Volunteer as a Group

Cooking may be done at our commercial kitchen in northeast Philadelphia or onsite at your organization. Cooking sessions at our facilities can last anywhere from 2 to 4 hours, depending on your group’s availability.

We also encourage non-community or corporate groups to get together to cook. We have participants who invite their neighbors and friends to gather in their homes and spend a few hours group cooking for Caring for Friends. We will provide packaging materials for the meals, as well as instructions and assistance on how to deliver the food. Check out these tips for cooking with your group.

Your group can collect non-perishable food that can be used for cooking meals or for our snack bags. We can also use items your group collects for our community food distribution efforts.

Host a Food Drive
Virtual Food Drive

Members of your group can work as a team to assemble Snack Bags, which consist of nonperishable, healthy food for our regular client friends and other individuals to ensure they have a hearty start to each day. Groups typically prepare these bags as part of a volunteer event.

We insert friendly, inspirational messages in each of the Snack Bags. Learn about how your group can get together to create these in person or virtually.

Explore Opportunity
Write Caring Notes
Coloring Caring Note Templates

Volunteers help keep our warehouse organized and food moving efficiently to neighbors throughout Greater Philadelphia. Depending on the day’s needs, volunteers may sort and inventory rescued food, inspect and glean donated products, organize incoming deliveries, assemble shelf-stable food boxes, and prepare orders for distribution.

Volunteers may also assist as our community pantry partners arrive to pick up food for the children, families, seniors, veterans, and neighbors they serve. This hands-on experience gives groups an inside look at how food rescue becomes community impact—and how an organized warehouse helps Caring for Friends feed more people while reducing food waste.

Individuals or Groups most welcome!

Join Chef Larry and the Rita’s Kitchen team to help prepare nutritious meals for homebound seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and other neighbors experiencing food insecurity. Volunteers may wash and prepare ingredients, portion and package meals, organize kitchen materials, assist with large-batch cooking, and help clean and sanitize equipment and work areas.

Volunteers interested in food service may also help the kitchen team plan menus and identify creative ways to use available rescued ingredients. No professional cooking experience is required—our staff provides instruction and assigns responsibilities based on each volunteer’s experience and ability. It is a collaborative, hands-on opportunity to learn how a commercial kitchen operates while creating meals that make a direct difference.