Get involved
Looking to volunteer in Manchester? Join FareShare Greater Manchester and help turn surplus food into meals for people across the region.
Our charity volunteering opportunities in Manchester include warehouse roles, van driving and office support, all helping to tackle food poverty while reducing food waste. While FareShare is not a food bank, volunteering with us supports the charities and food banks helping people in your local community.
Most volunteers complete a flexible 4-hour shift per week, with full training provided and no prior experience required. Whether you’re looking to gain experience, meet new people or give back to your local community, there are plenty of ways to get involved.
To thank you for your precious time commitment, we offer volunteers; expenses (travel & lunch).
Crucially, for job-seeking volunteers, we provide training both on-the-job as well as accredited learning, such as Food Safety and Health & Safety at Work. Volunteers gain ‘hard’ skills like the formal qualifications, and also ‘soft’ skills, such as team-work experience, how to communicate effectively, and a wide range of ‘work readiness’ proficiencies. This all contributes to individuals’ CVs, we also offer work references for job-seeking volunteers.
Volunteering with FareShare Greater Manchester is a chance to give something back, join a busy and friendly team and learn new skills.
Apply to volunteer in our Manchester operation today and become a Food Hero! Whether you can spare 4 hours once a week or more, your contribution to communities across Greater Manchester is so valuable.
Volunteering opportunities are available for all abilities. Whether you’re looking for a short-term volunteer role or something more long-term, there are plenty of ways to get involved and make a difference.
We offer a range of charity volunteering opportunities in Manchester for people who want to give something back, gain experience and make a real difference in their local community. Our volunteers play an essential role in helping us redistribute good-to-eat surplus food to the charities we support across Greater Manchester.
Whether you’re interested in warehouse volunteering, volunteer driving, supporting our drivers as a driver’s assistant or helping in an office-based role, there are flexible volunteering opportunities available for people of all ages and backgrounds.
Contact us today on; 0161 223 8200 (option 6)
Warehouse Volunteer
Warehouse volunteering in Manchester involves picking and packing food orders, sorting donations and helping redistribute surplus food to local charities. The warehouse is a fast-paced, hands-on environment where there is always something to do. Volunteers help prepare orders, repackage food donations, log deliveries and ensure food is within use-by dates. As this role includes lifting and loading, a good level of physical activity is required. It’s ideal for anyone who enjoys a busy role, meeting new people and being part of a friendly team, while helping reduce food waste and support local communities. This role is perfect for hands-on charity work in Manchester and regular volunteering opportunities in a warehouse setting. Our warehouse volunteers are at the forefront of reducing food waste.
“It’s very enjoyable because of the variety, no two shifts are ever the same, I think that’s the beauty of it. There’s not an opportunity to get bored ever because you’re always active and doing something.”
Laura, Warehouse Volunteer.
Van Driver
Our drivers deliver food to charities across Greater Manchester; they load and unload the food orders along with a driver’s assistant, and complete paperwork on delivery.
We require drivers to be over 21 with 3 years driving experience, and confident to drive a medium-sized van. We are looking for positive friendly and courteous people who enjoy meeting new people and being part of a friendly team. These volunteering roles are perfect for people looking for active volunteer opportunities in Manchester that directly support local charities.
“I’ve been a volunteer driver for FareShare for a couple of years now. After retiring from work I wanted to keep myself occupied, but also ‘give something back’. I thoroughly enjoy doing my deliveries and helping to support FareShare as well as the community organisations that benefit from the vital service that it provides.”
Mike, Volunteer Driver
Drivers’ Assistant
Our Driver’s Assistants help deliver food to our Community Food Members, which is vital to ensuring the food gets to people who need it.
Going out with our drivers and helping to load and unload the deliveries the charities, we support across Greater Manchester. You need to be able to perform physical manual handling tasks, and complete paperwork. We are looking for responsible volunteers who love to meet new people, are friendly, courteous and sociable and enjoy being part of a fun team.
“Volunteering like this is good for us, it gives us structure to our week now we are retired and it’s great to make a difference – we enjoy it.”
Ged & Julie, husband & wife team of driver & driver’s assistant.
Customer Service
In our busy FareShare office, you can get involved in lots of different tasks supporting the day-to-day operation in our warehouse. From logging food on our database, answering the phone, greeting visitors, completing food orders and filing documents, there are always plenty of jobs to be done. We look for volunteers who have basic computer skills knowledge, attention to detail and want to be part of a fun team in a busy office. If you enjoy speaking to new people, handling customer enquiries on the phone, building relationships and are organised and flexible, this could be the volunteer role for you. This office-based role suits volunteers looking for flexible charity volunteering in Manchester using customer service and administrative skills.
“I love my role. It’s never dull. It’s about helping to feed people and not wanting food to go to waste. Knowing food varieties helps. When I’m on the phone, being able to offer alternatives for meals goes down well.”
Glynis, Customer Service.
Frequently asked questions
What volunteering opportunities are available in Manchester?
We offer warehouse volunteering, van driving, driver’s assistant and office-based roles at our Greater Manchester operation. All roles help redistribute surplus food to local charities.
Do I need experience to volunteer?
No experience is required. We provide on-the-job training and accredited learning opportunities, including Food Safety and Health & Safety qualifications.
How much time do I need to commit?
Most volunteers complete one 4-hour shift per week but we offer flexible volunteering opportunities depending on availability.
Where does volunteering take place?
Our volunteering roles are based at our Manchester warehouse, delivering food across Greater Manchester to local charities and community groups.
We’re looking for volunteers to join our team
Your work will help tackle hunger and food waste in Manchester. These issues affect thousands of people every year. That’s why we need your help! Volunteers are essential in helping us provide over 7 million meals each year.
Speak to us at FareShare Greater Manchester directly on 0161 223 8200 Option 6 or via email: voladmin@emergemanchester.co.uk
