Worthwhile Volunteer Opportunity: Green Bag Captain

3 hours ago

3 min read

Worthwhile Talent is looking for an organized and dependable volunteer leader to coordinate the behind-the-scenes activity at our warehouse before, during, and after Talent Food Project's Green Bag donation drop-offs.

Every other month, Talent Food Project volunteers (NC’s) bring hundreds of bags of food donated by community members to our warehouse, where a team of volunteers sorts, organizes, and prepares the donations for distribution at Worthwhile Mercantile.

Our Green Bag Captain will take charge of the warehouse side of these events, making sure volunteers are ready, supplies and storage areas are prepared, and everything runs smoothly from the first bag drop-off to the final cleanup.

This is a hands-on volunteer leadership opportunity for someone who likes organizing people, solving logistical puzzles, and turning organized chaos into a well-run operation. The Captain reports to the Director of Worthwhile Talent but will have independence in planning and managing these events.

With just six regularly scheduled drop-offs each year, this is a fun and meaningful volunteer commitment that makes a big difference in the community and doesn’t require weekly hours.

Green Bag Captain Responsibilities

Schedule sufficient volunteers to handle food drop-offs, sorting, and storage organization.
Lead and supervise a team of 10+ volunteers during each event, including assigning tasks, providing instructions, and coordinating setup and cleanup.
Manage the preparation of the warehouse in advance, ensuring adequate shelf space, bins, crates, and other supplies are available for incoming donations.
Organize and oversee food sorting activities, including preparing and labeling collection bins and directing the movement of donated food into storage.
Troubleshoot logistical challenges as they arise and ensure the warehouse is left clean and organized after each event.
Maintain safe, accessible, and orderly work areas throughout each event.
Coordinate parking and vehicle access during drop-offs, communicating with neighboring businesses to minimize disruptions.
Serve as the primary on-site contact for TFP regarding community volunteers, warehouse logistics and special accommodations.
Maintain an inventory of TFP supplies stored at the warehouse and ensure they are properly secured.

Skills & Qualities

Strong organizational and event coordination skills
Ability to plan ahead and manage lots of moving parts.
A cool head in the midst of chaos! Able to stay calm, think on your feet, and keep everyone moving in the right direction when things get hectic.
Confident, friendly leadership style and the ability to direct and motivate a team of 10 or more volunteers.
Excellent communication and diplomacy when working with volunteers, neighboring businesses, and organizational leaders.
Resourcefulness, flexibility, and good judgment when handling unexpected challenges.
Dependable and able to commit to scheduled events.
Helpful but not required: Previous formal volunteer coordination, event management, or team leadership experience.

Time Commitment

Six regularly scheduled food drop-offs per year, held the 2nd Saturday of even months. You will need to commit to being there for those days, barring unforeseen circumstances.
Approximately 4 hours on-site per event, including coordinating volunteers and overseeing sorting and shelf-stocking operations.
4-5 hours of advance planning in the days before each event.
Approximately 1–2 hours of follow-up and documentation after each event.
Potential for additional smaller events such as food or supply drive popups, but there would be no obligation for those.

Estimated total commitment: About 10–11 hours total per event, or approx 60–66 hours annually, excluding occasional additional events that you could choose to participate in.

You would need to start the position as a regular volunteer on December 12, 2026 for training. Your first shift leading the crew as Green Bag Captain would be on February 13th, 2027.

If you are interested in applying for this volunteer role, send an email to tammy@worthwhiletalent.org and include the reasons why you think you'd be good for this job, any relevant experience you have, and why you want to do this.