Volunteering at MANNA: Frequently Asked Questions

General FAQs

How do I sign up for a shift?

Please watch this short video to learn more about signing up for a volunteer shift.

Volunteer shifts are Monday – Friday 9:00AM-12:00PM and 1:00-3:00PM, with additional shifts on Tuesday evenings 4:15-5:30PM and 6:00-8:00PM. Tuesday evening shifts are very popular and are usually booked at least 4 weeks in advance. You can sign up for shifts here.

Can I just show up? 

Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate walk-up volunteers. All volunteer shifts have a maximum capacity due to space and resource limitations. It is our goal to provide the best possible experience for each of our volunteers, so it is important for us to know in advance when you are coming in order to provide the supplies and supervision needed to get the job done.

Can my children volunteer with me? 

Children from ages 4 – 15 years old are welcome to volunteer with a parent or adult chaperone. Volunteers 16 – 18 years old are able to volunteer without adult supervision, but will need to submit a signed waiver from their parent or guardian (found here). All children must be registered for the shift they plan to attend with a parent or chaperone.

How do I sign my child/family member up to volunteer with me? 

First, add your child to your volunteer account. Log into your volunteer account and select “Add Additional Volunteer to my Profile” from the Volunteer Portal Home. You will be taken to a volunteer application for your child or family member. Some of the information will be filled in for you based on your personal information. Please complete the rest of the required information and then select “create volunteer profile” at the bottom of the page.
*Note: Our volunteer system connects profiles through a shared phone number. If you would like family members to all be accessed from the same profile keep the primary phone number the same for each family member. 

Is there a dress code?  

All volunteers are required to wear closed-toed shoes during your shift, per our warehouse safety policy. Volunteers are encouraged to dress comfortably in clothes they do not mind getting a little dirty. It can get a little chilly in the winter and warm in the summer in the warehouse, so please dress accordingly.

MANNA strives to be a welcoming place for people of all ages and walks of life. It is important that MANNA staff and representatives remain politically neutral, emphasizing the point that nonpartisan support and respectful dialog are essential to achieve our mission. As representatives and staff of MANNA it is also important that we be respectful of all faiths and cultures. Please keep this in mind as you choose your dress for volunteering for MANNA. Inappropriate attire includes but is not limited to: profanity, drug references, sexually explicit content, politically affiliated materials, etc.

How do I login to my volunteer account?

If you have already filled out an application to create an account, you can login to your account by visiting our website at https://www.mannafoodbank.org/ and selecting “Volunteer Login” at the top of the page. Please watch this video for details on how to login for the first time.

What if I need to cancel? 

You can cancel yourself from a shift directly from the auto-reminder email that you will receive a few days prior to each shift for which you are registered. In each reminder email there is a link that says “cancel registration.” Clicking this link will only cancel your registration for that specific date and time. If you know ahead of time that you will need to cancel a shift you have signed up, for please login to your volunteer account, select “view or cancel registration for an upcoming event,” select the shift(s) you would like to cancel, then select “cancel selected event registration(s)” located at the bottom of the page.

Do you accommodate differently abled volunteers? 

We try to accommodate volunteers of all skill and ability levels the best we can. In order to maintain a safe and productive warehouse environment, we maintain strict limits on the number of community networking client-worker teams per shift. If you would like to learn more and see if there are openings, please email our Volunteer Manager, Alyssa Shuman.

Group FAQs

How do I sign my group up for volunteer opportunities? 

First, please fill out our Group Request Form. We will receive a notification once you submit the form and get back to you with available times and dates for your group.

How do I register for my Group’s reserved volunteer slots?  

Your group leader will forward you a link and a reservation code to use when signing up for your group’s shifts. Please watch this video to learn more about how to register for your reserved shifts.

What if more people in my group want to come than spaces we have reserved?  

Please email our Volunteer Manager, Alyssa Shuman, to see if there are any more spots available on that shift. We are unable to exceed shift capacity limits, per our warehouse safety policy.

Do you accommodate differently abled Volunteer Groups?  

We try to accommodate volunteers of all skill and ability levels the best we can. If your group has specific needs or requests please include this information in the notes section of your Group Request Form or email our Volunteer Manager, Alyssa Shuman.

Group Leader FAQs

How do I add people to my group? 

If you are assigned as the primary contact for your group, then you will be able to add volunteers to that group. Login to your account and select “Register for an upcoming Event” from the Volunteer Portal Home. At the top of this page you will see a dropdown menu that says “Please Select a Volunteer”. Click on this dropdown menu and you will see an option that says “Add Member to My Group” select this option. You will be asked for their email and first name to see if they already have an account with us. If they have an account they will be added to your group. If they do not have an account you will be asked to create an account for them. You will need their personal contact information to create their account. If you do not have their personal information send them this link and ask them to create a volunteer account.

How do I register group members for a reserved event? 

You can send the reservation code and link to your group members and have them register themselves or you can register them through your account by following the instructions above on How do I add people to my group and then selecting the group members name from that same dropdown menu. and then selecting the volunteer shift you would like to register them for. You will need to make sure that your group reservation code is applied to see your reserved events. Watch this video for more details on signing up using reservations.

Do we have to have every group member sign up?  

We ask that all adult groups sign up using the reservation system. This is for safety purposes so that we know who is in the building as well as helping us follow up and track volunteer hours.

If you are a health facility bringing clients or a school group, and need to maintain the anonymity of your group members, we can sign your group up as a whole using just the group leader’s contact information.

Community Service and School Requirement FAQs

Can I complete my court-ordered or attorney suggested community service at MANNA?  

Yes, you can complete court-ordered community service at MANNA as long as your charge was not violent or sexual in nature. If you need to complete court-ordered community service, please email volunteering@mannafoodbank.org and we will respond with our policies and some questions for you to answer. We will schedule shifts via email. Shifts are subject to availability.

Can I get a record of my hours? 

Yes, documentation of your service record can be provided upon completion of your required hours. If you need a signed copy of your hours served, please email our Volunteer Manager, Alyssa Shuman. You can also find and print your volunteer history from your volunteer account. Please reference this video for directions.

Can I complete my required volunteer service hours for school at MANNA?  

Yes. However, space on our shifts that occur outside of traditional school hours (Tuesday evenings) are very popular and tend to fill up at least 4 weeks in advance. If you need to complete your hours in the near-term, we suggest visiting www.handsonasheville.org or calling around our partner agency network to see if they have any service opportunities available. You can find a list of our partner agency network (pantries, kitchens, shelters that receive food from MANNA) at this link. Reminder, if you are under the age of 16 you will need a parent or chaperone to volunteer with you. If you are 17 or younger you will need a signed liability waiver, found here.

Don’t see the answer to your question? Please email our Volunteer Manager, Alyssa Shuman.