Volunteer
Volunteers are a crucial part of our mission at Feeding San Diego. We have many volunteer opportunities at our Sorrento Valley headquarters as well as other locations in the community.
Ready to jump in?
- Explore volunteer opportunities
- Volunteer rules
- Learn more about volunteer hours
- Know before you go: Court-Ordered Volunteering
With an ambitious goal of ending hunger in San Diego County through food rescue, we rely on those willing to donate their time to our cause.
Whether you’re interested in sorting and packing produce for a family in need, supporting our food distributions, making personalized phone calls to thank our generous donors, or helping in another way — we’re glad you’re here!
Not sure how to start? Check out our blog post covering everything you need to know about becoming a Feeding San Diego volunteer.
Volunteers are a crucial part of Feeding San Diego’s mission. We have many volunteer opportunities at our Sorrento Valley headquarters and other locations in the community.
Ready to jump in?
Volunteer Opportunities
with Feeding San Diego
Individual Volunteering
Feeding San Diego offers a variety of volunteer opportunities at our distribution center and in the community, including sorting, packing, and distributing food. Volunteers under 16 must have an adult chaperone with them to volunteer. Shifts fill up quickly, but availability can change as plans shift—check back regularly for openings! Please note that volunteer opportunities are published one month in advance. Learn more about the rules and requirements.
Group Volunteering
Volunteering is a great team-building experience. We offer volunteer opportunities at our distribution center or off-site at one of our large-scale distributions. Learn more about volunteering as a group.
Community Outreach
Ambassador
Ambassadors represent Feeding San Diego by engaging with the community at events that raise awareness, build relationships, and support our mission. View the position description.
Girl Scout Climate
Controller Patch
Developed by SOLV Energy x Feeding San Diego, this Climate Controller patch educates Girl Scouts about food waste and climate change. View the curriculum.
Rules for Volunteering
with Feeding San Diego
Before signing up to volunteer, please review the following rules. These policies help maintain the safety of our volunteers, staff, and the people we serve. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact the volunteer team using the form at the bottom of the page.
Feeding San Diego staff may ask volunteers to leave a volunteer shift if these policies are not followed.
Volunteer Hours
Feeding San Diego’s volunteer team is happy to sign service logs and provide service letters to our incredible volunteers. If you are keeping track of your volunteer hours for school, work, or your records, we’re here to help:
- You can view your progress at any time on our volunteer platform, Golden Volunteer! You can help ensure these hours are accurate by consistently signing in and out of your volunteer shift.
- Most schools and organizations accept our service logs. However, if you need a Service Letter, please contact our team at volunteersd@feedingsandiego.org at least one week before needed.
- Keeping a paper copy is also a good idea. You can print your volunteer service log via Golden or ask your Project Lead at the end of your shift.
Court-Ordered Volunteering
A Volunteer Manager must approve all court-ordered volunteers before they sign up for any volunteer shifts. Before being cleared, no hours will count toward the needed service letter. Only opportunities for Feeding San Diego’s food sorting shifts are eligible for court-ordered or diversion program hours.
Volunteer Zone
Volunteer Shout-Outs
We are so grateful for each and every one of our volunteers. We couldn’t do what we do without you. In FY26 (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026), our amazing volunteers clocked 83,919 hours!
Below you’ll find some of our all-stars, recognized for the lifetime volunteer hour milestones they’ve reached as of the close of FY26 (June 30, 2026). These totals are compiled at the end of each fiscal year and will be updated again at the close of the next one.
4,000+ hours:
- Marjorie Zinner
- Mickey Sands
3,000+ hours:
- Harriet Deppe
2,000+ hours:
- Gregg Yonekura
- Gil Bolfango
- Marylu Ramirez
1,000+ hours:
- Gerri Matthiesen
- Ed Cooper
- Tom Fink
- Carmelle Remillard
- Tone Guia
- Meredithe Mainquist
- Jessie Furrer
- Gem Arnaldo
- Janet Watkins
- Nancy Basore
750+ hours:
- Justin Shi
- Nord Yamauchi
- Nancy Kane
500+ hours:
- Megan McCarty
- Cindy Dale
- Vaidehi Bhavaraju
- Debra Bradshaw
- Preston Trando
- Scott Gruby
- Kevin Bryce Moreno
- Teresa Price
- Vicky Buchheit
- Arthur Wang
- Mary Ann Jones
- Diane Ichinaga
- Bill Smith
- Steven Weindling
- Blake Hunter
- Darnell Shipp
- Priscilla Shipp
- Glenda Poliner
- Courtney Miller
- Mark Stengel
- Linda Vittori
- Gary Vittori
- Aiden Gruby
- Daniel Roos
- Janet Mak
250+ hours:
- Tinsika Riggs
- Dan Lachenbruch
- Brenda Stiehl
- Candace Eckman
- Greg Vasquez
- Amy Studer
- Joseph LaBella
- Nancy Shafer
- Michael Hass
- Debra Lee
3,000 hours:
- Marjorie Zinner
2,000 hours:
- Mickey Sands
- Audrey Gipson
1,500 hours:
- Gregg Yonekura
- Gil Bolfango
1,000 hours:
- Carmelle Remillard
750 hours:
- Ed Cooper
- Andrew Heck
- Marylu Ramirez
- Nancy Kane
500 hours:
- Tom Fink
- Harriet Deppe
- Meredithe Mainquist
- Bill Smith
- Blake Hunter
250 hours:
- Cindy Dale
- Scott Gruby
- Janet Watkins
- Tone Guia
- Megan McCarty
- Debra Bradshaw
- Vicki Clark
- Linda Vittori
- Gerri Matthiesen
- Gary Vittori
- Nord Yamauchi
- Aiden Gruby
- Mary Ann Jones
- Jessie Furrer
- Ray Henderson
Volunteer Zoom backgrounds
We have created a set of Feeding San Diego branded Zoom backgrounds for our volunteers. Download one today to help spread awareness about Feeding San Diego and our mission.
To download, click on an image -> Right-click -> Save image.
