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PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION CAREFULLY

Anne Arundel County Food Bank
Volunteer Opportunities
Descriptions, Policies, and Procedures

General Guidelines for All Volunteer Opportunities

• Please understand that the number of slots open in VolunteerLocal represents our maximum capacity for that volunteer opportunity/shift.
o If you do not see enough open slots to accommodate yourself and all members of your party, please select another day/time to volunteer.
o Beginning April 4, 2024, any unregistered individuals/groups, unfortunately, will be turned away. We cannot make exceptions to this policy!

• Please arrive on time for your shift.
o If you know in advance that you will not be able to make your shift, please contact the Food Bank, so that we may try to recruit another volunteer.
o If you will be delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, please contact the Food Bank to let us know.
o If you will be more than 30 minutes late, please contact the Food Bank to reschedule your shift.

• Please do not arrive more than a few minutes early for your shift. All volunteers will begin the shift at the scheduled start time.

• Required Attire.
Closed-toe shoes, non-slip tennis shoes, or work boots are required. Sandals, Crocs, and open-toed shoes present a safety hazard and are not permitted in our warehouse or Mobile Pantry environment. Additionally, we recommend long pants and tops with sleeves that allow for easy movement and comfort while also providing protection from accidental injury.

Please thoroughly review the following Volunteer Opportunity Descriptions.
This will give you a clear understanding of the volunteer role and allow you to identify the best fit for you. Additionally, there are new policies and procedures in place that anyone serving with the Anne Arundel County Food Bank needs to be aware of and agree to abide by in order to ensure both everyone’s safety and the smooth running of our complex daily operations.
Once you have completed reading, please sign the Volunteer Agreement and Liability Waiver found at the end of this document.
Front Desk Reception
Assist the AACFB by covering all aspects of reception during volunteer shift. As the first contact for anyone arriving at the warehouse or calling on the phone, presenting a cheerful and helpful demeanor is essential. This volunteer opportunity functions fairly independently and does require a modest level of decision making. Experience with office phone systems, especially transferring calls, is useful but not required. Spanish language skills are a significant plus. Occasionally, multiple tasks occur at once (ex.: answering the phone as a visitor arrives) and prioritizing duties is required.

Qualifications: Volunteers must be willing to abide by instructions given by AACFB staff, have strong verbal and team customer service skills, and a welcoming public-facing demeanor.

Primary Tasks:
• Answering the Phone
o When answering calls, please greet the caller with, “Anne Arundel County Food Bank, this is (your name), how can I help you today?”
o Please gather the following information prior to transferring a call or when taking a message:
 Who is the caller (first and last name)
 What is his/her affiliation, if any (organization, business, etc.)
 Why is he/she calling (specifically what or who does he/she want to reach)
• Directing Phone Calls
o For calls in search of food or essentials such as diapers, please provide our website, www.aafoodbank.org, and direct the caller to our list of pantries. Please explain that we do not distribute food directly to individuals.

o How to assist navigating to AACFB Help Resources:
 Ask if the person has a pen or somewhere to save this information.
 Share that our website is ‘a-a-food-bank.org’.
 Ask if the person is on a phone or a computer:
• Phone:
o Direct the caller to the top right of the AACFB web page where there are three gray lines.
o Direct the caller to tap the three gray lines.
o Direct the caller to tap the option Find Help.
o This will take the caller to our pantry and resources list by zip code and an interactive map of where our pantries, including our baby and senior pantries, are in Anne Arundel County.
• Computer:
o Direct the caller to the top of the page to Find Help.
o This will take the caller to our pantry and resources list by zip code and an interactive map of where our pantries, including our baby and senior pantries, are in Anne Arundel County.

