Volunteer

We are currently building a volunteer database to enable us to call on volunteers for support during times of need. We currently don’t offer regular volunteering opportunities, but as we build a framework for volunteers to get involved in various activities, this may change. In general, volunteering opportunities will occur mainly during business hours, Monday through Friday.

Before starting your volunteer journey with SA Harvest you will be required to attend an Information Session and provide a police clearance certificate issued within the last 12 months. Depending on the nature of the volunteer activity, some roles may have further requirements – for example, working with children checks, or completion of free, online Food Safety training.

If you have any questions regarding the approval requirements, please email Volunteer@saharvest.org

Please note: a record on a police check does not automatically disqualify someone from volunteering. The result may mean volunteers are more suited to some roles over others, and this will be discussed in confidence as the need arises.

There are a few costs associated with volunteer registration, which can include:

• Volunteers to provide a police check issued within the last 12 months, at their own cost.
• Volunteers who already hold existing police checks issued within the past 12 months can submit this and may not be required to obtain a new check.
• An administration contribution to SA Harvest to cover costs in providing volunteers with the required uniform may be applicable. This cost varies but is unlikely to be more than R250.

If these costs would present a financial challenge, please discuss it with our volunteer coordinator, or email Volunteer@saharvest.org.

All volunteers are required to wear a yellow SA Harvest T-shirt, black/dark bottoms, and closed-toed shoes. Volunteers helping with food prep are also asked to ensure their hair is tied back.

The cost for our SA Harvest Volunteer T-Shirt is included in the above administration fee.

Depending on the role, yes. The Volunteer Coordinator will conduct and/or oversee the reference process for any role that requires it (and you’ll be told if a role you’d like to help with does). Volunteers must also provide a police clearance certificate.

Certain programmes and some roles will require volunteers to undergo role-specific training, which will be conducted on an as-needed basis. Some volunteer programmes may require you to shadow an existing volunteer or complete a trial shift before you can register for future shifts.

At a minimum, all volunteers will receive on-the-job training when they participate in a role for the first time.

We love to see young people around the country looking to get involved and make a positive impact in their community. However, we do not have any opportunities for youth volunteering currently.

The good news is that you don’t have to volunteer with SA Harvest to start fighting food waste. Approximately 18% of the 10,3 million tons of food wasted in South Africa comes from our homes, and we need dedicated individuals to become food waste warriors.

Due to the nature of our operation and potential safety hazards for those with accessibility requirements, we are unfortunately not able to offer volunteering opportunities.

Your data will be stored safely and we will make contact with you on an annual basis to confirm that you still wish to remain in our volunteer database. Should you want your data to be removed at any time please email volunteer@saharvest.org.