I agreed to be a Loader. A Loader, I was told, had to have the ability to lift at least 50-70…read morepounds for three hours. Naturally, I saw this as a challenge, and I accepted. The Greater Boston Food bank employs 14,500 volunteers and provides 19.5 million meals to 320,000 people in New England annually, not just Boston. Volunteers allow the GBFB to defer nearly $600,000 in payroll costs. Wow. Volunteers help in many ways, but mainly by inspecting, sorting and re-packing food at the Roxbury warehouse. Here is what my team accomplished in an afternoon shift: . Number of volunteers: 43 . Total pounds of food sorted: 10,412 (Ten Thousand Pounds!) . Total pounds of food salvaged: 8,330 . Pounds of food sorted per volunteer: 194 . Meals made possible per volunteer: 149 . Total meals made possible by NAIOP volunteers: 6,407 There are many ways to help. You can donate money. You can donate food. You can volunteer for a less physically demanding job. Just do something.

If you're looking for a place to volunteer, this is it. Good for singles or groups. Call ahead,…read moresign in, get ready to sort. Huge new clean place used to sort donated food. It's awesome. You get a rundown on food safety, what to look for, how the process works, then you're off to the main room to sort. It's actually kinda fun. And the facility is nice and new so it's definitely safe and good. Bonus - they feed you expired candy and crap after you're done! Yay!?

FFF is a local nonprofit org that delivers perishable food and produce to many smaller charities…read moreand nonprofits such as homeless shelters that serve meals or have meal programs. FFF solicits surplus or leftover food from local restaurants and farmers that would otherwise go to waste. FFF daily delivers this food to the needy people that need it usually within 24 hours of it being donated. FFF is a great nonprofit that does great things. I volunteered here once and helped them build a huge walk in refrigerator. Bravo to this fine local charity.

I second how awesome food for free is. I work with them to organize their pickups at the whole…read morefoods market that I work at, and I honestly look forward to seeing them every day. The drivers are really friendly, and it's such a badass cause. I know that this isn't such a yelp-ish business or place, but I can't pass up giving these guys their props for helping to bring a little charity to an increasingly conservative/uber-capitalist city as boston has become. I can't remember who said it but on the back of all their trucks reads: "When I feed the poor, they call me a saint; When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist." I'm no communist but I can't say enough about this sort of thing.

where can I start listennn. I am super happy of where my…read morelife is going right now all thanks to bridge I promise it was rough at first just like any other experience but I promise these people will help you as long as you want to help yourself i Never expected in life to ever be homeless but my experience Was a bumpy ride but I reached my goal you can't come in here with expectations because I've been in this process for 2 years and I finally got my apartment it was a long way but I got it done thank you to Antoinette lessaur I love her dedication and the way she just give you joy she really be pushing people to do great things she was like the person to really push me at the end of the bridge so I can give that big step keep it up girl your doing a great job she Was always present there next to me whenever I had to go somewhere I really appreciate that from her a lot you are the best and may god keep blessing you, you deserve it THANK YOU BRIDGE!.

If you're looking for a shelter with poor communication and unprofessional staff, this may be the…read moreplace for you. My experience was extremely frustrating. Several staff members came across as dismissive and rude, and I was given information about the shelter waitlist that later turned out to be inaccurate. When people are seeking shelter, they are often in vulnerable situations and deserve honesty, respect, and clear communication. Unfortunately, that was not my experience here. And yes they are deleting reviews on google which is why I'm also on yelp lol.

Not enough food…read more More important, almost every review here is from a VOLUNTEER saying "this is a good place to volunteer." Shouldn't the key issue be the opinions of poor people who are actually eating the food, reviewing the quality of the food, the freshness, the amounts, the dignity with which they're treated (or not?) Rather than that of the volunteers?

It's a really awesome place to volunteer! There are no special skills required, and the people here…read moregive really clear instructions. The place is doing so well that they are expanding, but I'm sure they would appreciate donations. The first time I cam here I was really impressed by the professionalism. You have to waah your hand pretty thoroughly, wear gloves, an apron, and a hairnet. Hairnets are super weird balls of hair that magically unravel to cover your hair. If you want to be a cool kid, you can wear a hat so your hair doesn't fall in the food. Duties range all over the place, but don't expect to cook anything. You will be packaging a lot, moving things around, and also maybe cut up some vegetables or meat. If you pick the morning session, you will usually be rewarded with a meal at lunch that's pretty good.