Opportunities From: HandsOn Twin Cities

The Open Door provides families opportunities to grow their own food through our Garden to Table program. With 7 community gardens around Dakota County, we support families that want to grow their own food. 

Volunteers for the Garden to Table program support the upkeep of the gardens by composting, mulching, and weeding. Volunteers with carpentry skills are also helpful to repair fencing or fixing raised beds. 

We have several shift options in the mornings beginning at 8:00 am until 11:30 am, April through October.  We also provide additional flexibility for ongoing volunteers. 

If interested, please reach out to Volunteer Services at volunteer@theopendoorpantry.org or fill out our Volunteer Application and mark Garden to Table as the role interested in.

The Open Door pantry provides access to fresh, healthy food by bringing food directly into neighborhoods who need it the most. Volunteers are needed to set up these distributions and assist clients in selecting their groceries.

We host distributions throughout the month at various locations: 

Emerald Hills (8555 Bacardi Avenue, Inver Grove Heights): 1st Thursday of the month Cedar Knolls (12571 Garland Ave, Apple Valley): 2nd Thursday of the month Arbor Vista (14750 Burnsville Parkway, Burnsville): 3rd Thursday of the monthDakota County Northern Service Center (1 Mendota Road West, West St. Paul): 2nd Tuesday of the monthCountry View (5775 Country View Trail, Farmington): 4th Thursday of the monthRambling River Center (25 Oak Street, Farmington): 3rd Tuesday of the month

If interested, fill out our Volunteer Application, please reach out to Volunteer Services at volunteer@theopendoorpantry.org for more information. 

The Open Door is a hunger relief organization dedicated to ending local hunger through access to healthy food. Through its collective programs, The Open Door serves more than 20,000 Dakota County residents each month, and distributes over 5 million pounds of food annually-70% of which is fresh and/or perishable. Clients are able to access healthy food choices through a fixed-site food pantry in Eagan, multiple Mobile Pantry sites, the Mobile Lunch Box, and the Garden To Table program.

 

Position Summary:

Warehouse Assistants ensure dry goods and perishable items in the pantry are well stocked. They will also help pull items for offsite distributions, accept and sort incoming donations, and assist with the general upkeep of the warehouse area.

 

Primary Duties and Essential Responsibilities:

• Ensure store is well stocked with perishable and nonperishable foods prior to the start of client appointments .

• Accept and sort incoming donations.

• During store hours, pull dry goods from the warehouse for Pantry Assistants to stock shelves

• Ensure warehouse is clean and organized.

• Restock refrigerated perishable items during store hours

• Unload dry good pallets

• Accept and repackage incoming Garden to Table produce

• Mop and sweep floors 15 minutes prior to store open

 

Skills and Qualifications:

• Must be 16+ years of age unless accompanied by an adult

• Ability to stand on feet for up to 3 hours

• Must be ok working in varying temperatures since this role will require working inside a walk-in cooler

• Strong desire to eradicate hunger in Dakota County

• Must be able to lift 20+ pounds

• Closed-toed shoes required

 

Commitment:

Volunteer shifts are 2.5 hours long. Weekday morning, afternoon and evening opportunities are available

There is no requirement of volunteer shifts each month.

If interested, please reach out to Volunteer Services at volunteer@theopendoorpantry.org or fill out our Volunteer Application and mark Warehouse Assistant as the role interested in.

Interested in helping feed kids this summer? Volunteer with the Mobile Lunch Box program!

Last year The Open Door gave out over 58,000 meals to children and need your help this summer to do it again! We will be serving students living in Burnsville, Lakeville, Apple Valley, Rosemount, Inver Grove Heights, South Saint Paul and West Saint Paul!

Volunteer opportunities include driving and/or riding in The Open Door van and handing out food in neighborhoods. We have multiple volunteer shifts to fill in this summer.

The Mobile Lunch Box is a one-of-a-kind approach to addressing children’s hunger in the summertime when children are not in school accessing free and reduced meal programs. The Mobile Lunch Box brings free healthy lunches to 31 neighborhoods across Dakota County.

If interested, please reach out to Volunteer Services at volunteer@theopendoorpantry.org or fill out our Volunteer Application and Mobile Lunch Box volunteer as the role interested in.

Over 40% of families served at the Open Door Pantry are Spanish speaking. To create a welcoming environment for our Spanish speaking families, The Open Door food shelf is looking to add bilingual Spanish speaking volunteers to our client support team.

