Meals on Wheels Durham relies on people just like you to lend their time and talent to help us deliver meals to seniors, disabled individuals, and homebound adults unable to prepare meals for themselves. With a variety of enriching volunteer opportunities offered in the mornings, Monday through Friday, you will see what a difference a kind word, nutritious meal, and smile can make.
Sign Up to Volunteer
Join our passionate team of volunteers at Meals on Wheels Durham! Your support makes a meaningful difference in the lives of hundreds of homebound seniors across our community. Getting started is simple and easy! Fill out the online application and you'll be able to reserve a shift in no time.
Plus, we've launched a new initiative to help you navigate your first month at MOWD. Our Volunteer Onboarding Mentorship Program pairs new volunteers with seasoned ones to help prepare them for their first shift. Learn more here. Indicate you would like to enroll in the program on your volunteer applications to sign up.
Monday Hot & Frozen Meal Volunteers
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Unloaders help to remove and unload frozen and hot meals from the food delivery truck. Must be able to pick up boxes up to 10 pounds.
Mondays from 7:50 am - 9 am
Assist with operations inside the building including expediting meals to delivery drivers, packing meals, managing route sheets, unloading meals from food delivery trucks, etc.
Mondays from 8 am - 11 am
Welcome drivers in the parking lot and communicate routes to Inside Helpers.
Mondays from 8:45 am - 11 am
Help load frozen and hot meal boxes onto delivery drivers' vehicles
Mondays from 8:45 am - 11 am
Deliver hot and frozen meals to seniors in Durham. We have delivery routes throughout the county. You can deliver by yourself, with a friend, with your pet, or with a group.
Mondays arrive between 9 am - 11 am to pick up meals from the office; Allow 1.5 hours for delivery.
Adopt a consistent weekly or bi-weekly delivery route to build meaningful connections with homebound seniors. Reach out to the Volunteer Services Coordinator to specify the route or area you'd like to adopt, along with your preferred volunteering day.
Several routes are available on Mondays. Click below to learn more.
As an On-Call Driver, you will have the opportunity to step in when our weekday schedule drivers are unavailable, ensuring that our Durham seniors continue to receive the meals they rely on.
On-Call Driver Requirements:
Availability:
Adopt a recurring On-Call Driver shift for a 90-day period, with flexible options offered either once a week or once a month. Availability during weekdays between 9:00 am - 1:00 pm.
Eligibility:
Have completed at least three (3) volunteer driver shifts
How to Apply:
New Volunteers: Please complete our Volunteer Application and indication you are interested in becoming an On-Call Driver. Once your application has been process and you meet the qualifications outlined above, please fill out the commitment form below. After submitting the form, MOWD staff will reach out to you to coordinate scheduling for your recurring On-Call Driver shift.
Currently Volunteer: If you're interested in joining our On-Call Driver Team and meet the qualifications outlined above, we invite you to apply by completing the commitment form below. After submitting the form, MOWD staff will reach out to you to coordinate scheduling for your recurring On-Call Driver shift.
Over 70 volunteers arrive every Monday morning to perform various tasks that make it possible for us to deliver nutritious meals and services to over 550 clients around Durham County.
Starting at 8 am, volunteers unload, organize, and pack meals to then load into delivery driver vehicles to distribute to clients on 50+ routes across the county. Delivery routes take about 1.5 hours to complete.
Check out a sample schedule below:
Hot Meal Volunteers (Tuesday–Friday)
Inside Helpers assist with a variety of operational tasks inside the building including: unloading meals, packing hot and cold food items into insulated bags, managing route sheets, and loading delivery driver vehicles with meals.
Tuesdays to Fridays from 8 am - 11 am
Deliver hot and frozen meals to seniors in Durham. We have delivery routes throughout the county. You can deliver by yourself, with a friend, with your pet, or with a group.
Tuesday to Friday
Arrive to pick up meals between 9:30 am - 10:30 am and allow 1.5 hours for delivery.
Adopt a consistent weekly or bi-weekly delivery route to build meaningful connections with homebound seniors. Reach out to the Volunteer Services Coordinator to specify the route or area you'd like to adopt, along with your preferred volunteering day.
Several routes are available Tuesday through Friday. Click below to learn more.
As an On-Call Driver, you will have the opportunity to step in when our weekday schedule drivers are unavailable, ensuring that our Durham seniors continue to receive the meals they rely on.
On-Call Driver Requirements:
Availability:
Adopt a recurring On-Call Driver shift for a 90-day period, with flexible options offered either once a week or once a month. Availability during weekdays between 9:00 am - 1:00 pm. Right now we are looking for individuals available Thursdays and Fridays to join the team!
