Volunteering With Us

The Food Bank greatly relies on our volunteers, especially in times of crisis. On top of our standard, daily, safety and hygiene processes, we have several additional measures in place to protect volunteers & staff. At this time:

  • Masks are optional at all branches. The Food Bank has masks on hand should volunteers request one.
  • All volunteers must wash hands upon entering the Food Bank, in advance of beginning your project.
  • As a reminder, volunteers must be 12+ for all shifts (except Kids Day). Youth between ages 12 and 16 need a chaperone to register and volunteer with them.
  • If you are feeling sick, or displaying any symptoms of illness, please stay home. We rely on volunteer power to get the job done, but we need you to be healthy and operating at 100% to make that happen! Please do not put yourself or anyone else at risk by coming to volunteer when sick. If you are displaying signs of illness while on site at the Food Bank, one of our team members will ask you to return home.

Volunteer at The Food Bank

Woman in purple mask picks up a cardboard box from a stack, text to left of her reads Smaller Groups, Same Big Impact

Every day, Food Bank volunteers make an incredible contribution to our community. Volunteers are vital to ensuring nutritious food reaches our friends and neighbors.

We cannot do this important work alone!

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Volunteer hours last year
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Full-time employee equivalency

Raleigh Branch

Exterior of Raleigh Branch. White, stone building with bright green portico and matching lettering. Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina

Durham Branch

Exterior of Durham Branch. Red brick building with white letters reading Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC

Greenville Branch

Exterior of Greenville Branch. Red brick building with white and brown sign reading Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC

New Bern Branch

Exterior of New Bern Branch. White stone building with large truck parked out front. Green sign reads Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC

Sandhills Branch

Exterior of Sandhills Branch. Black & white photo of paneled building with white sign reading Food Bank

Wilmington Branch

Exterior of Wilmington Branch. Warehouse with large Food Bank truck backed into loading dock and white sign reading Food Bank.

I think it’s important that we all serve the community in whatever way that we can. I really like all the people at the Food Bank, and it feels purposeful to see the direct impact that our work has done for the community.”  -Food Bank Volunteer

“I’ve always liked helping people and this looked like a great way to help. I don’t remember much about my first-time volunteering; I can barely remember what I had for dinner yesterday. But I do remember I enjoyed the experience and started attending every company Food Bank event.”  -20-yearlong Food Bank Volunteer

“Every hour I volunteer at the Food Bank is rewarding because I’m choosing to help feed the adults and children in our county. I do believe all people could use a ‘Hand Up’ sometimes to lift their spirits. I feel blessed and I love to bless others.”  -Food Bank Volunteer

“I love the science and history of food … you might call me obsessed. The Food Bank has long been an organization I support. I think everybody is entitled to food, warmth and happiness, and if I can provide even a bit of that by contributing my time and efforts, especially in an area that I have some expertise, then I can’t not do that.”  -Food Bank Volunteer

“I would tell everyone who can, come to the Food Bank firsthand and see what it’s all about. You will be amazed how much food comes and goes out of the Food Bank. There are several different jobs we do, so each week is something different. The people that I volunteer with are awesome and so is our Food Bank Volunteer Coordinator.”  -Food Bank Volunteer


The Food Bank is honored to be certified by Points of Light as a Service Enterprise! Our certification signifies that we have the capability and management expertise to strategically use our amazing volunteers to make an even bigger difference, not only in our warehouses, but in our communities. This is a prestigious accomplishment, and we are proud to join the top 11 percent of nonprofits nationwide in volunteer management and organizational performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

All volunteers must register online. Registering online is the same as reading and signing the paper Volunteer Information Form we used before. Now, this step does not delay starting the volunteer project by taking up time that could be used to feed neighbors in need!

