Volunteer with ALIVE!

ALIVE! depends greatly on our volunteers to assist with a variety of tasks such as food distribution, administrative assistance, and translators. Corporate groups, schools, service hours, and days of service welcome.

VOLUNTEER LOGIN REGISTER TO VOLUNTEER

*Please Register First*

Exciting Opportunity! ALIVE! is joining the Nourishing Neighbors Million Hour Volunteer Rally! From August through October, log your completed volunteer hours from ALIVE! for a chance to win groceries for a year and a $10,000 donation to our organization! To contribute and enter the sweepstakes, please log your hours here.

Current Volunteer Opportunities

October 29th – Delivery Drivers for Ladrey/Annie B. Rose House Food Distribution Event
Must be age 21 and older to participate and have a valid driver’s license.
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Meeting at 801 South Payne Street
Interested in driving an ALIVE! Truck? Click here to review a short truck safety video

October 29th – Assist with Grocery Distribution at Ladrey/Annie B. Rose House Food Distribution
Must be age 18 years or older to participate and have completed the Civil Rights training prior to the event
ALIVE! provides grocery items like bread, eggs, fresh produce, chicken, and shelf stable items to the residents of Annie B. Rose House and the Ladrey Senior High Rise on the last Tuesday of the month. Assist with distribution of bags to clients via pull-carts or at the walk-up table during the Food Distribution.
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Meeting at 300 Wythe Street

October 25th – Friday Night Material Set Up Team
Unload food and materials from the ALIVE! delivery trucks and help get the space organized for the Saturday morning distribution.
Children ages 15-17 must be accompanied by an adult.
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Leonard “Chick” Armstrong Recreation Center (25 West Reed Ave)
William Ramsay Rec Center (5650 Sanger Ave)

October 25th – Friday Night Set Up Delivery Drivers
Pickup an ALIVE! truck on Friday night and drive food and materials to the distribution site.
Volunteers who sign up to drive the ALIVE! truck must be at least 21 years old, must have a valid Driver’s License, and provide proof insurance. A Commercial Driver’s License is not required.
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
ALIVE! Warehouse (801 South Payne Street)
Click here to review a short truck safety video

October 26th – Food Distributors, Traffic Marshals, and Translators
Help distribute fresh produce, chicken, eggs, and bread to our Alexandria neighbors in need at these outdoor food distributions.
Children ages 15-17 must be accompanied by an adult. Spanish, Dari, and Pashto language skills needed.
7:15 am – 11:30 am
Leonard “Chick” Armstrong Recreation Center (25 West Reed Ave)
William Ramsay Rec Center (5650 Sanger Ave)

October 26th – Truck Drivers at ALIVE! Food Distribution
Must be age 21 and older to participate and have a valid driver’s license.
6:30 am – 12:30 pm
Meeting at 801 South Payne Street
Click here to review a short truck safety video

November 1st and November 2nd- Apple Picking in West Virginia
We have an amazing opportunity to harvest fresh apples on November 1st and November 2nd for Alexandria families in need, and we are looking for large groups of volunteers to lend a hand. We are looking for roughly 40 volunteers each day for this activity, and with your help we may reach our goal of collecting 12,000 pounds of fresh produce!

Volunteers must be 18 years old or older, come prepared to work outdoors, and be able to lift containers that weigh at least 25 pounds. Transportation to the orchard in West Virginia is not provided but volunteers are encouraged to meet at the ALIVE! Warehouse (801 South Payne Street) each morning at 9am to carpool. This location is roughly 1.5 hours away from Alexandria, and the expected return time is 5pm on each day. Please sign up online in advance. Questions? Contact volunteermg@alive-inc.org

November 26th – Turkey Basket Drivers Needed
ALIVE! delivers Turkey Baskets to about 150 families in Alexandria each year around Thanksgiving, and we need your help. Sign up to help deliver to Alexandria families in need on Tuesday, November 26th.

Drivers pull up in their own vehicles in front of the ALIVE! warehouse in Old Town (801 South Payne Street), volunteers will load your vehicle with food, and you’ll be handed a list of addresses for these deliveries. Each car will be responsible for making 2-4 turkeys basket deliveries that will include a frozen turkey plus other holiday meal items. We recommend that drivers recruit at least one person to join them in making these deliveries. Sign up online to reserve your volunteer shift today!

Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer in the Warehouse
Assist with unloading food donation deliveries, sorting food, preparing orders for delivery, vegetable gleaning, re-stocking shelves, organizing and cleaning, and administrative assistance if needed. Standing for long periods and/or constant walking back and forth will be required. Lifting items up to 50 pounds and bending might be required. Advanced registration is required.

