Volunteer

Project SHARE could not operate without volunteers. Every year, hundreds of community members take the time to assist with our services and programs.

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How It Works

Many of our volunteers assist on a regular basis, but we always welcome new faces. Some volunteer shifts are open to all, with no prior experience or training required. Others have specific requirements that involve meeting with team members to determine if it’s a good fit.

Registration for volunteering is required.

Volunteer Requirements

Volunteer Requirements

Our volunteers are an extension of our team, filling jobs that are crucial to meeting our mission. We expect volunteers to have a good work ethic, but also a compassionate understanding for the kind of work we do.

For more information about our volunteer expectations, click here.

  • Volunteers younger than 15 years old must be accompanied by an adult.
  • Volunteers younger than 18 years old must have a waiver signed by parent/guardian.
  • Volunteers must be able to stand for extended periods of time and lift at least 15 lbs.

For more information about our volunteer expectations, click here.

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Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer at our main distribution location for Your Choice or Drive Thru in one of the following positions:

  • Greeter (Your Choice): Welcome clients when they first enter the food pantry for their monthly visit. Check their name and appointment time and direct them to check-in.

  • Client Check-In (Your Choice): Using a laptop, check in clients upon their arrival for their monthly appointment.

  • Pantry Assistant (Your Choice): Answer questions and assist clients with food choices during their shopping visit.

  • Shelf Stocker (Your Choice): Help keep the pantry stocked for clients by restocking shelves and coolers with food from the warehouse. This role involves some heavy lifting and requires mobility.

  • Grocery Bagger / Cart Handler / Car Loader (Your Choice): Clean shopping carts, bag groceries, help clients with loading groceries in vehicles if asked.

  • Appointment Registration: Using a laptop, meet with clients who have finished shopping to secure an appointment for the following month.

  • Client Interviewers: Meet with prospective clients face-to-face to determine whether they meet the financial limitations for certain services. This role requires screening from our Volunteer Coordinators. If interested, please contact them at volunteer@projectsharepa.org

  • Drive Thru Volunteer: Collaborate with other volunteers to pack grocery carts with food to load in clients’ vehicles.

Volunteer at our Farmstand location in one of the following positions:

  • Client Check-In: Welcome clients when they first enter Farmstand for their visit. Check their name and appointment time.

  • Shelf Stocker: Help keep shelves and coolers stocked with food. This role involves some heavy lifting and requires mobility.

  • Grocery Bagger / Cart Handler: Clean shopping carts and bag groceries.

  • Park n Shop: Shop for clients with limited mobility.

Assist our Nutrition Coordinator at our monthly cooking classes by helping students as needed. To learn more, visit our Cooking Classes page.

Collaborate with other volunteers to sort food donations made to Project SHARE. This role requires physical stamina to lift and stand on your feet for extended periods of time. Sorting and packing is not open to children under the age of 13.

For those qualified, Project SHARE recruits volunteers to drive our fleet of trucks to collect food from local grocery stores, farms and/or other donors. This role requires licensing and other qualifications, including screening. If you are interested in trucking, please contact our Volunteer Coordinators at volunteer@projectsharepa.org.

Be one of the faces (and voices) of Project SHARE to the community as an office volunteer. May involve greeting in-person visitors, making/answering phone calls, opening mail, and more. This role requires screening from our Volunteer Coordinators. If you are interested in office volunteering, please contact our Volunteer Coordinators at volunteer@projectsharepa.org.

Join Project SHARE staff and other volunteers at local farms to pick produce that would otherwise go to waste. Gleaning may involve heavy lifting, bending or other rigorous physical activities.

Available during the summer and fall months.

Share your passion for Project SHARE with others by representing us at community events. This role requires screening from our Communications Coordinator. If you are interested or have questions about being a community representative, please contact our Communications Coordinator at media@projectsharepa.org.

Group Opportunities

In addition to individual opportunities, we encourage businesses, congregations, and schools to volunteer as a group. Volunteering together not only strengthens your team’s bond but also amplifies your community impact.

For other corporate or group partnering ideas, please visit our Collaborate (Business Partnerships) page.

If you are part of a group that is interested in taking on several spots in a volunteer program, please contact our Volunteer Coordinators by clicking the button below.

Contact

Ready To Volunteer?

Click the button below to sign up as a volunteer and make a difference!

