Dear Interested Individual,
Thanks for visiting our web site. We realize that when you contact an organization to volunteer, that it is helpful to understand how things work so that you
can make an informed choice. We wanted to share some information with you so that you can do just that.
Tampa Bay Harvest is an all-volunteer organization that transports donated foods from those who have it, and do not want it, to those who want it but cannot
afford it. This means that businesses that have overages, or outdated but perfectly edible food arrange for a TBH volunteer to collect the food and deliver
it, free of charge, to pre-approved charities that assist the needy of Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties.
Many of the volunteers working with us commit 1 hour per week to Tampa Bay Harvest. Volunteers use their own vehicle to collect food from a single donor and
then deliver the food to a single recipient agency. Once the transport volunteer has relayed their requirements to us, our management team matches the
volunteer’s availability, and vehicle size to the needs of a specific donor and recipient agency. A transport volunteer may, of course, accept more
than one route per week.
The majority of our transport routes are scheduled in the mornings between 8 and 10 AM Monday to Friday. Some routes, such as Publix, usually require a large
vehicle. There are, however, occasional afternoon, evening, weekend and group activities available. Call 727-538-7777 for openings. Other volunteer
opportunities can involve filling in for another volunteer as a backup transporter or they may fall under the "Special Events" category.
Also, see "Other Openings" for a variety of non-transport activities. Special events are activities where one or more volunteers are
needed to complete the volunteer assignment. Some of our food drives and some of our booth work qualifies as Special Event Activities. See the Special Events
section of this web site for more information about these types of activities.
In addition to food transport opportunities there are other volunteer assignments available within our organization; some of which can be completed from home
or office. Positions such as Coordinator, (approximately two hours a month) and Voice Mail Receptionist (4-6 hours per week) are always in need of new
volunteers.
TBH continually searches for individuals and groups willing to assist us to fulfill our mission of "working to end hunger in our community". Groups
can participate with us through our Adopt-A-Donor Program. The Adopt-A-Donor Program encourages the sharing of a route among a group of individuals. See the
companion section "Group Opportunity" for more about our Adopt-A-Donor Program.
Volunteers are needed in many areas of Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties. Despite the luxury of living in the United States hunger exists in both our Nation
and in our own community. Funding cuts are dramatically affecting the charities assisting the needy. Food overages are plentiful and, with the help of
volunteers, can be collected and distributed free of charge, to those agencies.
To register with Tampa Bay Harvest as a volunteer you must complete a Volunteer Application form and forward it to us by First Class Mail. Please read the
"Vol. Job Description" in the following section and then fill out the form in the "Vol. Application" section. If you do not
have a printer, you may request that a copy be mailed to you by contacting us via e-mail at
info@tampabayharvest.org or by requesting one at 727-538-7777 and leaving your name and address.
We hope to hear from you soon and to welcome you to the Tampa Bay Harvest family of volunteers.