When: Tuesdays and Thursdays
10:00 am-12:00 pm
801 South Payne Street

Fresh Produce Gleaning at Local Farms
Join the Friends of Urban Agriculture/Plot Against Hunger Glean Team. Help harvest fresh produce for our neighbors. The Glean Team harvested over 22 tons of vegetables in 2023 to share with DC metro area feeding programs.

Who: Individuals who love to be outdoors, are in good health, able to lift 15 lbs, work outdoors in heat and cold. Minors (12-17) are welcome when accompanied by parents or guardians. Groups are especially welcome when we are offered large fields of sweet corn, zucchini, squash and potatoes to harvest!

Where: Local farms inside the DC Beltway, within 40 minutes of Arlington/Alexandria.

When: Tuesdays and Thursday mornings
Meet at 7:15am and start harvesting at 7:30am. We glean on Tuesday mornings (and Thursdays reserved as rain days and bumper crop harvests) through the summer until the end of October.

Questions and RSVP: Please direct inquiries to Puwen Lee, leepuwen@gmail.com.

Furniture Program Scheduler (Virtual)
We are looking for 3-5 additional Furniture Program Schedulers. Being a Furniture Program Scheduler is a virtual activity that involves responding to furniture program emails, reviewing the list of furniture donations, matching donated items with furniture requests, and creating the routes for the Saturday furniture delivery truck. There’s no lifting required!

If you are someone who enjoys working with spreadsheets and calling to confirm pickup/dropoff times, this could be the role for you! Training is provided. It takes 8-10 hours during the week to put the furniture schedule together; the work is virtual and flexible to your schedule. We ask schedulers to sign up once every 4-6 weeks, and to commit to helping out for at least 3 months.

Contact furniturechair@alive-inc.org to express interest and learn more.

West End Food Hub Assistant (Most Needed)
Assist clients by greeting, registering, and introducing them to the food selection process, translating as well as organizing groceries and light cleaning. We are especially looking for people who are flexible, comfortable working with and serving others, speak languages other than English, and are excited about helping people find food and other resources.
Children ages 14-17 must be accompanied by an adult.
Tuesdays – Thursdays 10 am – 12 pm | 11 am – 2 pm | 2 pm – 4 pm | 4 pm – 6 pm | 5 pm – 6 pm
Saturdays 9:45 am – 2 pm
Meeting at 510-F S. Van Dorn Street

Del Ray Food Hub Assistant
Assist clients by greeting, registering, and introducing them to the food selection process, translating as well as organizing groceries and light cleaning. We are especially looking for people who are flexible, comfortable working with and serving others, speak languages other than English, and are excited about helping people find food and other resources.
Children ages 14-17 must be accompanied by an adult.
Tuesdays – Thursdays 11 am – 12 pm | 12 pm – 2:30 pm | 2 pm – 4:30 pm | 4:30 pm – 6 pm | 5 pm – 6 pm
Saturdays 9:45 am – 2 pm
Meeting at 2601 Mt. Vernon Avenue

Furniture Program Volunteers (High Priority)
ALIVE! will provide a list of addresses where donated items are scheduled for pickup, a list of addresses for families scheduled to receive donated items, and an ALIVE! truck with a driver. Sign up to help load and unload the furniture truck on an upcoming Saturday morning.
Children ages 15-17 must be accompanied by an adult.
Saturdays 8 am – 1 pm
Meeting at 801 South Payne Street

ALIVE! Delivery Drivers and Navigators
Sign up to help drive an ALIVE! box truck to one of our upcoming food distribution events. Must be 21 years old or older with a valid drivers license and proof of insurance. A commercial license is not required.

Also, if you’d like to assist the driver with directions, unloading the truck, and communication to site leads consider signing up as a Navigator and assist the driver on deliveries. Must be 18 years old or older. Contact volunteermg@alive-inc.org
Click here to review a short truck safety video

Host a Food Drive
Help address hunger and host a food drive. Get involved and donate items.

Volunteer Requirements

Sign up in advance and arrive on time.
Wear closed-toe shoes.
Follow current CDC guidelines. Read the ALIVE! COVID Safety Guidelines.
For community service hours, contact the ALIVE! Volunteer Manager in advance.

Age Requirements

Adults accompanying minors must sign a waiver for each minor. Parents with children ages 12 and under should contact the ALIVE! Volunteer Manager before participating in any ALIVE! volunteer activities.
Minors ages 14-17 must be accompanied by an adult for the entirety of volunteer activities at the food warehouse and food distribution sites.