  • The Food Bank’s Raleigh Branch is located at 1924 Capital Blvd. Please park near the blue volunteer entrance located at the northern side of the building, facing Crabtree Blvd (or the left-hand side when facing the building from Capital Blvd). Volunteers can check-in in the Volunteer Lobby.
  • The Food Bank’s Durham Branch is located at 2700 Angier Avenue, Suite A Durham, NC 27703
  • The Food Bank’s Greenville Branch is located at 1712 Union Street Greenville, NC 27834
  • The Food Bank’s Wilmington Branch is located at 1314 Marstellar Street Wilmington, NC 28401
  • The Food Bank’s Sandhills Branch is located at 195 Sandy Avenue Southern Pines, NC 28387
  • The Food Bank’s New Bern Branch is located at 1702 Red Robin Lane New Bern, NC 28562

Our projects vary based on what is in the warehouse at the time. Generally, you will be determining whether food is safe or unsafe and then putting it in family-sized containers. Projects typically include building food boxes, sorting and repackaging of produce, groceries, bulk dry items like pasta or rice, or labeling food containers.

Yes. This will be addressed at your onsite orientation on the day you volunteer. As a general rule, we recommend people leave valuables locked inside their vehicle for the session.

To allow for effective instructions and full sessions, we ask all group and individual volunteers to arrive by the beginning of your session and to stay until the end of the session.

Volunteers under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Volunteers 12 years and older are welcome to volunteer during our regular sessions. Volunteers 5-11 years old are welcome to volunteer during our Kids Day sessions only.

The Food Bank recommends a ratio of 1 chaperone: 5 youth volunteers. Please note that these chaperones do count towards your total number of reserved volunteer spots.

Chaperones are required to remain with their volunteers throughout the session and follow all dress and safety guidelines for participation in the project.

Yes, you can. Please bring your documents to the session. Alternatively, you can use your personal volunteer portal to print out your hours.

The Food Bank can verify community service hours for traffic violations only, excluding DUI/DWI. If you fall within these parameters, you must send an email to the volunteer coordinator at the branch location where you plan to work to obtain permission before beginning.

The Food Bank has a Social Media Ambassador program for folks who want to make a difference, virtually. Ambassadors use their personal social media to help raise awareness about food insecurity, and build support for the Food Bank’s work. Ambassadors receive a special monthly email with with Food Bank news, links, and suggested posts, which they can copy/paste or customize. Learn more at foodbankcenc.org/sma

First, double check this webpage to see if your question is already addressed. If not, below this FAQ section you will find Volunteer Coordinator contact information for each Branch.  Our team spends most of their time away from their desks working with volunteers, so please have patience as they work to respond.

Need help?

If your question wasn’t answered in the FAQs above, or you need help with CERVIS the online self-schedule tool, please contact your branch’s Volunteer Coordinator. Our team spends most of their time away from their desks working with volunteers, so please have patience as they work to respond.

Durham Branch
Chris Stone – cstone@foodbankcenc.org | (919) 817-1761
Hunter Smith – hcsmith@foodbankcenc.org | (919) 956-2513 ext. 2104

Greenville Branch
Miyah Randall – drandall@foodbankcenc.org | (252) 752-4996 ext. 2302

New Bern Branch
LaTrone Hardy – lhardy@foodbankcenc.org | (252) 577-1912

Raleigh Branch
Zach Perry – zperry@foodbankcenc.org | (919) 865-30262

Sandhills Branch
Denise Murchison – dmurchison@foodbankcenc.org | (910) 692-5959

Wilmington Branch
| (910) 251-1465 ext. 2210

Get social!

We love when volunteers share photos of their experience fighting hunger! Tag us on social media, @FoodBankCENC, on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram or use the tag #NoOneGoesHungry. You never know when your photo could be re-posted!

Scheduled Closings

  • Monday, January 1, 2024 – New Year’s Day
  • Monday, January 15, 2024 – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • Friday, March 29, 2024 – Fifth Friday (All Branches close at Noon)
  • Monday, May 27, 2024 – Memorial Day
  • Friday, May 31, 2024 – Fifth Friday (All Branches close at Noon)
  • Wednesday, June 19, 2024 – Juneteenth
  • Thursday/Friday, July 4 & 5 2024 – Independence Day Holiday
  • Friday, August 30, 2024 – Fifth Friday (All Branches close at Noon)
  • Monday, September 2, 2024 – Labor Day
  • Thursday/Friday, November 28 & 29, 2024 – Thanksgiving Holiday
  • Wednesday/Thursday/Friday, December 25, 26 & 27, 2024 – Christmas Holiday
  • Wednesday, January 1, 2025 – New Year’s Day