As you may know, TABLE is a hunger relief organization that provides food to children on weekends, when they do not have access to free school meals. During the summer, the program continues as Summer TABLE. Like the Weekend Meal Backpack Program during the school year, Summer TABLE fills bags of healthy food, including produce from local farms, for kids aged three to fourteen who are identified as at risk for hunger. These bags are delivered by volunteers.
TABLE runs with volunteer power. Volunteers work at the office in Carrboro and deliver the bags of food. There are also specialty volunteer teams to do PR, collect food, and work at events. Details about volunteer opportunities are below. If you’re looking for a volunteer opportunity this summer, consider volunteering for Summer TABLE. Read more on their website, here.
We’re collecting donations for Summer TABLE in our stores for one more week. Look for the display or ask any cashier. (Read more.)
On-Site Volunteer Opportunities
Sign up online, here.
Weekly opportunities for the Weekend Meal Backpack Program—the Summer TABLE schedule differs slightly:
- Mondays, 6:00–8:00 PM. Food Sorting. Organize food donations by expiration date and type.
- Tuesdays, 4:30–6:00 PM. This new shift will be a catch-all of whatever is needed that week—sorting food, bagging, or anything else.
- Tuesdays, 6:30–8:00 PM. Pre-bagging. Complete a variety of things to prepare for bagging.
- Wednesdays, 4:30–5:30 PM. Reserved for families with kids in preschool and elementary school. Families bag 50–100 bags each week to go to local kids.
- Wednesdays, 6:00–8:00 PM. Bagging. Volunteers form an assembly line to fill bags of food.
- Thursdays, 9:30 AM–12:00 PM. Fresh food. Volunteers form an assembly line to add produce into bags of food.
- Thursdays, 10:30 AM–12:00 PM. School delivery. Deliver bags of food to local schools. Volunteers must have a car.
- Thursdays, 2:00–4:30 PM. Afterschool delivery. Volunteers with cars are greatly needed, but cars are not required. Volunteers carpool around town to deliver food to afterschool programs or door-to-door.
SnackChef: Volunteers meet at TABLE to prepare a fun, healthy snack, then travel to an afterschool center to make the snack with the kids.
Food donations can be dropped off during the following times, or call 919-636-4860 to schedule a drop-off or use the donation drop boxes to the right and behind the building.
- Mondays, 11:00 AM–12:00 PM, 1:00–3:30 PM
- Tuesdays, 11:00 AM–12:00 PM, 1:00–3:30 PM, 6:30–7:30 PM
- Wednesdays, 9:30 AM–1:00 PM, 6:00–7:00 PM
- Thursdays, 12:00–2:30 PM
- Fridays, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM