Hi! Thank you for volunteering your time to help out at Twin Lakes Food Bank.
Please wear close-toed shoes for your safety, and bring a reusable water bottle. Also, please plan to park at Mt. Olive Church located across the street from the food bank. Please park on the side that is NOT directly across the street from TLFB so it is easier for our guests to park closer.
Please take the time to review the following roles and responsibilities:
WAREHOUSE SORTING
(2-3 volunteers, 8:45 start)
First and foremost, treat people with kindness!
• In general, there should be no sorting on Mondays or Fridays.
• Only volunteers who have been expressly assigned to sort by the Volunteer Coordinator or
Director of Operations should sort rounds. If you are looking for something to do, please check
in with the Operations Director or check the Volunteer Cleaning Opportunities Board near the
deli freezer.
• At the beginning of your shift, assess level of inventory in rounds. If you think you will be able to
sort through it before the end of your shift, notify the Director of Operations who will determine
if rounds can be procured from the off-site warehouse that morning or if delivery will be the next
day. Drivers are usually available after the store donation truck process is complete (about 10:30
or 11) but they may have other responsibilities such as food drive barrel pickup or delivery.
• Use caution when entering or exiting for moving pallet jacks or Big Joe. Be aware of equipment
(pallet jacks, pallets, etc.) inside the warehouse.
• Sort non-perishable foods in rounds and place in the appropriate box.
o DO NOT MOVE THE BOXES, SHELF LABELS, OR SHELF MAGNETS LOCATED ON THE
SHELVES!
o Follow guidelines posted on the board regarding dents on cans. Small dents not on the
seam or top/bottom are OK.
o Refer to Shelf Life of Food Bank Products document posted on the board for specifics on
many shelf-stable foods; for any questions on this document, see the Director of
Operations.
o FEFO is one of the most common practices in food inventory management. FEFO stands
for First Expired, First Out. It is a practice where you utilize the shelf-stable items that are
closest to their expiry date. Product should be organized in these areas based on when
they expire (date on packaging)- with the newest product in the back and oldest product
in the front for immediate use. This will provide inventory tracking and help minimize
food waste in the supply chain.
▪ Note: currently in the warehouse we place the older boxes (2023) BEHIND the
newer boxes (2024 or later). We will evaluate changing this system in the future
to match FEFO best practices (oldest product in the front, newer product in the
back).
o When box is full, place a white label (available on the wall above the worktable) on the
box with the year and place it on the shelf. Ensure all boxes are labeled accurately; if you
are reusing a box, remove old labels to avoid confusion. Face all boxes with the label out.
o Please pay close attention to how granola bars, chips, crackers, and other snacks are
specifically separated and sort accordingly. We rarely box these items as they are used
for after-school programs, POPs, and unhoused bags.
o For Monday Warehouse Volunteers Only: the main purpose is to re-stock the bagging
area; also stock the 5-item shelf and 3-item shelf.
o Large quantities of items such as bags of popcorn, big bags of chips, etc. should NOT be
boxed and instead put on a pallet near the Deli/Meat Counter door for guests to take.
Ask Operations Staff (Byron, Lennie, Ericka) to place a sign on the pallet with the
appropriate amount for each guest to take.
o If you have an excess of beverages, use a maximum of ONE shopping cart to place near
the Deli/Meat Counter door for guests to take. Ask Operations Staff (Byron, Lennie,
Ericka) to place a sign on the pallet with the appropriate amount for each guest to take.
• For safety reasons, please wipe up spills promptly.
• Break down cardboard and take out to the recycle bin.
• Check 5-item shelf outside the meat/dairy counter entrance; if low, put some of the bigger
and/or unique items on the rack-do NOT put any glass items on this shelf (those can go in the 3-
item shelf in the registration area)
• Put “gently expired” but still safe (i.e., no large dents or dent on seams or boxes with broken
seals) into marked Father’s Heart Boxes. If inventory grows before the organization picks it up
Friday morning, please get another box and mark it Father’s Heart.
• The bagging room volunteers are good about letting you know what they need, but feel free to
go there from time to time to ask them directly.
• Stack and organize empty boxes.
• The refrigerators in the warehouse are used for excess items that need to be refrigerated.
• Pallets of extra bread are often temporarily stored in the warehouse and will be dispositioned by
the Operations team.
Close:
• To set up tomorrow’s warehouse volunteers for success, assess level of inventory in rounds. If
you don’t think the inventory will last until 10 or 11am the next day, notify the Director of
Operations who will prioritize procuring rounds from the off-site warehouse the next morning as
soon as possible.
• Sanitize worktable (daily).
• Sweep the warehouse floor (daily).
Thanks!
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