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Volunteer Stories

Meet Michael & Marla

Community Representatives & More

“We believe that when you care for others, you also care for yourself. Helping others gives one a meaningful purpose, thus improving the health and the quality of our lives.”

Read Their Story

Meet Mark & Kathy

Pantry Assistants & More

“By actively participating in the operations of Project SHARE, we are part of a solution that redistributes surplus food to those who might otherwise go hungry.”

Read Their Story

Meet Rob

Volunteer Assistant to Warehouse Coordinator & More

“I started to feel more comfortable every day, thanks to the staff and fellow volunteers answering my questions and giving me suggestions about what to try next.”

Read His Story

Join Our Volunteer Newsletter

Join our newsletter for updates on volunteer opportunities, program information and other ways to support our mission.

Questions?

Contact our Volunteer Coordinators at volunteer@projectsharepa.org.

I would never be as healthy as I am today thanks to nutritious options I’ve learned more about because of Project SHARE.

Client Testimonial

Thank you for putting food on our table. God bless everyone of you.

Client Testimonial

I was devastated when I lost my job. I would not have eaten without Project SHARE.

Client Testimonial

Meet Michael & Marla

We “share” because we feel it is our civic responsibility to give back to and strengthen our community. We have been volunteering at Project SHARE for more than 30 years. In doing so, we would bring our children to also volunteer, as children are apt to watch and likely imitate their parents. It was important for us to raise our children with good character and have them personally experience the importance of community service.

The poet Emerson said that “the only true gift is a portion of yourself”. We try to make the distribution experience a little easier for the recipients. We believe that making a positive difference in the lives of others will bring comfort to those who are less fortunate, marginalized, or have suffered one of life’s setbacks. It is essential to connect with recipients by engaging with them, which can be simply remembering their name, sharing a smile, telling a joke, or merely wishing them a good day, all of which makes them feel that they are our first priority. It is our belief that even the smallest acts of caring, whether it is a listening ear or a few words of encouragement or kindness shares our humanity and contributes to the greater societal good. For if we all do a little, it can add up to a lot.

On a personal level, we have a sense of pride in volunteering at Project SHARE. As Gandhi said “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” We believe that when you care for others, you also care for yourself. Helping others gives one a meaningful purpose, thus improving our own heath and the quality of our lives. Indeed, it is a privilege to work as a member of a Team alongside so many caring and friendly volunteers, sharing a passion to support those in need while revealing our empathy and compassion to care.

About Michael & Marla

Michael and Marla Mogill are each originally from the Chicago suburbs. Marla earned her B.A. in Human Resources and Management from Temple University and her B.S. in Elementary Education from Penn State Harrisburg. She worked in the business world and retired after teaching 4th grade at Hamilton Elementary School for 21 years. Michael earned his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Illinois, his J.D. from the Northeastern University School of Law, and his LLM from the Temple University School of Law. He practiced law in both the public and private sectors and recently retired after 32 years as a Professor of Law at Penn State Dickinson Law.

Meet Mark & Kathy

The Japanese have a concept called “ikigai” that really resonates with Kathy and me. Ikigai is a concept that refers to something that gives meaning and purpose to one’s life. Now that we are retired, Project SHARE is our ikigai at least three days each week!

For the past five years, Kathy and I have worked with the wonderful crew at Project SHARE. We have loaded cars (and carts) at Farmstand with former coordinator Jake and at the main building with Asani, gleaned with Steve Kuhn, prepared SHARE Boxes with Emma, sorted food, stocked coolers and freezers and shelves, and assisted with Summer Feeding and Your Choice distribution.

We find that volunteering at Project SHARE is an impactful way to contribute to the well-being of the Carlisle community. Project SHARE plays a vital role in addressing food insecurity, a pervasive issue affecting numerous individuals and families. By dedicating time to Project SHARE, we directly contribute to alleviating hunger and fostering a sense of communal support.

We even helped that time last summer when we got a huge, unexpected truckload of ready-made salads and had to move them within hours!

Volunteering at Project SHARE helps bridge the gap between surplus food resources and those in need. In many communities, there is a significant amount of food that goes to waste, while simultaneously, people struggle to secure nutritious meals. By actively participating in the operations of Project SHARE, we are part of a solution that redistributes surplus food to those who might otherwise go hungry.

