Fighting hunger has never been easier
The 2024 Big Blue Food Drive will be on Saturday, September 28.
Last year, our community donated approximately $62,000 worth of nonperishables to the food bank. Thank you to everyone who donated and to all the volunteers who made the event a success!
Sign up today to volunteer for the Big Blue Food Drive!
The Big Blue Food Drive relies on over 150 volunteers to run smoothly. Take a look at the tasks below that we'll need help with and sign up using the registration form below. We'll be in touch within a week or so to confirm. [If you have questions about the event or volunteering, you'll get the quickest response by emailing Sara at marketing@vincentplacessm.ca. It may take several days to receive a call back at this time.]
Flyer Drop-offs (as many volunteers as possible)
To ensure that the community knows about the event and remembers to put out their donations, we like to have volunteers drop flyers in mailboxes in the weeks leading up to the event. This is a great way for high school students to earn volunteer hours! Volunteers can drop off in their own neighbourhood or anywhere around town they like.
Drivers/Runners (50 volunteer pairs)
Our driver/runner pairs are assigned a pre-determined route to collect the curbside donations. These volunteers arrive at St. Vincent Place by 9:45 am the day of the event, and, depending on the route, should be done within a couple hours. You can sign up as a pair or on your own and we'll partner you up with another volunteer.
Lot Traffic Direction (3-4 volunteers)
With 50 vehicles coming in and out of the parking lot to drop off donations, it can get fairly busy. These volunteers are stationed around the parking lot to keep traffic moving smoothly. They're generally needed from about 10:30 am to around 1:00 pm.
Unloaders - Outside (5-6 volunteers)
These volunteers unload the vehicles as they arrive. This involves heavy lifting and some stairs. These volunteers are needed from about 10:30 am until around 1:00 pm, depending on when all the vehicles return.
Unloaders - Inside (3-4 volunteers)
Once the donations are inside, these unloaders simply take the donations out of the bags/boxes they arrive in and place them out for our sorters to do their work. These volunteers are needed from about 10:30 am until 1:30 or 2:00 pm.
Sorters (10-12 volunteers)
Our sorters help to sort the donations once they arrive here at St. Vincent Place. These volunteers arrive at 10:45 am and can commit to the full day of sorting (usually until about 2 or 3pm) or stick around for a set amount of time. (We just ask that you let us know ahead of time how long you plan to stay if you're unable to stay until we're done.) Sorting involves taking the donations from where they are unloaded to designated tables.
Packers (16 pairs)
Arriving around 11:00 am, packers work in pairs to count and box up the donations. One volunteer will take on the role of tracking the count while the other does the boxing.
Movers (3-4 volunteers)
Once the donations are packed up, movers will transport the boxes from the hall to the appropriate storage rooms. This involves heavy lifting and pushing/pulling carts and/or dollies.
Greeters (1-3 volunteers)
These volunteers will be welcoming the other volunteers as they arrive, directing them to where they need to be based on the task for which they volunteered, and ensuring waivers are signed. They will be needed from about 9:00 until around 11:00am. This is an easy task for those who aren't able to be too physical but want to help with the event.