Volunteer positions
Volunteers having a heart to feed the hungry and help take care of those in trouble are needed. Besides daily processing raw vegetables or fruit, the following positions are helpful:
FUNDRAISERS & PUBLIC SPEAKERS
Okanagan Gleaners needs to raise public awareness and funds to continue to feed the hungry of the world. We need volunteers who can speak to church groups and service groups about what we do. We need people to solicit donations of surplus produce from farmers and food processors. If you have marketing or public speaking talents and a passion for the mission of the Okanagan Gleaners we can use your help.
OFFICE ADMINISTRATION
Every week at the Okanagan Gleaners offices we need to keep financial and maintenance records, order supplies, book tours, file and publish information, make telephone calls, and provide general support to the managers, supervisors and volunteers. If you can operate basic computer programs such as word processing and spreadsheets, then this may be the job for you one or two times each week.
MECHANICS AND ELECTRICIANS
Okanagan Gleaners operates a number of machines to chip, chop and clean the variety of vegetables that arrive each day. We operate equipment to clean our plant and to move equipment and produce around the site. We operate trucks and trailers and forklifts that all need maintenance and repairs. We operate gas-fired dryers and large air-fans. If you can repair and maintain machinery and if you can volunteer a few days each month, you will help us continue operations.
HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEMS
Okanagan Gleaners operates coolers and freezers to store the produce that gracious donors provide to us. We use gas-fired dryers and large air-fans to dry our cleaned and prepared produce. And we have several buildings to heat and cool (with fans) to keep our volunteers comfortable. If you have experience in heating and cooling systems we would love your help in keeping our produce in optimum condition and our volunteers happy.
CARPENTERS AND PLUMBERS
Okanagan Gleaners volunteers have built most of our buildings and much of our furnishings. We are always improving our property for the safety and comfort of our volunteers and to improve the efficiency of our plant so we can make more soup for the hungry of the world. If you can swing a hammer or wield a plumber’s wrench you can help us keep our plant in optimum condition and our volunteers happy.
ACCOUNTANTS & BOOKKEEPERS
Like all non-profit groups, we need to have a robust and accurate set of financial books and a timely distribution of tax receipts to our donors. If you have some skills in running record-keeping computer programs and producing monthly financial statements, then our Treasurer would like to meet you.
LANDSCAPING
We like to keep our property at the Okanagan Gleaners in a pleasant and hospitable state. We need help to plant flowers, irrigate the orchards, mow the lawns, and tidy up around other landscaping. If you have a green thumb then we would love to have you help us.
DIRECTORS AND COMMITTEES
Like any other non-profit organization, Okanagan Gleaners needs many dedicated volunteers to lead the continued operations and to plan for the future. Our Board of Directors come from a variety of backgrounds and have the heart of the mission. The Board of Directors meet on a monthly basis and often work in one or more committees. We have several standing committees to direct the work around the site, manage the finances, organize the procurement and distribution of the food products, plan for building and equipment acquisition and maintenance, and gather all of the financial resources necessary to operate the society. The Board of Directors are elected by the membership every year at the Annual General Meeting in May, but committee members are welcome to start at any time during the year.
