AFAC depends on the help of thousands of volunteers. Volunteers bag, distribute, drive, glean, grow, help in the office and warehouse and organize and assist at special events. Volunteers donated more than 51,000 hours in the last fiscal year.
AFAC observes the following federal holidays, and will not have volunteer opportunities on these days: New Years Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Volunteering with a group? See below for more information!
Individual volunteers can use the online volunteer calendar to sign up for many volunteering activities. If you don’t have an active account, please fill out a volunteer profile form.
On the online calendar, you’ll find one-time volunteer opportunities such as:
If you have specialized interests, such as driving your large vehicle or one of AFAC’s vans, you can indicate that on the Volunteer Profile Form and we’ll contact those interested when those needs arise.
AFAC hosts group volunteers to help bag and sort food in our warehouse! Bagging events are held on weekday afternoons from 2:00-3:30 pm, Thursdays from 10:00-11:30 am, and on Saturdays from 9:00-10:30 am, 9:30-11:00 am, and 1:00-2:30 pm. Saturdays have limited availability and are often booked 2-3 months in advance. Corporate groups (not houses of worship, scout groups, school groups, government agencies, other non-profits, etc.) are asked to make a donation of $500 to AFAC in advance of their service date. We can walk you through the options for payment at the time we register your group. If you are interested in bringing a group, please contact us at [email protected] or 571-384-1447.
We can accommodate groups of 5-15 people on weekday and Saturday shifts. We can only accommodate groups of fewer than 10 people on Thursday mornings. Everyone must be 12 years old or older to volunteer in our warehouse. All 12 and 13 year olds must be accompanied by a parent/guardian and bring a copy of our Minor Hold Harmless form.
Download the Group Bagging Flyer to advertise your event with your group!
We also offer group volunteering at farms to glean fresh produce! Gleanings are held around June to October each year at local farms and orchards. For more information, please visit our gleaning page or email [email protected].
If your organization or company would like to make a bigger impact, please consider participating in our Sponsor Purchased Food (SPF) program! This is a great option for groups with 20 people or more and offers more flexibility in time and venue. The minimum budget for an event is $1500. For more information, please contact Jolie Smith at [email protected] or visit our SPF page.
*AFAC is closed on all federal holidays and does not hold group bagging events on these days*
Teenagers younger than 14 must volunteer with a parent or guardian. Teenagers under 18 must have a Minor Hold Harmless form filled out by their parents before volunteering.
Individual volunteers can use the online volunteer calendar to sign up for many volunteering activities. If you don’t have an active account, please fill out a volunteer profile form.
On the online calendar, you’ll find one-time volunteer opportunities such as:
AFAC also has a summer teen program for rising 9th-12th graders between the ages of 14-17. Visit our summer teen program page for more information.
Projects for Scouts
Scouts can help fulfill merit badge and silver and gold award requirements by designing and implementing special projects for AFAC. In past years, scouts have helped organize and recruit gleaning teams to pick vegetables for clients and held food drives in the community. The possibilities are endless! Send an email to [email protected] if you are interested in undertaking a project for AFAC.
To volunteer inside AFAC’s warehouse, volunteers must be 12 and older. Children younger than 14 must volunteer with a parent or guardian. Everyone under 18 must have a Minor Hold Harmless form filled out by their parents before volunteering.
See the list below of many ways children under 12 can help. Please contact us at [email protected] with questions about any activity.
AFAC Organized Activities
At Your Convenience
Arlington Food Assistance Center Young Professionals group (YPs) consist of 21-39 year-olds in Arlington who raise awareness of hunger in our community and support AFAC’s mission through volunteering, social, and networking events.
Follow this link to an online volunteer profile form. We will send a welcome email and then add you to the Young Professionals mailing list to receive updates on upcoming events and opportunities.
Below are our recurring opportunities for Young Professionals. Sign up for these spots using our online calendar.
