Volunteer FAQs

How does Keep Austin Fed Work?

Our donors keep our volunteers busy by donating tons of food to transport to Keep Austin Fed (KAF) recipients. There is no cost to donors or KAF recipients – we provide equipment, training, and support while volunteers donate their time and use their own vehicles to pick the donated food up from the contributor and drop it off with one of our partner recipient agencies. It’s a lot of work, but it’s incredibly rewarding. We keep good food out of the landfill, and make sure we get healthy meals to our neighbors in need.

What kind of food are volunteers picking up?

All of our food comes from commercial food service establishments (grocery stores, restaurants, retailers, caterers, etc.). We do not accept perishable items from individuals.

We specialize in “just-in-time” surplus food pickup and delivery, and most of our donors give us prepared food — cooked meals, salads, sandwiches, etc., which have extremely short shelf lives; the food can be either hot or cold. For that reason, a quick response time and safe food handling is critical. That’s why we require volunteers have a food handler’s permit.

Some donors offer whole foods, such as crates of fresh produce, frozen uncooked meat, and bulk bagged salads. Others give us nonperishable foods. Still others donate a mix of all the above. Our volunteers occasionally handle other items like personal care products.

Donations must be in unopened packages or must not have been previously served. For catered events, we do not accept food in which guests served themselves, and we require donated food be kept at the proper temperature. We also do not accept home cooked meals or food that has been stored at a residence. Even if the food was prepared in a commercial kitchen, if it has left the control of the food service enterprise, we cannot accept the food (eg., private parties, business lunches, etc.).

How do I volunteer with Keep Austin Fed?

Please visit our volunteer page for detailed instructions on becoming a volunteer.

How much time does a food run take?

Most food runs take about an hour to complete, which includes travel time. Some are quicker, taking maybe 15 or 20 minutes. Occasionally, we have very large donations that could take longer than an hour, depending on how many volunteers show up.

In which part of town do the food rescues happen?

We have food rescue runs happening all over town. Our volunteers pick food up directly from the business donating the food and takes it to be redistributed through one of our partner organizations. Our staff work to minimize the amount of driving necessary for any food run, while still providing our neighbors with culturally appropriate foods.

How often do I have to do a food rescue?

There is no minimum requirement. If you have made the effort to become a full-fledged food rescuing hero with us, we are confident that you believe in the mission enough to participate when you are able to. Once you are a member with us, you will be able to see our full calendar of scheduled food runs, and can sign up for whichever ones fit your schedule.

I am only free on weekends and evenings. Can I still volunteer?

While the majority of our food rescues occur during standard work hours (M-F 8-4), we do have some food rescue runs and opportunities that occur over the weekend and occasionally in the evenings. Once you become a Keep Austin Fed volunteer, you will have access to our full schedule of food runs, and you can pick a run that works with your schedule.

Can I bring a friend/kid/dog with me to do a run?

We encourage you to bring a friend or child along! It makes the food rescue go that much faster when you have a helper. Some of our runs take place at loading docks where there are large trucks coming and going or require you to enter cold walk-in refrigerators, so please take this into consideration before bringing a young child with you on a food rescue run.

Under no circumstances can you bring an animal with you to make a food run. This is simply due to food safety regulations.

What is the minimum age to volunteer?

Our food rescue runs require a vehicle, so a driver's license is a necessity. If you have a driver's license, you are old enough. However, we do require that people under 18 years of age have their parents sign a consent form and release of liability.

My company has volunteer days and would like to volunteer as a team. Are there any Keep Austin Fed opportunities for us?

Currently, we do not have many opportunities for the businesses that want to have a team building volunteer day (or half day). However, if you have an idea, we are willing to "think outside the box" to make something happen. We encourage your team to consider a longer lasting team building effort by Adopting a Food Run.

I don’t have a car (or I have a very small car). Can I still do food rescue runs?

Because we rely on minimizing transport time, and the summers in Texas can be hard on food, a car with air conditioning is necessary for being a food rescue runner. The Food Rescue US platform allows us to indicate what size car will be required for the anticipated volume of food. We have some food rescues that can easily be accomplished with a compact car.

Does anyone get paid to make food rescue runs for Keep Austin Fed?

We have a very small paid staff at Keep Austin Fed whose responsibilities are to keep the program running. Once the logistics of a food run route are established, we rely primarily on volunteers to make the food rescues. If there is a very large volume of donated food that must be kept cold for longer than the average food run, our staff can complete the food run with our refrigerated van that was donated to us by Whole Foods Market.