

Individual volunteers can use the online volunteer calendar to sign up for many volunteering activities. If you don’t have an active account, please fill out a volunteer profile form.

On the online calendar, you’ll find one-time volunteer opportunities such as:

  • Bagging
  • Food Distribution
  • Sorting
  • Helping at Food Drives
  • Gleaning at local farms

If you have specialized interests, such as driving your large vehicle or one of AFAC’s vans, you can indicate that on the Volunteer Profile Form and we’ll contact those interested when those needs arise.

AFAC hosts group volunteers to help bag and sort food in our warehouse!  Bagging events are held on weekday afternoons from 2:00-3:30 pm, Thursdays from 10:00-11:30 am, and on Saturdays from 9:00-10:30 am, 9:30-11:00 am, and 1:00-2:30 pm.  Saturdays have limited availability and are often booked 2-3 months in advance.  Corporate groups (not houses of worship, scout groups, school groups, government agencies, other non-profits, etc.) are asked to make a donation of $500 to AFAC in advance of their service date. We can walk you through the options for payment at the time we register your group. If you are interested in bringing a group, please fill out this form. We will respond to your submission shortly afterwards. For any additional questions, contact volunteer@afac.org or 571-384-1450.

We can accommodate groups of 5-15 people on weekday and Saturday shifts.  We can only accommodate groups of 5-8 people on Thursday mornings.  Everyone must be 12 years old or older to volunteer in our warehouse.  All 12 and 13 year olds must be accompanied by a parent/guardian and bring a copy of our Minor Hold Harmless form.

Download the Group Bagging Flyer to advertise your event with your group!

We also offer group volunteering at farms to glean fresh produce! Gleanings are held around June to October each year at local farms and orchards. For more information, please visit our gleaning page or email volunteer@afac.org.

If your organization or company would like to make a bigger impact, please consider participating in our Sponsor Purchased Food (SPF) program! This is a great option for groups with 20 people or more and offers more flexibility in time and venue. The minimum budget for an event is $1500. For more information, please contact Jolie Smith at jolie.smith@afac.org or visit our SPF page.

*AFAC is closed on all federal holidays and does not hold group bagging events on these days*

Teenagers younger than 14 must volunteer with a parent or guardian. Teenagers under 18 must have a Minor Hold Harmless form filled out by their parents before volunteering.

Individual volunteers can use the online volunteer calendar to sign up for many volunteering activities. If you don’t have an active account, please fill out a volunteer profile form.

On the online calendar, you’ll find one-time volunteer opportunities such as:

  • Bagging
  • Food Distribution
  • Sorting
  • Helping at Food Drives

AFAC also has a summer teen program for rising 9th – 12th graders between the ages of 14-17. Visit our summer teen program page for more information.

Projects for Scouts
Scouts can help fulfill merit badge and silver and gold award requirements by designing and implementing special projects for AFAC. In past years, scouts have helped organize and recruit gleaning teams to pick vegetables for clients and held food drives in the community. The possibilities are endless! Send an email to volunteer@afac.org if you are interested in undertaking a project for AFAC.

To volunteer inside AFAC’s warehouse, volunteers must be 12 and older. Children younger than 14 must volunteer with a parent or guardian. Everyone under 18 must have a Minor Hold Harmless form filled out by their parents before volunteering.

See the list below of many ways children under 12 can help. Please contact us at volunteer@afac.org with questions about any activity.

AFAC Organized Activities

  • Participate in one of our grocery store food drives
  • Pick fruits and vegetables on a gleaning trip
  • Tour of AFAC/Sponsor Purchased Food/Scouting patch

At Your Convenience

Arlington Food Assistance Center Young Professionals group (YPs) consist of 21-39 year-olds in Arlington who raise awareness of hunger in our community and support AFAC’s mission through volunteering, social, and networking events.

Follow this link to an online volunteer profile form. We will send a welcome email and then add you to the Young Professionals mailing list to receive updates on upcoming events and opportunities.

Below are our recurring opportunities for Young Professionals. Sign up for these spots using our online calendar.

