Lift UP Volunteer
"Delivering Food Boxes to someone who is home-bound is personal. I get to bring a smile and fresh food to their door. I can see it lift their day and spirit. It certainly lifts mine!"
Last year, we celebrated 247 individuals who donated 8,199 volunteer hours to help us accomplish our mission of feeding and nurturing our community. Every volunteer provides something unique and plays a vital role in the continued success of Lift UP.
We could not serve our community without the support of neighbors like you!
Volunteer With Lift UP to Feed Your Community
Explore Lift UP Volunteer Opportunities
You’ll collaborate with fellow volunteers to pack food boxes that are delivered to Lift UP food box recipients living in affordable housing in Downtown and NW Portland. Boxes and bags of food total about 45 lbs. each and contain fresh produce and pantry items.
Each food delivery box may be personalized for the recipient based on religious and/or health-related dietary restrictions. Our food box recipients are older adults and/or people with disabilities living in Lift UP adopted buildings in Downtown and Northwest Portland.
As a food pantry distribution volunteer, you'll play a critical role in getting food out to the community by ensuring smooth operation of Lift UP’s shopping-style food pantry. You'll have an opportunity to collaborate with other volunteers to make food accessible to your neighbors and ensure the pantry is a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive place to be.
Requirements: Please note that this opportunity requires a background check.
You’ll assist in preparing Preston’s Pantry for clients by unloading, restocking, and organizing food donations. This is a fun opportunity for volunteers who like to work with their hands, have a knack for organizing, and have the strength to regularly move large quantities of food around our pantry. What better way to get your daily exercise than by serving your community?
Requirements: Please note that this opportunity requires a background check + the ability to lift up to 40 lbs. intermittently.
You’ll deliver food boxes filled with groceries to recipients living in affordable housing in NW Portland. Your volunteer work will help older adults and people with disabilities access fresh and nutritious food. You‘ll support our mission to address food insecurity by expanding access to healthy food, alleviating social isolation by connecting with clients, and fostering a stronger community. You may even get the opportunity to drive one of Lift UP's fun and colorful commercial vans!
Requirements: Please note that this opportunity requires a background check + a driving record check (if you drive a Lift UP van).
In partnership with Legacy Health, Lift UP's Free Food Market helps distribute FREE, fresh produce to fellow community members. Join the Lift UP volunteer community every month to set up, restock, and distribute fresh produce to your Northwest community. Over 50% of Free Food Market shoppers are members of the Chinese immigrant community, making it a great opportunity for cultural exchange and connection.
Use your creativity by volunteering to make silly, funny, and/or happy cards that help spread joy. Your cards will help Lift UP add a personal touch to our delivered food boxes. Make each card your own by decorating them with images of food, jokes, poems, patterns, or something else to delight our clients (without referencing specific holidays). After you've finished creating the cards, please send them to our office at 3448 NW Yeon Ave., Portland, OR 97210. Also, include a record of the time spent on making the cards for our documentation purposes. If you plan to make cards for service hours, please contact Lift UP's Volunteer Manager for more details and parameters.
This is a family-friendly remote volunteer opportunity.
Interested in engaging members of your company, congregation, or inner circle in volunteering with Lift UP?
Lift UP offers group volunteering opportunities for groups of up to 15 volunteers with shift times ranging from 60-90 minutes, depending on the group size. Group shifts involve some combination of either packing food boxes as a team and/or unloading and sorting donated food. These shifts help make our nearly 400 food box deliveries per month possible!
Group shifts to assist at Preston's Pantry, if available, include deep cleaning and organizing the pantry for our shoppers. Please reach out a minimum of 4 weeks ahead of time to schedule.