Would you like to volunteer at Okehampton Food Bank and make a practical difference to people in your local community?
For more than seventeen years, Okehampton Food Bank has been helping local people through some of the most difficult periods of their lives.
Founded in 2008 as the seventh food bank to be established in the UK, it began with the simple belief that neighbours should help neighbours. Since then, the food bank has grown from supporting just a handful of families each week into a vital community service for Okehampton and the surrounding area.
Today, we continue that work from the Ockment Centre in North Street, and we are looking for new volunteers to join our friendly and dedicated team.
Whether you are searching for volunteer opportunities in Okehampton, hoping to support a local charity or simply have a few hours to spare, volunteering with us is a meaningful way to help people facing hardship.plays more block tools
Hunger Is Still Here in Okehampton
The people who come to Okehampton Food Bank are not strangers.
They are parents, children, older residents, people living with illness or disability, and working households whose income no longer covers the essentials.
A sudden job loss, an unexpected bill, delayed benefits or the rising cost of food and energy can leave almost anyone struggling to put meals on the table.
Through referrals from trusted local organisations, Okehampton Food Bank provides individuals and families with nutritious food and essential household items during times of hardship.
Where supplies allow, this includes:
- Fresh fruit and vegetables
- Milk, butter, cheese and eggs
- Tinned and dried food
- Breakfast items
- Toiletries and personal-care products
- Baby products and other essential items
However, our work is about much more than filling bags with food.
It is about welcoming people without judgement, protecting their dignity and reminding them that their community has not forgotten them.
By becoming an Okehampton Food Bank volunteer, you can help ensure that local individuals and families receive practical assistance, kindness and respect when they need it most.
Volunteers Make It Possible
Every food parcel prepared, every shelf filled and every person welcomed through our doors depends upon the time, commitment and kindness of our volunteers.
Our volunteers help us to:
- Receive and sort food donations
- Check dates and organise stock
- Restock shelves
- Prepare the food bank for opening
- Pack and distribute food
- Welcome visitors with kindness and respect
- Keep the food bank clean, organised and running smoothly
We are particularly looking for people who can help on Wednesdays, when fresh produce and other supplies are collected and the food bank is prepared for the following day, or on Thursday mornings when local families visit us.
A typical volunteering session lasts around two or three hours, and we will try to be flexible around your work, family and other commitments.
You do not need previous food bank experience. What matters most is that you are reliable, compassionate and able to treat everyone with dignity and confidentiality.
Appropriate guidance and training will be provided. Regular volunteers will also be asked to complete safeguarding training and a DBS check arranged by the food bank.
For anyone looking for food bank volunteering in Okehampton, this is an opportunity to join a welcoming team and contribute directly to an important local service.
Become Part of Our Story
Okehampton Food Bank has continued serving the town through economic uncertainty, the pandemic and the rising cost of living.
That has only been possible because generations of local people have been willing to step forward and help.
We are now inviting a new group of volunteers to become part of that story.
You may be retired and looking for a meaningful way to use your time. You may work part-time, have a few hours available each month or simply want to do something practical for people in your community.
Whatever your background, your time could make a genuine difference.
A few hours spent sorting donations, restocking shelves or preparing food parcels may seem like a small contribution. To a family facing an empty cupboard, it can mean everything.
Choosing to volunteer in Okehampton is also a valuable way to meet new people, support your community and use your time for a worthwhile cause.
Join Our Volunteer Team
To find out more about volunteering at Okehampton Food Bank, please contact us:
Okehampton Food Bank
Ockment Centre
31 North Street
Okehampton
EX20 1AR
Telephone: 07585 300537
If there is no answer, please leave a message or send a text.
Email: contact@okehamptonfoodbank.co.uk
You are also welcome to visit us on a Thursday morning to speak to a member of the team and collect a volunteer application form.
Whether you can help regularly or only have a few hours available each month, we would be pleased to hear from you.
Nourishing Neighbours, Feeding Futures
Together, we can make sure that no one in Okehampton has to face hunger alone.