YP Bagging Night

  • 3rd Monday of each month from 7:00-8:30pm
  • 4th Friday of each month from 7:00-8:30pm

YP Distribution

  • 2nd Thursday Evening of each month from 5:30-7:30pm
  • 2nd Saturday of each month from 10:30am-12:45pm

AFAC accepts a limited number of court-ordered or lawyer recommended volunteers. We do not accept charges that involve larceny/theft, assault/violence or sexual misconduct. We will request to see documentation stating your offense so please keep that in mind. Volunteers can earn up to 40 hours of service at AFAC.

Effective 9/2/25, we will charge $50 to those who want to participate in our program to cover administrative costs. We will accept cash, credit cards, or checks. You will not receive your letter of completion without this donation. If you receive groceries from AFAC you will be exempt from this obligation.

Volunteer Application for Court Ordered & Lawyer Recommended Hours

All court-ordered volunteers must fill out a Volunteer Profile Form, in advance of service noting the hours of service needed and completion date. Email Danielle Rampton at danielle.rampton@afac.org after you filled out the profile form to discuss your charge and set a schedule. Community service volunteers must work under the supervision of a staff member and may only schedule shifts through a staff member in the volunteer department.

If you do not complete a profile form and set a schedule through a staff member in the Volunteer Department, we will not be able to credit you for your time. Please bring your court documentation or a letter from your lawyer and a photo ID to your first volunteer shift or you can scan the documents/ take a photo of them and send to danielle.rampton@afac.org.

If you are under 18, please have a parent or guardian fill out a minor hold harmless form before you start your hours at AFAC.

Latest Volunteer Opportunities

For all available openings for baggings and distribution shifts, please view our online calendar. If you don’t have an active account, please fill out a volunteer profile form.

Don’t see something you can volunteer for now? Learn about ongoing volunteer opportunities.

Volunteer Award Winners 2024

June 10, 2024

We are your biggest fans! On Sunday, June 9, we held a small Volunteer Recognition Program to celebrate the dedication of our many volunteers and to hand out our Volunteer of the Year awards. This year, we were pleased to announce the recognition of several volunteers who have gone above and beyond in the furtherance of […]

Home Delivery Packer Substitutes

October 28, 2024

We are looking for a few people willing to be SUB grocery PACKERS for our home delivery program. You need to be 18, able to lift crates full of items, bend, reach, and stand for two hours. You’d be trained but you’ll need to work fairly independently. You would be responsible for packing groceries for approximately […]

Volunteers Needed at AHC

November 04, 2024

One of our partner agencies, AHC, is looking for help at an AFAC distribution on MONDAYS from 11:00am-1:00pm to assist in the home delivery aspect of the distribution. You need to be friendly, 18+, reliable, and able to carry groceries from one building to another. You would also need to have a vehicle available to […]

Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities

Share your love for volunteering and AFAC with others!

The volunteer department is always on the lookout for volunteers who want to help on another level. Lead groups after hours in produce bagging or dry goods bagging. Speak about AFAC at outreach fairs, to youth groups, etc. Training is provided. Send an email to volunteer@afac.org if you have an interest in becoming a Volunteer Supervisor.

Gleaning

Gleanings are held around June to October each year at local farms and orchards.

Sponsor Purchased Food (SPF) Program

AFAC’s Sponsor Purchased Food (SPF) initiative enables your group to sponsor healthy food for AFAC families and prepare that food for distribution.

Create Your Own Food Drive

Not finding enough volunteer opportunities? Need something to do from home on your own schedule? Host a food drive! From our website, you can register your food drive, create customized flyers from our templates, and find some ideas to make yours a success. Consider asking your neighbors, swim club, camp, business or house of worship to join you. Our most-needed items are: canned fruits, canned tuna, canned vegetables, low-sugar cereal, low-sodium soup, canned tomato products and peanut butter in plastic jars.

We accept donated food Monday-Friday from 8:30am-4:30pm and Saturday from 8:30am-1pm. Questions? Please email fooddrives@afac.org.

Little Free Library

Please donate any unwanted books and/or coloring books to our new Little Free Library! You can drop off donations with the Volunteer Department.

Have Questions?

Please contact us at volunteer@afac.org or 703-845-8486 for more information.