Opportunities From: Union College Community Connections

Sycamore Collaborative's food pantry is the largest in Schenectady County, serving over 12,000 community members each year and welcoming 60 + volunteers monthly! The food pantry offers a variety of locally sourced grocery products, including non-perishables, produce, meat, and dairy, as well as items for personal hygiene, dog and cat food, and infant supplies.

Join our team of friendly and compassionate volunteers during our pantry hours of operation and distribution!

Responsibilities:

Welcome and assist guests as they arrive at the food pantry. Collect and record accurate information for client registration, ensuring confidentiality and sensitivity. Provide information about available resources and programs to guests. Maintain, organize and up-to-date guest records and documentations. Answer questions and provide guidance to clients regarding available food options. Collaborate with other volunteers and staff to address specific guests needs. Connect guests with additional resources and support services available in the community.

Qualifications:

Excellent interpersonal skills. Empathy and sensitivity when working with individuals and families facing food insecurity. Attention to detail and ability to maintain confidentiality. Basic computer skills for data entry and record-keeping. Proficiency in English is required, and fluency in Arabic, Hindi, Spanish, Pashto, Farci, Urdu, or any other languages spoken in the local community is highly desirable. Bilingual individuals are strongly encouraged to apply. The Pantry Intake Volunteer should be someone dedicated to promoting equity and inclusion in all aspects of the work, and should align with the organization's values.

Signing up under this posting is NOT an automatic registration. After registering for an opportunity, you will then receive an email from Cali, our Resource Development Coordinator, confirming your volunteer opportunity. You will also be asked some additional questions, to help us get to know you better and fulfill your volunteering needs!

Not only will you be helping others, but you will have fun doing it. What more could you ask for?! Sign up to volunteer today and make a positive impact in your community!

Sycamore Collaborative's food pantry is the largest in Schenectady County, serving over 12,000 community members each year and welcoming 60 + volunteers monthly! The food pantry offers a variety of locally sourced grocery products, including non-perishables, produce, meat, and dairy, as well as items for personal hygiene, dog and cat food, and infant supplies.

Join our team of friendly and compassionate volunteers during our pantry hours of operation and distribution! We are open Monday-Friday from 8:30am to 2:00pm for volunteer opportunities! 

Volunteer tasks can include:

Distributing products to guests (every day except Tuesdays & Thursdays) Greeter Intake Packing bags Sorting and packing products Stocking shelves Cleaning Warehouse Data entry

PLEASE RESPOND WITH THE DAY(S) AND HOURS YOU WOULD LIKE TO VOLUNTEER.

Volunteers under 18 MUST be accompanied by a chaperone. This can include a parent, grandparent, troop leader, church leader, etc.

Signing up under this posting is NOT an automatic registration. After registering for an opportunity, you will then receive an email from Cali, our Resource Development Coordinator, confirming your volunteer opportunity. You will also be asked some additional questions, to help us get to know you better and fulfill your volunteering needs!

Not only will you be helping others, but you will have fun doing it. What more could you ask for?! Sign up to volunteer today and make a positive impact in your community!

We are looking for compassionate and responsible volunteers with an active driver's license, cellphone, and a reliable vehicle to help Sycamore Collaborative distribute groceries to families facing food insecurity throughout Schenectady County. Sycamore Collaborative receives referrals from a multitude of agencies, organizations, and families We are requesting support from dedicated individuals to meet this increasing need for our neighbors who lack the necessities to access the pantry!

Sycamore Collaborative's Food Pantry schedules its deliveries Tuesday - Thursday; most routes take about an hour to complete. We deliver to the entire county of Schenectady, including zip codes 12302 – 12309, but the majority are delivered within the city of Schenectady. For your convenience, most of your deliveries will be within a specific neighborhood or within certain zip codes that are in close proximity to each other. Please let us know if you would like to deliver to the outlying areas of the county, like Scotia, Duanesburg, and Rotterdam.

Responsibilities:

Safely transport food from the pantry to designated delivery locations using your own vehicle or, if available, the organization's delivery vehicle. Interact professionally and respectfully with recipients during the delivery process. Report any concerns or observations related to recipients' well-being to the Food Pantry team. Submit delivery reports to Sycamore Collaborative's team for tracking and reporting purposes.