o For requests for resources such as utilities or rental assistance, please invite them to call 211 – the United Way assistance directory line.
o For durable medical equipment donations or requests, please provide them with the Maryland Durable Medical Equipment program - 410-222-4257.
o For questions regarding how to update an existing donation/credit card or to make an online donation, please transfer to Karen Kelly, ext. 105.
o For questions regarding all other financial giving including sponsorships, please transfer to Sarah Reilly, ext. 210.
o For volunteer opportunity inquiries, please direct them to complete the volunteer interest form on our website (www.aafoodbank.org).
o All other volunteer calls should be transferred to Amanda Fields, ext. 106.
o For media outreach calls, please transfer to Jason Vaughan ext. 109.
o For bank calls, please transfer to Juls Kaczmarek ext. 107. (Juls is not in on Mondays.)
o For calls from our Network Pantry Partners, please transfer to Angel, ext. 104.
o For unsolicited sales calls, please provide Marta Jones’s email (marta@aafoodbank.org), or take the caller’s information down and give the message to Marta.
o For calls regarding the items we accept for donation, please transfer to Marta ext. 102 or Angie Slattery ext. 103

• Visitor Log
o All non-volunteer visitors MUST sign in on the orange sign-in binder, including board members, contractors, food deliveries, Network Partners, and vendors.
o Please be sure to ask all visitors to sign out when exiting the building.
o All visitors should be provided with a visitor sticker.

• Volunteers
o Please ask volunteers to sign in at the Volunteer Kiosk or by scanning the QR code on the wall. Everyone must sign in individually even if they are part of a group.
o If a volunteer has trouble signing in, please alert Amanda (x106) or Karen (x105) and they will provide assistance.
o Please ask all volunteers to take and wear a reusable, markable volunteer badge provided by AACFB. They are located in a bin at the kiosk.
o If you see a volunteer who has forgotten to remove the badge after a shift, please remind him/her to return it inside the white door to the right on the wall.

• Food Drives
o Please direct all food drive questions to Amanda (x106).

o If a caller is interested in registering a food drive, please direct him/her to our website: https://aafoodbank.org/food-drive/

How To Do It
Transferring a Call
• Press the transfer button (button with 2 phones and an arrow in the middle pointing to the right), the caller will automatically be placed on hold.
• Enter the extension you wish to transfer the call to, press # to complete the transfer.
• Once the receiving party answers, announce the call.
• To complete the transfer, press the transfer button again.
• If you hang up before the call rings, the transfer will fail and the call will be disconnected.

What to say in Spanish if a Caller Does Not Speak English
• I do not speak Spanish. May I ask your name and phone number and have someone call you back as soon as possible.
• Spanish translation: No hablo Español. Puedo preguntarle por su nombre y número de teléfono y le llamaremos los más antes posible.

What to Do if A Person Becomes Frustrated or Agitated in the Front Lobby
• This is an infrequent occurrence. Occasionally though, a person will mistakenly come to this location thinking we distribute food directly to individuals. When he/she discovers we do not, disappointment and frustration can display as anger.

• Please remember, this is a person experiencing a crisis and looking for help. He or she may also be hungry, worried about family members, and not thinking clearly. Additionally, he/she may have already been turned away from other services.

• It is NOT the responsibility of our volunteers to handle this situation.

• Calmly let the person know that you are going to have a staff member come to speak with him/her.

• If you feel safe, please call any extension, explain that there is a person here looking for food, and ask the staff member to come to the lobby.

• If you are in any way uncomfortable or feel threatened, if you can, tell the person that you will be right back with a staff member, and please step inside the warehouse to ask the closest person for assistance.

• Any member of the AACFB will stop what he/she is doing, assess the situation, and enlist the assistance of fellow team members as required.

• At no time should you feel alone or unsupported.

Mobile Pantry (off site)
Assist AACFB staff and colleagues with the on-site set up of and preparation for community residents to utilize the Mobile Pantry, and then assist our neighbors as they enter the Mobile Pantry, shop aboard the Mobile Pantry, and then depart to their cars or homes. Overall tasks may include the following:
• Lifting and moving bags of groceries over 20 pounds filled with shelf stable items, fresh produce, and a variety of packaged frozen proteins
• Asking questions such as, “How many people are in your household?”
• Guiding neighbors on quantity recommendations
• Walking with neighbors as they depart the vehicle and ensuring they do not trip or fall
• Assisting with medical devices and wheeled items such as walkers, canes, and strollers
• Being helpful, kind, and respectful to neighbors of all demographics, ages, abilities, languages, and backgrounds.