YP Bagging Night
YP Distribution
AFAC accepts a limited number of court-ordered or lawyer recommended volunteers. We do not accept charges that involve larceny/theft, assault/violence or sexual misconduct. We will request to see documentation stating your offense so please keep that in mind. Volunteers can earn up to 40 hours of service at AFAC.
Effective 9/2/25, we will charge $50 to those who want to participate in our program to cover administrative costs. We will accept cash, credit cards, or checks. You will not receive your letter of completion without this donation. If you receive groceries from AFAC you will be exempt from this obligation.
All court-ordered volunteers must fill out a Volunteer Profile Form, in advance of service noting the hours of service needed and completion date. Email Danielle Rampton at [email protected] after you filled out the profile form to discuss your charge and set a schedule. Community service volunteers must work under the supervision of a staff member and may only schedule shifts through a staff member in the volunteer department.
If you do not complete a profile form and set a schedule through a staff member in the Volunteer Department, we will not be able to credit you for your time. Please bring your court documentation or a letter from your lawyer and a photo ID to your first volunteer shift or you can scan the documents/ take a photo of them and send to [email protected].
If you are under 18, please have a parent or guardian fill out a minor hold harmless form before you start your hours at AFAC.
For all available openings for baggings and distribution shifts, please view our online calendar. If you don’t have an active account, please fill out a volunteer profile form.
Don’t see something you can volunteer for now? Learn about ongoing volunteer opportunities.
This opportunity has been filled, thank you! AFAC’s Westover offsite needs two helpers to assist with home deliveries in the nearby neighborhood on Wednesday afternoons. You must be at least 18 years old, able to carry two bags of groceries at a time, and walk from the street to the residence (potentially up and down […]
Personal Shopper Program AFAC has a new program: The Personal Shopper Program on Tuesdays! It’s similar to our home delivery driving, except you wait in the AFAC line and pick up for a maximum of two clients. You arrive at AFAC between 12:30 and 1:00pm. You would bring the necessary paper bags and shopping cart […]
AFAC’s offsite distribution at The Waypoint could use two volunteers on Wednesday afternoons from 3:30 – 5:30 pm. The Waypoint is located at: 2451 Menokin Drive, Alexandria, 22302. Volunteers would need to be consistent, reliable, and available every week. At offsites, volunteers may help with: setting up tables, wheeling food from the AFAC van into […]
The volunteer department is always on the lookout for volunteers who want to help on another level. Lead groups after hours in produce bagging or dry goods bagging. Speak about AFAC at outreach fairs, to youth groups, etc. Training is provided. Send an email to [email protected] if you have an interest in becoming a Volunteer Supervisor.
Gleanings are held around June to October each year at local farms and orchards.
AFAC’s Sponsor Purchased Food (SPF) initiative enables your group to sponsor healthy food for AFAC families and prepare that food for distribution.
Not finding enough volunteer opportunities? Need something to do from home on your own schedule? Host a food drive! From our website, you can register your food drive, create customized flyers from our templates, and find some ideas to make yours a success. Consider asking your neighbors, swim club, camp, business or house of worship to join you. Our most-needed items are: canned fruits, canned tuna, canned vegetables, low-sugar cereal, low-sodium soup, canned tomato products and peanut butter in plastic jars.
We accept donated food Monday-Friday from 8:30am-4:30pm and Saturday from 8:30am-1pm. Questions? Please email [email protected].
Please donate any unwanted books and/or coloring books to our new Little Free Library! You can drop off donations with the Volunteer Department.
Please contact us at [email protected] or 703-845-8486 for more information.
Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) is an incorporated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN: 54-1473207) with a mission to feed our neighbors in need by providing dignified access to nutritious supplemental groceries. No part of this website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted, without the prior written consent of the author, unless otherwise indicated for stand-alone materials.
Privacy Policy: Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) does not share any client data with third parties. Your personal information is kept confidential and is not disclosed to any outside organizations, except as required by law or with your explicit consent. Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) does not sell or share personal information with third parties for marketing/promotional purposes. Mobile information will not be shared, sold, or conveyed to third parties for marketing/promotional purposes.
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