Qualifications:

Valid driver's license and reliable transportation. Passion for community service and addressing food insecurity. Ability to work effectively in a team and interact with individuals from diverse backgrounds. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Physical ability to stand for extended periods, lift and carry boxes, and perform other tasks related to pantry operations. Reliable and punctual. The Pantry Intake Volunteer should be someone dedicated to promoting equity and inclusion in all aspects of the work, and should align with the organization's values.

Signing up under this posting is NOT an automatic registration. After registering for an opportunity, you will then receive an email from Cali, our Resource Development Coordinator, confirming your volunteer opportunity. You will also be asked some additional questions, to help us get to know you better and fulfill your volunteering needs!

*Please note that Sycamore Collaborative does NOT reimburse for gas mileage. 

Sycamore Collaborative's food pantry is the largest in Schenectady County, serving over 12,000 community members each year and welcoming 60 + volunteers monthly! The food pantry offers a variety of locally sourced grocery products, including non-perishables, produce, meat, and dairy, as well as items for personal hygiene, dog and cat food, and infant supplies.

Join our team of friendly and compassionate volunteers during our pantry hours of operation and distribution! We are open Monday-Friday and need volunteers for our afternoon shift from 11:30am – 2:30pm.

Responsibilities:

Packing bags Sorting and packing products Stocking shelves Cleaning Warehouse Data entry

Volunteers under 18 MUST be accompanied by a chaperone. This can include a parent, grandparent, troop leader, church leader, etc.

Signing up under this posting is NOT an automatic registration. After registering for an opportunity, you will then receive an email from Cali, our Resource Development Coordinator, confirming your volunteer opportunity. You will also be asked some additional questions, to help us get to know you better and fulfil1 your volunteering needs!

Not only will you be helping others, but you will have fun doing it. What more could you ask for?! Sign up to volunteer today and make a positive impact in your community! 

Interested in volunteering as a group? Join our team of friendly and compassionate volunteers!

Sycamore Collaborative's food pantry is the largest in Schenectady County, serving over 12,000 community members each year and welcoming 60 + volunteers monthly! The food pantry offers a variety of locally sourced grocery products, including non-perishables, produce, meat, and dairy, as well as items for personal hygiene, dog and cat food, and infant supplies.

IF YOU ARE A VOLUNTEER GROUP OF 6 OR MORE PEOPLE, please give a minimum of TWO WEEKS notice about a group volunteer opportunity!

Volunteer tasks can include:

Distributing products to guests (every day except Tuesdays & Thursdays) Greeter Intake Packing bags Sorting and packing products Stocking shelves Cleaning Warehouse Data entry

Volunteers under 18 MUST be accompanied by a chaperone. This can include a parent, grandparent, troop leader, church leader, etc.

If you are a group that has minors OR requires an aide, you will need ONE aide/chaperone for every FOUR VOLUNTEERS in your group.

Example: 4 volunteers = 1 aide/chaperone, 8 volunteers = 2 aides/chaperones, 10 volunteers = 2 aides/chaperones, 12 volunteers = 3 aides/chaperones

Signing up under this posting is NOT an automatic registration. After registering for an opportunity, you will then receive an email from Cali, our Resource Development Coordinator, confirming your volunteer opportunity. You will also be asked some additional questions, to help us get to know you better and fulfill your volunteering needs!

Not only will you be helping others, but you will have fun doing it. What more could you ask for?! Sign up to volunteer today and make a positive impact in your community!

Sycamore Collaborative's food pantry is the largest in Schenectady County, serving over 12,000 community members each year and welcoming 60 + volunteers monthly! The food pantry offers a variety of locally sourced grocery products, including non-perishables, produce, meat, and dairy, as well as items for personal hygiene, dog and cat food, and infant supplies.

Join our team of friendly and compassionate volunteers during our pantry hours of operation and distribution! We are open Monday-Friday and need volunteers for our morning shift from 8:30am – 11:30am.

Responsibilities:

Packing bags Sorting and packing products Stocking shelves Distributing products to guests (every day except Tuesdays & Thursdays) Greeter Cleaning Warehouse Intake

Volunteers under 18 MUST be accompanied by a chaperone. This can include a parent, grandparent, troop leader, church leader, etc.

Signing up under this posting is NOT an automatic registration. After registering for an opportunity, you will then receive an email from Cali, our Resource Development Coordinator, confirming your volunteer opportunity. You will also be asked some additional questions, to help us get to know you better and fulfill your volunteering needs!

Not only will you be helping others, but you will have fun doing it. What more could you ask for?! Sign up to volunteer today and make a positive impact in your community!