Qualifications: Volunteers must be willing to abide by instructions given by AACFB staff, have strong verbal and team customer service skills, and a welcoming public-facing demeanor. Additionally, volunteers must be physically able to stand for long periods of time as well as bend, stoop, and lift at least 30 pounds repeatedly and frequently throughout the Mobile Pantry distribution.

Primary Tasks:
• The crew will assemble at site destination at the appointed time as communicated by the AACFB Team and, upon arrival, will assist AACFB staff and colleagues in setting up the welcome/information table. As the line of community members forms near the back of the Mobile Pantry, volunteers will assume several spots about the vehicle as assigned/requested.

• Volunteers assisting the line will wait until AACFB staff gives the clear to enter the Mobile Pantry, and then will help our neighbors with shopping by leading them up onto the vehicle. Once on board, volunteers will explain the item quantity guidance according to household size, and help to access items.

• Another volunteer will be inside and toward the front of the vehicle to record information (weight of the groceries, etc.) for pounds of food distributed reporting requirements.

• Another volunteer in the same area will help neighbors to disembark, re-bag groceries if needed, and pass groceries to volunteers remaining by the Mobile Pantry exit.
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• At least two volunteers will remain outside of the vehicle by the side door exit who will be on standby to receive grocery bags from either a neighbor or a volunteer, ensure everyone steadily and safely departs the vehicle on the stairs, and offer assistance with carrying groceries to a nearby car or house if in plain view.

On the day of distribution, the strategy and formation for carrying out the necessary tasks will be reviewed with volunteers by the AACFB Mobile Pantry Coordinator, the Food Drive and Volunteer Coordinator, or other AACFB staff member(s) once everyone is assembled at the distribution location. For everyone’s safety and to ensure a smooth flow of operations, instructions given by AACFB staff member(s) must be followed completely. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to bring them to the attention of any member of the AACFB staff. Volunteers may switch positions during the shift as needed or desired.

Additional Guidelines:
• Clothing: Closed-toe shoes, non-slip tennis shoes, or work boots are required. Sandals, Crocs, and open-toed shoes present a safety hazard and are not permitted in our Mobile Pantry environment. Additionally, we recommend long pants and tops with sleeves that allow for easy movement and comfort while also providing protection from accidental injury.

• Personal Safety: For the safety of all, at no time should anyone jump off of the Mobile Pantry Vehicle. Please use the stairs or the ramp when needed.

• Communicating with our neighbors: Out of respect for the people we serve, we ask that everyone refrain from talking about people in the third person in front of them, offering religious blessings or information, and talking about issues of poverty and food insecurity in abstract and unsolicited ways. To promote understanding and familiarize volunteers with the most up-to-date best practices, the AACFB will provide Mobile Pantry volunteers with information concerning shopper interactions and avoiding popular myths about food insecurity, poverty, and related topics. We welcome any questions that you may have and are happy to engage in conversation on the subject of food insecurity and its root causes prior to or after the conclusion of a Mobile Pantry distribution.


Sorting Line
At the Anne Arundel County Food Bank warehouse located in Crownsville, sorting line volunteers inspect items to ensure that they are within expiration date/use by guidelines. They further inspect the general quality of food and other donated items coming from warehouses, retail partners, neighborhoods, and residents throughout the county. If items do not meet the expiration and quality standards of AACFB or have otherwise been recalled or deemed unfit for distribution, volunteers discard items into metal shopping carts placed adjacent to the sorting line tables. After items prove to be acceptable upon inspection, volunteers place items into labeled category bins. Either in place of or in addition to quality inspecting and categorizing donated items, volunteers may also box quality-checked and categorized items, label the boxes, and construct stacked pallets of boxed items. The maximum capacity at one time for the sorting line is 15 people.

