Volunteer – Teen Feed

Become a Volunteer

As a volunteer you are the life-blood of Teen Feed. With the overwhelming support of hundreds of our Seattle community members Teen Feed doubles our impact and maximizes our resources, and we want you! Provide a stable face at a youth meal. Join an outreach team. Participate in a Service Project with your family, club, corporate group or faith organization. Work remote. Short-term volunteerism is perfect for those who want a quick and impactful way to serve their community. Long-term volunteerism allows you to build meaningful connections with our organization and guests. Whatever you choose, you will alter lives, and we are grateful for your talents.

Short-term Volunteer Opportunities

Donation Drive

Commitment: 2-5 hours Age: All ages

Build community and support youth. Basic needs items are a vital resource for our guests. Organize, promote, collect, and drop off basic needs items to Teen Feed. We provide the list.

Kitchen Support

Commitment: 2-3 hour shift Age: 15+

This position gets you involved in the preparation of compassionate, nutritious meals. This includes the cooking, the serving, the packaging, and yes, the cleaning up. This is our lowest-barrier volunteer position. You’re welcome to sign up as a one-off or recurring experience. Don’t cook? Don’t worry. We will set you up for success on your 3-hour shift. Ages 15-17 need a chaperone.

CupcakeUP & MuffinUP

Commitment: 2-5 hour shift Age: All ages

Bake off-site with your company, family, friends, group, or classmates and drop off to Teen Feed’s dinner location(s). Traumatized young digestive systems sometimes require gluten-free, high-protein, vegan or diabetic-friendly foods. This event partners with the ROOTS young adult shelter for breakfast support.

OhSoClean!

Commitment: 2-5 hour shift Age: 15+

Ready to roll up your sleeves and clean? Help Teen Feed’s kitchen(s) sparkle and build relationships! Perfect for work groups’ service events.

Special Projects Ambassador

Commitment: Varies Age: 18+

Have a special skill or talent? (Ex: video making, curriculum development). Want to enhance or develop a skill you’re new at? We have a special project with your name on it.

Stack&Sort

Commitment: 2-5 hour shift Age: 15+

If you love organizing, this is the service event for you. Youth requests change seasonally. Organize our inventory of Basic Needs Items. Great for work groups’ service events.

Long-term Volunteer Opportunities

Advocates

Commitment: 1 year Age: 18+

Advocates are in-person mentors who partner with staff to listen, learn, and create relationships with vulnerable youth.

As members of Teen Feed’s nightly dinner, volunteers make space for a weekly commitment.
Advocates experience interpersonal connection.
Best-fit Advocates are dependable, compassionate, empathetic, and equity-minded.

Skills You Gain:

Relationship-building
Active listening
Trauma-informed care

Requirements:

Weekly attendance
Equity-minded

Outreach or In-Reach

Commitment: 1 year Age: 18+

Outreach Volunteers are folks who want to meet our community members “where they’re at.” In-Reach Volunteers want to provide a weekly safe space for our youth. Both foster community and connect youth to resources while meeting basic needs. By making a weekly commitment to our Outreach or In-Reach Program for one year, volunteers build community, gain friendships, and attain on-the-ground experience.

Best-fit Outreach or In-Reach Volunteers are reliable, compassionate, empathetic, and equity-minded. Outreach volunteers are not afraid to venture out in all kinds of weather.

Skills You Gain:

Community building
Resource navigation knowledge
CPR Certification
Naloxone/Narcan training

Requirements:

Open-minded
Physically able to carry a backpack up to 25 lbs
Walk 2-3 miles

Allies

Commitment: 1 year Age: 15-17

Ally Volunteers are teens who help facilitate our nightly dinner program: helping with sign-in, distribution of basic needs items, set-up, and clean-up. By volunteering weekly for one year, Allies build important personal skills of agency, time-management, and responsibility while fostering community, connection, and friendship.

Best-fit Allies are reliable, empathetic, and growth-minded individuals.

Skills You Gain:

Agency
Time management
Communication

Requirements:

Weekly attendance
Growth-minded
Guardian approval

Kitchen Lead

Commitment: 1 year Age: 18+

Kitchen Lead Volunteers have the fulfillment of a finished product: a hot meal for both Teen Feed’s dinner service and ROOTS Young Adult Shelter. Kitchen Lead Volunteers are not only vital to feeding Teen Feed’s guests but in fostering our corps of kitchen volunteers and facilitating their experience.

Best-fit Kitchen Lead Volunteers are steadfastly dependable individuals who enjoy fast-paced work, thinking on their feet, and interpersonal relationships.

Skills You Gain:

Leadership
Culinary skills
Food safety and nutrition knowledge

Requirements:

Weekly attendance
Dependable

Meal Team

Commitment: 1 year Age: All ages, under 18 chaperone required

Meal teams’ role is to cook a full, nutritious dinner for our guests! Meal teams have the option to cook in our kitchens or prepare the meal ahead of time and drop off food at our dinner sites. A perfect opportunity for groups and a fun way for your family, neighborhood, or workplace to make a difference. Recurring and one-time opportunities available subject to scheduling availability.

Skills You Gain:

Team-building
Menu creation
Direct service

Requirements:

Regular attendance
Able to provide majority of ingredients