Kalamazoo Valley Gleaners is in operation because of the faithful dedication of hundreds of weekly volunteers. Becoming a volunteer is simple. Head to our sign up genius and select your preferred date and opportunity. Serving opportunities include the wash room, trim room, chopper, traying room packaging and hospitality.
Our volunteers come from all corners of greater Kalamazoo, but share a passion for rescuing food waste, addressing global poverty and community engagement. You will be blessed by the joy and positivity that radiates from our incredible family of volunteers!
Have a group?
Volunteering at Kalamazoo Gleaners is a great way to build community, make an impact with your classmates, community groups and co-workers.
Student groups love learning about our mission at KVG and participating in volunteer shifts. We can currently only accommodate high school field trips due to the nature of our work.
For the best experience, please consider the time commitment before reaching out to schedule a school group. Our shifts begin at 8:30am and typically wrap up around 11:30 am. This allows time for an entire tour of the facility, processing all of the food for the day and cleanup.
If you do not have the entire morning to dedicate to a shift, we still encourage you to come for a tour! Students will learn about the process at KVG, have the opportunity to see the facility, and learn about food systems and global poverty.
We have hosted many workplace groups at KVG, including Pfizer, Advia Credit Union, and Jaqua Realtors. It is a great opportunity for community outreach, team building and service projects that can engage your entire team or department.
We will begin your time with a short tour of the facility, then get you plugged into serving. For the best experience, we can host a maximum of 15 for large groups. This allows veteran volunteers to work alongside you so you can get acquainted with the process.
To schedule your workplace group, reach out no later than 2 weeks before your anticipated date. That allows ample time for your spot to be reserved.
We love hosting different groups from all over the Kalamazoo community. We have hosted all different types of organizations including church groups, WMU student groups and professional clubs.
No matter what your group’s special interests are, we are certain you will enjoy your time serving alongside your community at KVG. It is a great way to give back while expanding your network in Kalamazoo.
You can also schedule a tour at our facility or a presentation for your next meeting. We love to share the story of Kalamazoo Valley Gleaners and invite new people into our mission.
What to expect as a volunteer
Volunteer Guidelines
For the health and safety of our volunteers we have outlined some basic guidelines
- We provide vinyl gloves. They are required in all rooms.
- Hands must be washed before leaving the restroom and before handling any food products.
- Please wear comfortable clothes that can get dirty. Closed-toed shoes are required. Wearing a hat, hairnet or pulling back long hair is recommended.
- Ages 13 and under may assist in the Traying and Packaging rooms. 14 years and up are allowed to work in all areas. Parents/Guardians are responsible for the health and care of their children while on site.
- We do not accept walk-in volunteers. If you are having trouble using our sign up genius, please email Kristin directly at gm@kalamazoogleaners.org for assistance.
Sign up now
Schedule
For the health and safety of our volunteers we have outlined some basic guidelines
- 8:30 am
Arrival and Announcements – You will fill out a nametag or collect one that has been created for you. Then any pertinent announcements will be made and we will head to our work stations to begin. - 9:30-10:00 am
Break time will be called once we have the dehydrator filled with the first load. Times may vary on this depending on how quickly our morning work goes. This is a great time for conversation, fellowship and delicious treats. We will also share a short devotional. - 10:00 am
We return back to work trimming, traying and packaging until we have a second dehydrator load ready. - 11:00 am
Clean up begins. It is important to keep our facility squeaky clean and everyone participates! We also reset each room for the next day of production. - 11:30 am
Goodbye and see you next time! Some of our volunteers like to stick around for one last coffee and conversation before leaving.
Sign up now
Training videos
Wash Room
Dumping produce into industrial washing machine and then distributing into smaller buckets.
Trim Room
Trim freshly washed produce by removing any inedible or unappetizing portions prior to being chopped.
The Chopper
This process chops produce down for efficient dehydrating.
Traying Room
Take chopped product and spread out evenly on a dehydrating tray.
Packaging Room
Several roles in this room include scraping produce from trays, filling bags and packaging boxes.
Sign up for our newsletter
Follow along with us as we share how the Lord continues to grow Kalamazoo Valley Gleaners, so we can feed those suffering from hunger.
Previous Newsletters
Get in touch
For questions about our gleaning food ministry, please reach out.
Kalamazoo Valley Gleaners
5541 King Highway
Kalamazoo, MI 49048
(269) 400-1822
Contact Us
Quick links
Create an Account
News and Events
Gifts of Love
Privacy Policy