Qualifications: Sorting line volunteers must be willing and able to abide by instructions given by AACFB staff. Individual volunteers must be 18 years or older and physically able to stand for two-hour shifts as well as bend, stoop, and lift at least 20 pounds repeatedly and frequently. Working on the sorting line requires that a volunteer be able to read and interpret packaging labels and dates. The ability to use sound judgement regarding personal safety and the safety of others is essential.

Note: Children ages 8 – 17 are welcome to volunteer as part of a family unit. All volunteers must be registered in VolunteerLocal.

*The Anne Arundel County Food Bank is no longer able to accommodate school required service learning hours on our sorting line. Please visit our Food Drive opportunities to fulfill student service learning requirements.


Primary Tasks
• Sorting line volunteers handle items such as cans, cereal, pasta, and all manner of shelf-stable food items. They also handle hygiene items and items that may contain a variety of allergens. Disposable gloves are available and should be used to ensure safe handling.

• Sorting line volunteers may also box items (in approximately 20-pound increments), accurately and clearly label those boxes, and lift and stack them in alternating rows to build stable pallets. (See diagram on p. 5.)

• After careful inspection, sorting line volunteers should set aside in the designated carts items that fail to meet quality standards and/or do not have a visible expiration/use by date. Please do not throw items in the trash.

• Sorting line volunteers will alert AACFB staff immediately should there be any sign of spillage or pests within individual packaging and/or sorting bins, or anywhere on the floor. AACFB staff will address any issues.


Additional Guidelines
• Physical Environment: The physical environment of the AACFB warehouse is as follows,
o This is an active warehouse environment with the sounds of pallet jacks and occasional sudden, loud noises.
o As an active warehouse, pallet jacks are moving throughout the warehouse during volunteer shifts. It is important to be aware of your surroundings and to avoid congregating in the established pathways.
o Due to the age of the facility and its original purpose, the warehouse is not ADA compliant and does not have access ramps or accessible railings or restrooms (the facility dates back prior to the 1950’s).
o The warehouse is a noisy and busy environment. People with sensory sensitivities may not feel comfortable or become easily overwhelmed due to the abundance of stimulation.

• Housekeeping:
o Please understand that the number of slots open in VolunteerLocal represents our maximum capacity for that shift.
 If you do not see enough open slots to accommodate yourself and all members of your party, please select another day/time to volunteer.
 Beginning April 4, 2024, any unregistered individuals/groups, unfortunately, will be turned away. We cannot make exceptions to this policy!
o Please arrive on time for your shift (10:00am or 1:00pm). We start each shift as a group.
 If you will be delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, please contact the Food Bank to let us know.
 If you will be more than 30 minutes late, please contact the Food Bank to reschedule your shift.
o Please do not arrive more than a few minutes early for your shift. All volunteers will begin the shift at the scheduled start time.
o Please do not stick packing tape on the sorting tables. This creates unsightly marks and is very difficult to remove and clean. Kindly dispose of unneeded tape in a nearby trash receptacle.
o Please return markers, tape guns, and box cutters to the bin at the end of the shift.
o Emptied cardboard boxes should be broken down and placed in the box bin. Banana boxes should be stacked neatly by the box bin. AACFB donation boxes should be saved and placed by the offices for reuse.

• Required Attire: Closed-toe shoes that are either non-slip tennis shoes or work boots are required. Sandals, Crocs, and open-toe shoes present a safety hazard and are not permitted in the warehouse. Dresses, skirts, and shorts are also not permitted. We recommend long pants and tops with sleeves that allow for easy movement and comfort while also providing protection from accidental injury.

• Safety:
o For the safety of all, at no time should sorting line volunteers attempt to use a pallet jack, whether manual or electric, while at the AACFB.

o At no time should volunteers run in the warehouse, throw items to others or into bins, or climb into bins, onto tables, or onto stacked pallets.

o In the event of an emergency, volunteers should follow the instructions of staff and exit the building immediately in an orderly fashion.

