Youth Volunteering (12-17 yr old)
Second Harvest Foodbank welcomes youth with adult chaperones to volunteer in our Food Sort/Repack Shifts. Adult chaperones must always be present with their youth volunteers during their shift and assist Second Harvest Foodbank in creating a safe and welcoming volunteer experience for all volunteers and staff.
What to Know
- Volunteers must be 12 years or older.
- Volunteers between the ages of 12-15 must be accompanied by an adult chaperone (21+) for the duration of their shift.
- Volunteers 16 or older do not require a chaperone.
- Every youth volunteer (12-17 years old) must have their parent or legal guardian complete and sign the youth waiver in order to volunteer at Second Harvest Foodbank. Important: If they do not have a completed waiver, they cannot volunteer.
- For volunteers under the age of 13, the parent or legal guardian must approve the site's required COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Policy) form in order to access the SHF Volunteer Portal. Once approved, the parent or legal guardian must then complete Second Harvest's youth waiver.
How to Schedule a Volunteer Shift with Youth
- All volunteers are required to have a SHF Volunteer Portal account in order to volunteer. Please review how to create a Volunteer Account for Youth below:
- All youth accounts will need to have their own email and will need to provide a parent or guardian's email address in order to receive the required youth waiver. Click here to sign up for an account.
- A youth waiver will be sent to the parent/guardian email address for completion
- For volunteers under the age of 13, the parent or legal guardian must approve the site's required COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Policy) form in order to access the SHF Volunteer Portal. Once approved, the parent or legal guardian must then complete Second Harvest's youth waiver.
- A youth waiver will be sent to the parent/guardian email address for completion
- Once the waiver has been signed, youth can be added to group reservations and can register for a Food Sort/Repack shift.
- All youth accounts will need to have their own email and will need to provide a parent or guardian's email address in order to receive the required youth waiver. Click here to sign up for an account.
- You can self-register a youth group for a volunteer shift in our Food Sort/Repack here.
- Please be sure to add (YOUTH) next to your group name. (Example: The Egg-cellent Sorters Team (YOUTH))
Adult Chaperone Expectations
- Be present with their youth volunteers during the entire duration of the volunteer shift.
- Assist youth with their volunteer activities following the instructions shared by staff.
- Ensure everyone in the group acts safely and respectfully, following our safety guidelines shared at the beginning of the volunteer shift.
- We encourage you to engage in conversation about the importance of the food being sorted to deepen your and your youth's volunteer experience! Learn more about how to talk about hunger with kids here!
Adult Group Chaperone Requirements
- For every 5 youth, 1 adult should plan to volunteer with the group.
- All youth groups must be accompanied and supervised at all times by an adult chaperone (21+).
- An adult chaperone must arrive ahead of the youth volunteers to assist with the sign-in process at the beginning of the volunteer shift.
- An adult chaperone must remain on-site with their youth until all youth have left the facility at the end of the volunteer shift. Please coordinate transportation accordingly to ensure that youth volunteers arrive and leave at the appropriate times.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please email us at volunteers@secondharvestsw.org or call (608)-216-7214
