Volunteer

Make an Impact as a NeighborUp Volunteer

Join our team of over 1,300 volunteers across two campuses in helping to change lives in our community. Our volunteers work in the Thrift Shop, Pantry, Community Support Center, Client Advocacy, Career Coaching, and more! 

On-site volunteers work in 3-hour shifts—morning, early afternoon, or late afternoon—on various days of the week. No experience is necessary! However, we do take into consideration specific interests and talents as well as our critical needs when placing volunteers.

We hope volunteering with us will be rewarding and enjoyable!

See below for more information on the volunteer process.

The Volunteer Process

1. Complete an online inquiry form and next steps will be emailed to you.

2. Attend an in-person orientation session that includes a tour and overview of our organization.

3. Complete a departmental training shift before beginning your regularly scheduled volunteer shifts.

INDIVIDUAL INQUIRY FORM Group INQUIRY FORM

Note: We do not offer court-ordered community service hours or hours recommended by a lawyer for pending court cases. Please visit www.thevolunteercenter.org for more resources.

Individuals & Families

We offer opportunities for high school and college students to fulfill community outreach hours, as well as individuals wishing to volunteer as part of their corporate social responsibility, and those wanting to get involved in the community to give back! We welcome a large variety of volunteers, all with one purpose: to help our neighbors thrive.

Individuals at least 14 years old are welcome to apply to volunteer by themselves. Families can volunteer together if kids are at least 12 years old.

Groups

Church and civic groups, school teams and clubs, sororities and fraternities, businesses and corporations, PTAs, etc., are all welcome to volunteer with us!

Groups will work on high-priority projects as determined by Retail Operations Managers during their service time.

Student groups must have a 1:5 adult-to-student ratio, and participants must be at least 12 years old.

Special NeighborUp Pantry Projects

Our pantries provide over $100,000 in food assistance each month! That doesn’t happen without volunteers supporting us with special projects throughout the year. Projects include food drives, emergency bags, birthday bags, first aid kits, hygiene bags, back-to-school bags, and soup mix in a jar. Details and resources for these projects are here!

Contact a local grocery store to arrange a food drive. Conduct the food drive in front of a grocery store and deliver the donations to the food pantry.

Number of Volunteers & Location: 2-12 persons, off-site at the grocery store.

Time Commitment: One-day project after the drive is scheduled with a store.

Conduct an unannounced door-to-door food drive by knocking on doors and asking for on-the-spot food donations.

Number of Volunteers & Location: 2-12+ persons, off-site in the community.

Time Commitment: One-day project.

Conduct an announced neighborhood food drive. Flyers are available.

Number of Volunteers & Location: 2-12+ persons, off-site in the community.

Time Commitment: 2-day project—advertise one week, next week pick up and deliver donations to NeighborUp.

The NeighborUp Pantry invites individuals and groups to help keep our shelves stocked by adopting one! This means you are committed to consistently donating a specific item. 

This is a great mission opportunity for groups. You can decide how much you’d like to donate and how often. You will even receive recognition on the shelf label! 

Collect the adopted item(s) and drop off at the NeighborUp Pantry located at 193 High House Road, Cary, NC 27511. The donation area is on the right side of the Pantry. 

Please visit during our hours of operation: Monday – Saturday, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM.

Example Shelves to Adopt:

Sugar/Flour/Masa

Cooking Oil

Canned Chili/Stew

Spaghetti Sauce

Peanut Butter/Jelly

Canned Tuna/Chicken

Canned Fruit

Feminine Hygiene

Toothpaste

Detergents

Cleaning Products

Paper Towels

Toilet Paper

Cat/Dog Food

Emergency Bags:

Our Pantry distributes over 100 emergency bags of food a month to guests who have an immediate need. Groups can purchase (or sew*) bags and fill them with non-perishable foods from a list.

Number of Volunteers & Location: 2-20 persons, on-site in NeighborUp Training Center or off-site in a large room.