What to Look for While Sorting Donations
• Please check dates!
o Canned Food can be used up to two (2) years after today’s date.
o Dry Goods last up to six (6) months after today’s date.
o Baby food/formula cannot be used past the expiration date and must be placed into the shopping cart.
o Senior nutritional drinks cannot be used past the expiration date and must be placed into the shopping cart.
o Some imported food may have an unrecognizable expiration date, each country uses a different format. When in doubt, place the item on the end of the table and staff will research the format to see if it has expired or is still in date.
o All products must have a label, if there is no label, it cannot be used.
o Any items that do not contain nutritional information/labels such as homemade baked or canned items cannot be distributed.

• Check jars and cans for damage/dents/rust:
o If the top seal on a can is crushed, it cannot be used.
o If a can cannot stand up straight, it cannot be used.
o If a can has rust, it cannot be used.
o Any jars that have seals popped on the top cannot be used.

• Check packaging for tears/leaks:
o Any food that is open, has been opened and resealed, or has product leaking out of a package cannot be used.
o If a bag or box of individually sealed items (such as candy, fruit snacks or Pop-Tarts) is open, but the product packaging inside is still intact, it is still safe to distribute.
o If a box is open, but the inner bag is sealed, it can still be used.
How to Box and Stack
• Please be sure to fill boxes to the top to prevent crushing and potential pallet tipping.

• Please do not overfill the box, or they will not stack correctly on the pallet.

• When a box is full, please:
o Tape it closed,
o Label it with contents/type of food,
o Label with today’s date.

• When stacking boxes on a designated pallet, please follow the diagram below to ensure stability and safe movement through the warehouse.
• Please do not build pallets more than four (4) boxes high for large boxes and more than six (6) boxes high for small boxes.


In consideration of being permitted to participate in any way in the loading, unloading, sorting, boxing and organization of donations, receive a tour or preform any unlisted volunteer activity held by the Anne Arundel County Food Bank, Inc., hereinafter called "the Activity", I, for myself, my heirs, personal representatives or assigns, do hereby release, waive, discharge, and covenant not to sue Anne Arundel County Food Bank, Inc., its members, officers, employees, and agents from liability from any and all claims including the negligence of Anne Arundel County Food Bank, Inc., its members, officers, employees and agents, resulting in personal injury, accidents or illnesses (including death), and property loss arising from, but not limited to, participation in the Activity.

Assumption of Risks: Participation in the Activity carries with it certain inherent risks that cannot be eliminated regardless of the care taken to avoid injuries. The specific risks vary from one activity to another, but the risks range from 1) minor injuries such as scratches, bruises, and sprains 2) major injuries such as eye injury or loss of sight, joint or back injuries, heart attacks, and concussions to 3) catastrophic injuries including paralysis and death.

I have read the previous paragraphs and I know, understand, and appreciate these and other risks that are inherent in the Activity. I hereby assert that my participation is voluntary and that I knowingly assume all such risks.

Indemnification and Hold Harmless: I also agree to indemnify and hold Anne Arundel County Food Bank, Inc. harmless from any and all claims, actions, suits, procedures, costs, expenses, damages and liabilities, including attorney’s fees brought as a result of my involvement in The Activity and to reimburse them for any such expenses incurred.

Severability: The undersigned further expressly agrees that the foregoing waiver and assumption of risks agreement is intended to be as broad and inclusive as is permitted by the law of the State of Maryland and that if any portion thereof is held invalid, it is agreed that the balance shall, notwithstanding, continue in full legal force and effect.

Acknowledgment of Understanding: I have read this waiver of liability, assumption of risk, and indemnity agreement, fully understand its terms, and understand that I am giving up substantial rights, including my right to sue. I acknowledge that I am signing the agreement freely and voluntarily and intend by my signature to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law.

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