Volunteer roles at the Eagan Pantry are available at various times Monday-Friday, with evening opportunities on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Most Eagan Pantry roles involve face-to-face interaction with Open Door clients (or over the phone) and are primarily in the food pantry area. Some roles may require time in our warehouse and walk-in cooler (Pantry Assistant).

Checkout Volunteer:
Assist clients as they weigh and bag their food and manage the flow of the checkout area. This role is a mix between sitting and standing. Volunteer orientation and brief training required!

Client Support Volunteer:
Provide quality customer service in-person and on the phone by welcoming clients, managing calls and voicemails, and updating client accounts. This is a sitting desk role. Spanish speaking volunteers are fantastic in this role, BUT it is absolutely not a requirement. Volunteer orientation and brief training required!

Greeter Volunteer:
Welcome clients to The Open Door, help them check in and set up their next appointment, distribute appointment slips, and provide Emergency Bags. This is a sitting volunteer role. Spanish speaking volunteers are fantastic in this role, BUT it is absolutely not a requirement. Volunteer orientation and brief training required!

Pantry Assistant Volunteer:
Ensure clients have a pleasant shopping experience by guiding them through the shopping area, answering questions, and restocking shelves as necessary. You may also need to help stock our walk-in cooler (jackets provided!). This role requires standing the whole shift and may require time in the warehouse (closed toed shoes are recommended). Volunteer orientation required!

Reminder Call Volunteer:
Make daily calls to remind clients of their upcoming appointment. This includes clients shopping onsite at the Eagan Pantry and for our offsite, Mobile Pantry distributions. We have 80-130 appointment calls to make every day. Spanish speaking volunteers are fantastic in this role, BUT it is absolutely not a requirement. Volunteer orientation and brief training required!

Warehouse volunteer roles are available at various times Monday-Friday. These occur in an industrial setting (closed toed shoes required) with fluctuating temperatures, and involve the ability to bend and lift 40+ lbs.

Food Rescue Driver:
Food rescue drivers play a crucial role in securing food for The Open Door. Each weekday morning, food rescue drivers take an Open Door van to pick up food donations from local grocery stores that would otherwise go to waste and deliver them back to The Open Door. Be a part of feeding those in need AND diverting good food from ending up in a landfill! Valid Minnesota driver’s license, background check, volunteer orientation and training required. Must be 18+. This is an early morning role!

Food Sorter:
Sorting volunteers are responsible for receiving and weighing food from morning food rescue operations (see above)! You will inspect food to ensure it meets our quality standards and follows USDA food safety guidelines. After inspecting food, you will help organize food items, properly store food, and compost/discard any food that doesn’t meet quality standards. This is a fully standing role. Volunteer orientation required AND great for groups!

Warehouse Assistant:
Ensure dry goods and perishable items in the pantry are well stocked. you help pull items for offsite, Mobile Pantry distributions, accept and sort incoming donation drop offs, break down boxes, and assist with general upkeep of the warehouse area. This is a fully standing role. Volunteer orientation required!

These volunteer roles are only available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Drive-Thru Check-In Volunteer:
Greet clients when they arrive for their drive-thru appointment. Get them checked-in, direct them where to go next, and ensure they have a pleasant experience at The Open Door. Volunteer orientation required!

Drive-Thru Distribution Volunteer: Greet clients as they drive up to receive food. Help load their box of food into their vehicle. Answer any questions they may have and ensure they have a pleasant experience at The Open Door. Volunteer orientation required!

Off site volunteer roles do not require you to come to The Open Door facility unless otherwise stated. Mobile distributions occur at various times of the day Monday-Friday across Dakota County. If off site distributions are of interest to you, we will provide a list of distributions so you can pick which one works best for you!

Some distributions will occur outside from May-October. Volunteers must be 16+ unless otherwise stated. All Mobile Pantry distribution volunteer roles involve face-to-face interaction with Open Door clients.

Off Site Distribution Helper:
You’ll meet the Mobile Pantry team at a specific distribution site in Apple Valley, Lakeville, Burnsville, West St. Paul, or Farmington and support the distribution. This can include unloading the Open Door truck, setting up tables and food, assisting clients as they shop, and ensuring that everyone has a pleasant experience. Between May-October, some sites will host their distribution outside. Volunteer orientation required!

Mobile Pantry Bus Driver:
You will drive the Mobile Pantry bus to a specific distribution site! This role starts onsite at The Open Door’s facility in order to pick up the bus! Once at the distribution, you will help clients shop for food, answer any questions they may have, help carry food to client vehicles, and ensure everyone has a pleasant experience! Valid Minnesota driver’s license, background check, volunteer orientation, and training required! Must be 18+, able to lift 40+ lbs., and comfortable driving a short bus while navigating to distribution site.

Mobile Pantry Bus Shopper:
You will meet the Mobile Pantry team and Mobile Pantry Bus Driver volunteer at your designated distribution site. Once at the site, you will assist clients as they shop for food on the bus, bag food if necessary, help carry food to vehicles, answer questions, and ensure everyone has a pleasant experience! This is a standing role, requires the ability to bend, and lift 40+ lbs. Volunteer orientation required!

From May-October, The Open Door’s Mobile Pantry hosts seasonal food distributions called Pop Ups. These occur just like our year round Mobile Pantry distributions but are always outside! Pop Ups typically occur on Thursday afternoons between 3-6 p.m. across Dakota County, except for one which occurs on the second Monday of the month.

All Pop Up distribution volunteer roles are 16+ unless stated otherwise. Exceptions may be made if those younger than 16 are accompanied by an adult!

Client Data Tracker:
You will meet the Mobile Pantry team at your designated Pop Up site. Once at the site, you will greet clients as they first arrive, ask them basic information (ex., household size, what city they live in), and enter data into an Open Door iPad. Spanish speaking volunteers are fantastic in this role, BUT it is absolutely not a requirement. Volunteer orientation required!

Food Distributor:
You will meet the Mobile Pantry team at your designated Pop Up site. Once at the site, you will assist with distributing food to clients, bagging food if necessary, carrying food to vehicles, and ensuring everyone has a pleasant experience!

Set Up/Take Down Volunteer:
You will meet the Mobile Pantry team at your designated Pop Up site. Once at the site, you will help unload food from the truck, set up tables and food boxes, and get ready for the distribution. After the distribution ends, you will help load boxes, tables, and leftover food back into the truck. Requires bending and lifting 40+ lbs.