There are many ways to help create a well-fed, more plant-based world—and you don’t have to be an expert or have lots of time to make a difference. Whether you volunteer directly with A Well-Fed World, organize a fundraiser, or help make nourishing plant-based food more accessible in your own community, your time, energy, skills, and creativity can help advance plant-based solutions to hunger and food insecurity.
Choose what fits you. You might have an afternoon to help with a food distribution, a few hours a month to volunteer with an organization in your community, or an idea for a project you can organize yourself. There are countless ways to put your values into action.
Volunteer with A Well-Fed World
A Well-Fed World is a small organization doing big things, and volunteers can help us extend our reach. From helping with outreach and education to sharing our work with your networks, there are many ways to help.
If you have a particular skill, interest, or idea you’d like to contribute, we’d love to hear from you. Email [email protected].
Fundraise
Fundraising is another great way to volunteer your time and energy for A Well-Fed World. There are lots of fun and creative ways to raise money and awareness for our plant-based hunger relief.
Host a plant-based potluck or holiday dinner fundraiser, organize a birthday or marathon fundraiser, hold a vegan bake sale, or create a Facebook or Instagram fundraiser and invite your friends and family to participate. You can also turn a personal challenge, special event, or milestone into an opportunity to support A Well-Fed World. Explore more fundraising ideas.
Help Make Plant-Based Food More Accessible in Your Community
You can also volunteer your time to help make nourishing plant-based food more accessible where you live. There are organizations, community projects, and mutual-aid efforts around the U.S. and globally that are working to share plant-based food and build more equitable food systems. Check out our list.
Here are some ideas:
Volunteer with Food Not Bombs
Food Not Bombs is a worldwide, volunteer-run movement that shares free vegan food and works to make food accessible to everyone. Local volunteers help recover surplus food, prepare and cook meals, transport food and supplies, distribute meals, and clean up afterward. Find a Food Not Bombs chapter near you and ask how you can help—or, if there isn’t an active chapter in your community, consider starting one.
Share Plant-Based Food at a Food Pantry
Many food pantries welcome volunteers to sort, stock, pack, or distribute food. You can also ask your local food pantry what kinds of plant-based foods they need and organize a food drive to help fill those gaps. Beans, lentils, peanut butter, whole grains, canned vegetables and fruits, and other shelf-stable plant-based staples can help make nutritious food more accessible.
Start or Stock a Little Free Food Pantry
A Little Free Food Pantry can provide a simple way for neighbors to share food directly with one another. Consider installing one in your community, keeping it stocked with nutritious plant-based foods, and inviting neighbors, local businesses, and community organizations to contribute.
Donate to or Start a Community Fridge
Community refrigerators provide free, publicly accessible food that anyone can give or take. You can volunteer with an existing community fridge by donating food, helping keep it clean and stocked, or assisting with maintenance and outreach. You can also consider starting one of your own. Freedge is a global network and organization that helps people start and maintain community refrigerators. Its free resources include guidance on food safety, legal considerations, finding a host location, building a fridge shelter, monitoring, and other practical aspects of running a community fridge. Freedge also offers micro-grants to help individuals and groups get new community refrigerators started.
Grow and Share Plant-Based Food
If you have a garden, consider growing extra vegetables, herbs, fruits, or other crops to share with a food pantry, community fridge, free food distribution program, or neighbors. You can also volunteer with a community garden, seed-sharing project, or urban agriculture program that helps make fresh food more accessible.
Organize a Free Meal or Food-Sharing Event
Bring people together around food by organizing a free plant-based meal, community potluck, or food-sharing event. Partner with a local mutual-aid group, community center, school, or other organization to make the event accessible to people who could benefit from it.
Share Your Skills
Volunteering isn’t limited to cooking or distributing food. Local food-access projects need people who can drive, build, garden, photograph, design, write, translate, organize events, manage social media, maintain websites, do outreach, or simply lend a hand when something needs to get done. Think about what you’re good at—and find a local organization where those skills can help make good food more accessible.
Small Actions Add Up
You don’t have to start an organization or commit to a regular volunteer shift to make a difference. Donate a bag of beans to a food pantry. Pick up an extra item for your community fridge. Spend an afternoon helping prepare a free meal. Invite friends to a fundraiser. Share information about plant-based food resources in your community.
Every act of generosity helps build a food system where nutritious, plant-based food is more accessible to everyone.