The primary duties for a Client Support Volunteer are to:

Connect clients to all services by answering questions over the phone or in person Make and retrieve phone calls Assist families in selecting their groceries Translate written communication from English to Spanish

Shifts are onsite at The Open Door's new building in Eagan-3000 Ames Crossing Rd, Eagan. We can work with your schedule for the shifts, but our biggest need is Tuesday/Thursday evenings from 4:15-7:00pm.

If interested, please reach out to Volunteer Services at volunteer@theopendoorpantry.org or fill out our Volunteer Application and mark Bilingual Client Support as the role interested in.

The Open Door is a hunger relief organization dedicated to ending local hunger through access to healthy food. Through its collective programs, The Open Door serves more than 20,000 Dakota County residents each month, and distributes over 5 million pounds of food annually-70% of which is fresh and/or perishable. Clients are able to access healthy food choices through a fixed-site food pantry in Eagan, multiple Mobile Pantry sites, the Mobile Lunch Box, and the Garden To Table program.

 

Food Sorters play a crucial role in providing healthy, perishable food to our clients by receiving, weighing, and inspecting food from our food rescue grocery store partners. This role ensures all food meets our quality standards by following USDA food safety guidelines. The food donated is no longer able to be sold at the grocery store for various reasons, but is still safe to consume. This role saves thousands of pounds of food from being sent to a landfill each day! After food is sorted, this volunteer will ensure it is properly staged until it’s ready to be stocked in the store or loaded for an offsite distribution.

 

Position Summary

Food Sorters are responsible for unloading the truck and sorting food donations from our food rescue grocery retail stores. These volunteers will also load the mobile pantry vehicles for our offsite distributions.

 

Primary Duties and Essential Responsibilities

 

* Sort through food donations

* Unload and weigh food from delivery

* Stage food as required

 

Skills and Qualifications

* Must be 16+ years of age.

* Ability to lift 20+ pounds.

* Strong desire to eradicate hunger in Dakota County

* Closed-toed shoes required

* Ability to stand on feet for the duration of shift

 

Training and Support

Sorters will be properly trained prior to their first shift and staff will be available for questions throughout the shift.

 

Commitment (time, duration and location)

Food Sorters are located at the Open Door, 3000 Ames Crossing Road. Monday through Friday shifts available with many shift options. There is no requirement of volunteer shifts each month.

 

Benefits to the Volunteer:

* Help your neighbors

* Help in the fight to end hunger in Dakota County

* Help the environment by keeping food out of landfills

If interested, please reach out to Volunteer Services at volunteer@theopendoorpantry.org or fill out our Volunteer Application and mark Food Sorter as the role interested in.

The Open Door is a hunger relief organization dedicated to ending local hunger through access to healthy food. Through its collective programs, The Open Door serves more than 20,000 Dakota County residents each month, and distributes over 5 million pounds of food annually, 70% of which is fresh and/or perishable. Clients are able to access healthy food choices through a fixed-site food pantry in Eagan, multiple Mobile Pantry sites, the Mobile Lunch Box, and the Garden To Table program. Take a quick tour of our programs below.

Food Rescue Drivers play a crucial role in providing healthy, non-perishable food to our clients. Food Rescue Drivers pick up donated food at grocery stores near the Eagan Pantry location. The food is no longer able to be sold at the grocery store for various reasons but still safe to consume. This role saves thousands of pounds of food from being in a landfill each day! 

Position Summary

The Retail Rescue Driver is responsible for receiving, storage and stocking food. This role requires heavy lifting. Volunteers should be able to lift 40+lbs.  

 

Primary Duties and Essential Responsibilities

• Using The Open Door Van, pick up food donations at local grocery stores.

• Bring food donations to the Open Door (3000 Ames Crossing Road)

• Unload and weigh food from delivery

Skills and Qualifications

• Must be 18+ years of age.

• Ability to lift 40+ pounds.

• Background Check Required

• Strong desire to eradicate hunger in Dakota County

• Closed-toed shoes required

• Valid Minnesota driver’s license and complete a driver's background check

 

Training and Support

Food Rescue Drivers will be properly trained prior to their first route. Volunteers will be paired with an experienced volunteer who will help guide them through their first shift. 

 

Commitment (time, duration and location)

Food Rescue Drivers are located at the Open Door, 3000 Ames Crossing Road. Monday through Friday shifts available, anytime between 7am and 9:30am. There is no minimum requirement of volunteer shifts each month.

 

Benefits to the Volunteer: 

• Help your neighbors

• Help in the fight to end hunger in Dakota County

• Help the environment by keeping food out of landfills

If interested, please reach out to Volunteer Services at volunteer@theopendoorpantry.org or fill out our Volunteer Application and mark Food Rescue as the role interested in.