For us, volunteering fosters a sense of empathy and community engagement. It provides an opportunity to connect with diverse individuals from various backgrounds, creating a shared sense of purpose in addressing a fundamental human need. Working alongside fellow volunteers and Project SHARE’s superb staff, we’ve built relationships that extend beyond the immediate task of sorting and distributing food. This sense of community strengthens social bonds and enhances the overall fabric of the society you live in.

We love seeing our caring, high-energy volunteers assisting clients with their food choices, helping them load their cars, or jamming to the music that always fills the air at Project SHARE!

The act of volunteering also instills in us a sense of gratitude and humility. When we actively engage in tasks like packing food boxes or assisting clients, we gain a profound appreciation for the basic necessities many take for granted. This newfound perspective can lead to personal growth and a heightened awareness of the importance of giving back to the community.

For Kathy and me, volunteering at Project SHARE is our ikigai for most of the work week. We have found volunteering to be a fun, meaningful, and impactful way to make a positive difference in the Carlisle community. It addresses the pressing issue of food insecurity, fosters a sense of community, and cultivates gratitude and resilience. Hopefully, our commitment to volunteering contributes to creating a more compassionate and supportive society, where individuals work together to ensure that no one goes hungry.

About Mark & Kathy

Kathy and Mark have resided in West Pennsboro Township since last century. Now retired, Kathy worked at a number of local businesses/organizations, primarily Reeves-Hoffman and the Cumberland County Housing and Redevelopment Authority. Mark also worked at Reeves-Hoffman, in addition to McCoy Electronics/Oak Industries/Corning Inc., and the South Middleton School District. They have volunteered at Project Share for 10+ years. When not volunteering, Kathy and Mark travel, garden, ski, bike, play pickleball, annoy their cats, and root for Pittsburgh sports teams.

Meet Rob

After 30 years of selling restaurant equipment and supplies for Singer Equipment Company in Reading, PA, I was able to retire in November 2020. My first weekend of retirement was very relaxing but also very stressful due to the uncertainty of where the next chapter of my life was going to take me! When I woke up the following Monday, the first thing I did was go online and Google “places to volunteer” in Carlisle, PA. Ironically, the first place the popped up was Project SHARE. After browsing through the website, I decided that this was something I should try, so I signed up and registered for my first event.

When I walked into the building my first day, I was amazed by how big the facility was and all the piles of canned goods and other items that were stacked everywhere. Of course, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into either. Deb Brownawell came out of the office, introduced herself, and showed me what I was going to be doing that day. After a couple of pointers and suggestions from Deb (including how to use a pallet jack which I had never done before!), I was on my own building banana boxes for distribution. After day one, I decided to register for more events to see what would happen. I started to feel more comfortable every day, thanks to the staff and fellow volunteers answering my questions and giving me suggestions about what to try next. They included signing up for different events such as outdoor distribution at the Orange Street location, Farmstand, and other miscellaneous openings.

As time passed, there were some staff changes at Project SHARE, including the addition of a new warehouse manager, which ultimately changed what I did daily. When I was first introduced to Asani, we hit it off immediately. As he got acclimated to his new role, I was able to learn more about the distribution side of Project SHARE from him. It is amazing the number of moving parts on this side of Project SHARE, and thanks to Asani, I was able to learn many of them. To top it off, I was made Assistant to the Warehouse Coordinator and now work between 10 and 20 hours a week.

I get asked all the time why I volunteer at Project SHARE and why I work so many days. There are many different answers. First of all, I have to thank all of the staff members for making me feel at home since day one. Bob Weed has put together a great roster of people to run the day-to-day operations. Secondly, volunteering is very heartwarming. Just getting to talk to the clients that Project SHARE helps daily and how much they appreciate our help really makes you realize how many people in the area are in such great need of the services Project SHARE provide. Thirdly, I have been able to develop three great friendships since volunteering for the last one and half years. Asani, Emma, and Darrell are all amazing people, and I am glad I can call them my friends. Last but not least, I met my girlfriend, Melanie, at Project SHARE, and I am so lucky to be have been able to meet such an amazing person. I am truly blessed.

About Rob

Rob Ebersole is from Carlisle and is retired from Singer Equipment Co. He is an avid Phillies fan with an average seasonal attendance at 15 games. He volunteers at Project SHARE at least four days a week.