Time Commitment: 2-day project—gather supplies one day and pack bags on another day.

Birthday Bags: 

Birthday Bags contain the supplies needed for a child’s birthday party. Detailed instructions for assembling the boxes are available.

Number of Volunteers & Location: 2-20 persons, on-site in NeighborUp Training Center or off-site in a large room.

Time Commitment: 2-day project—gather ingredients and supplies one day and decorate and pack bags on another day.

First Aid Kits:

Having basic first aid kits at home can be a huge help to our clients. Groups can gather to purchase and assemble a box or a bag with basics like a thermometer, band aids, and ice packs.

Number of Volunteers & Location: 2-20 persons, on-site in NeighborUp Training Center or off-site in a large meeting area.

Time Commitment: 2-day project—gather supplies one day and pack kits and deliver on another day.

Hygiene Bags:

Small hygiene bags can be added to our emergency bags. These include hand sanitizer, tissues, travel-size shampoo/conditioner/soap/toothpaste/toothbrush.

Number of Volunteers & Location: 2-20 persons

Time Commitment: 2-day project—purchase supplies one day and assemble bags on another day.

Back-to-School Bags:

Fill a backpack with a set list of supplies.

Number of Volunteers & Location: 2-20 persons, on-site in NeighborUp Training Center or off-site in a large meeting area.

Time Commitment: 2-day project—purchase supplies one day and assemble bags on another day.

Soup Mix in a Jar:

By filling mason jars with dry ingredients. The jars are distributed to our NeighborUp Pantry clients who use the ingredients to prepare soup at home. Detailed instructions for assembling the jars are available.

Number of Volunteers & Location: 2-20 persons, on-site in NeighborUp Training Center or off-site in a large room.

Time Commitment: 2-day project—gather ingredients and supplies one day and pack jars on another day.

The NeighborUp Pantry provides birthday bags to families with young children (ages 2-10) with an upcoming birthday. The bag contains supplies needed to host a simple birthday party for ~ 10 guests.

Items to include:
Gift bag with tissue paper
Cups, plates, & napkins for 8-10 people
Boxed cake mix & icing
Birthday candles
Banner & decorations
Gift for birthday guest of similar age

Bag Preparation:
Place a label on the end of the bag with the gender and age recommendation. For example, “GIRL, AGE: 4-6”

Having basic first aid kits at home can be a huge help to our clients. Groups can gather to purchase and assemble a box or a bag with basics.

Items to include:
Thermometers
Bandaids
Polysporin
Face masks
Adult Tylenol
Hand Sanitizer
Antacid
Hot/cold packs

Any grouping of the above will be helpful. These bags allow our clients to treat a variety of mild ailments.

Generic items are fine. Most of the items above can be found at Dollar Tree, Walmart, Target, etc. The items can be placed together in Ziploc bags. Completed bags can be dropped off at the NeighborUp Pantry Monday – Saturday, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM.

Each month, the NeighborUp Pantry gives away 100+ Emergency Food Bags. These go to clients and/or individuals who:

  • Have an expired food plan
  • Live outside the Cary/Morrisville area
  • Arrive after hours
  • Have already shopped for the month

Emergency Food Bags provide immediate relief until individuals can access food or are eligible to receive assistance from NeighborUp or another food pantry.

Preassembling bags is a great way to support the NeighborUp Pantry. When selecting bags, choose Heavy Duty with a wide base to support heavier items.

Bag 1 includes:
1 can: mixed veggies
2 cans: green beans
1 can: corn
4 cans: soup
2 packs: Ramen
1 jar: peanut butter
2 cans: tuna
2 cans: pasta
1 box: mac & cheese
1 box: cereal
1 roll: toilet paper

Bag 2 includes:
1 bag: rice
1 box: crackers
2 packs: Ramen
2 cans: soup
4 cans: black beans
1 can: pinto beans
1 can: kidney beans
2 cans: corn
1 can: pasta
1 roll: toilet paper