Eligibility:
Have completed at least three (3) volunteer driver shifts
How to Apply:
New Volunteers: Please complete our Volunteer Application and indication you are interested in becoming an On-Call Driver. Once your application has been process and you meet the qualifications outlined above, please fill out the commitment form below. After submitting the form, MOWD staff will reach out to you to coordinate scheduling for your recurring On-Call Driver shift.
Currently Volunteer: If you're interested in joining our On-Call Driver Team and meet the qualifications outlined above, we invite you to apply by completing the commitment form below. After submitting the form, MOWD staff will reach out to you to coordinate scheduling for your recurring On-Call Driver shift.
Over 20 volunteers arrive every morning, Tuesday to Friday, to perform various tasks that make it possible for us to deliver daily nutritious meals and services to clients who receive hot lunch meal services.
Starting at 8 am, volunteers unload, organize, and pack meals to then load into delivery driver vehicles to distribute to clients on 13 routes across the county. Delivery routes take about 1.5 hours to complete.
Check out a sample schedule below:
Remote Volunteers
Call and check in on a group of clients each week in the comfort of your home during our Wellness Calls. This remote opportunity helps our seniors know they are not alone—you may be the only person they talk to all day. Calling instructions are provided via an email and Google sheet the morning of your calls.
Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 am - 12 pm
Volunteer Leadership Roles
Meals on Wheels Durham is thrilled to introduce a new volunteer leadership opportunity: the Floor Lead Program. This program is designed to streamline volunteer coordination during morning operations at MOWD. Floor Leads will oversee volunteer activities, ensuring smooth execution of tasks for successful meal deliveries. Moreover, it offers leadership chances, enriches volunteer experiences, and promotes personal and professional growth.
For more information, please contact Lula Zeray at lula@mowdurham.org.
How to Apply:
Complete the Floor Lead Commitment Form
- New Volunteers: Express interest in the Floor Lead position on your Volunteer Application. Once your volunteer application is processed, you'll receive the Floor Lead Commitment Form.
- Current Volunteers: Submit the Floor Lead Commitment Form.
Training
After submitting the Commitment Form, volunteers will undergo comprehensive training by completing the following in a 60-day period:
- Three (3) Inside Helper shifts.
- Two (2) Meal delivery shifts.
- Two (2) Shadowing shifts of a seasoned Floor Lead
Assignment
Upon completing training, volunteers will be assigned shifts as Floor Leads based on their availability and designated adoption days. They must commit to these agreed-upon days for a 90-day period.
Meals on Wheels Durham's Volunteer Onboarding Mentorship Program (VOMP) pairs new volunteers with seasoned ones to help them navigate through their first month at MOWD.
By connecting experienced volunteers with those just beginning their relationship with us, VOMP will help to create a culture of consistency, promote high-quality interactions, and strengthen the More Than A Meal program services we provide to clients.
Ad Hoc Volunteer Opportunities
Are you an experienced handyperson? If so, this is a job for you! Help us install doorbells for our clients or do odd jobs and repair miscellaneous items in the office.
Positions are posted as needed. Times vary. Contact our Volunteer Services Coordinator.
In the past, we heard stories of clients sharing their meals with their pets. For this reason, we created our Pet Food Program, which is made possible through generous donations from supporters and local animal hospitals. Pet Food Organizer helps with bagging, labeling, and organizing pet food for our client's four-legged companions to be delivered on Mondays.
Thursdays or Fridays, times vary. Contact our Volunteer Services Coordinator.
Help collect and input important client and volunteer data for Meals on Wheels Durham to help enhance operations and services
Positions are posted as needed.
Group Volunteering
Your group can deliver meals to our clients as a one-time event or take turns driving regularly on a weekly or monthly basis. Contact our Volunteer Services Coordinator or complete our volunteer application if you are interested.
Mondays to Friday from 8 am-Noon
Upcoming Volunteer Shifts
Safely Volunteer at Meals on Wheels Durham
As of Monday, May 22, 2023, inside helpers and staff will no longer be required to wear masks. Drivers will still need to mask when delivering meals.
Meals on Wheels Durham still requires all employees and volunteers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including booster vaccines as determined by eligibility, effective August 15, 2022. Remote volunteers are subject to this policy only in the event that they visit the office or come into physical contact with clients and other volunteers.
All persons interested in volunteering or continuing to volunteer with MOWD must provide proof of vaccination. Official documentation of vaccination status must be shown to and verified by a MOWD staff member in-person. We will not keep your documentation on record.