Sycamore Collaborative's Food Pantry is the largest food pantry in Schenectady County, serving over 600,000 meals each year to its residents experiencing food insecurity. The food pantry offers a variety of locally sourced grocery products including non-perishables, produce, meat and dairy as well as items for personal hygiene, dog and cat food, and infant supplies.

Join our team of friendly and compassionate volunteers during our pantry's Mass Distribution!

Mass Distribution happens on the LAST THURSDAY of every month and volunteers are typically expected to be there from 8:00am to 10:00am/11:30am.

WHAT IS MASS DISTRIBUTION? 

Distribution at the pantry on this day is different than usual. The last Thursday of every month we receive a large shipment of products from the Regional Food Bank (typically around 8 - 12 palettes). Anyone can come collect food regardless of whether they have already visited the pantry twice this month and we do not do intake. There are both walk up and drive-up lines which means we have a group of volunteers outside serving the cars and group inside to serve the walk-ups.   

Responsibilities:

Breaking down palettes Packing products into boxes and bags Distributing groceries to guests in the drive-up lineDistributing groceries to guests in the walk-up line Keeping track of how many guests attended Mass Distribution Cleaning up

This volunteer opportunity is good for large volunteer groups. 

Volunteers under 18 MUST be accompanied by a chaperone. This can include a parent, grandparent, troop leader, church leader, etc.

After registering for an opportunity, you will then receive an email from Cali, our Resource Development Coordinator, confirming your volunteer opportunity. You will also be asked some additional questions, to help us get to know you better and fulfill your volunteering needs!

Not only will you be helping others, but you will have fun doing it. What more could you ask for?! Sign up to volunteer today and make a positive impact in your community!

Sycamore Collaborative’s Schenectady Urban Farms program has three community-supported urban farms across two acres in the city of Schenectady. The community collaborates in cultivating fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs while also tending to honeybees and egg-laying chickens.

Schenectady Urban Farms provides fresh and healthy produce for anyone joining the work. We encourage the community to join as members, providing 2 hours of volunteer time on the farm each week during the growing season.

IF YOU ARE A VOLUNTEER GROUP OF 6 OR MORE PEOPLE, please give a minimum of TWO WEEKS notice about a group volunteer opportunity!

Join our team of friendly and compassionate volunteers during our Open Hours. To view our Urban Farm’s calendar, visit https://sycamorecollab.org/your-farms

Volunteer tasks can include:

PlantingTurning garden bedsWeedingHandling mulchSpecific seasonal tasks (many farm tasks depend on the growing season)

Volunteers under 18 MUST be accompanied by a chaperone. This can include a parent, grandparent, troop leader, church leader, etc.

Signing up under this posting is NOT an automatic registration. After registering for an opportunity, you will then receive an email from Cali, our Resource Development Coordinator, confirming your volunteer opportunity. You will also be asked some additional questions, to help us get to know you better and fulfill your volunteering needs!

Not only will you be helping others, but you will have fun doing it. What more could you ask for?! Sign up to volunteer today and make a positive impact in your community!

For more information, feel free to reach out to farms@sycamorecollab.org

Sycamore Collaborative’s Schenectady Urban Farms program has three community-supported urban farms across two acres in the city of Schenectady. The community collaborates in cultivating fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs while also tending to honeybees and egg-laying chickens.

Schenectady Urban Farms provides fresh and healthy produce for anyone joining the work. We encourage the community to join as members, providing 2 hours of volunteer time on the farm each week during the growing season.

Join our team of friendly and compassionate volunteers during our Open Hours. To view our Urban Farm’s calendar, visit https://sycamorecollab.org/your-farms

Volunteer tasks can include:

PlantingTurning garden bedsWeedingHandling mulchSpecific seasonal tasks (many farm tasks depend on the growing season)

Volunteers under 18 MUST be accompanied by a chaperone. This can include a parent, grandparent, troop leader, church leader, etc.

Signing up under this posting is NOT an automatic registration. After registering for an opportunity, you will then receive an email from Cali, our Resource Development Coordinator, confirming your volunteer opportunity. You will also be asked some additional questions, to help us get to know you better and fulfill your volunteering needs!

Not only will you be helping others, but you will have fun doing it. What more could you ask for?! Sign up to volunteer today and make a positive impact in your community!

For more information, feel free to reach out to farms@sycamorecollab.org