Volunteer Resources

Role Description

• To support older people living independently at home to eat well, live well and age well. 
• To report any matters of concern to Food Train staff 
• To inform Food Train Staff of any accidents, incidents or complaints 
• To maintain confidentiality 
• To represent Food Train in a professional manner to customers and the wider community

Skills & Experience Required

• There are no formal educational requirements for these roles however knowledge of the needs of older people acquired through life and family experiences, training received or practice-based experience is desirable. 
• Friendly, sociable and patient with a caring manner. 
• Good verbal communication skills are required as well as being a people person with a sense of humour who can adapt to any situation and changing people behaviour. 
• Motivated, reliable, trustworthy and enthusiastic individual who can be responsive and flexible on delivering positive outcomes and experiences for older people.

• 3 hrs – 8am to 11am or as advised by your local branch
• Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday 
• On-going role

Role Description

• Making up and checking customers shopping orders 
• Packing boxes ensuring weight distribution 
• Putting customers’ orders through the till 
• Pay for the shopping and complete necessary paperwork

Skills & Experience Required

• Good literacy and numeracy skills. 
• Ability to work as part of a team. 
• Good level of fitness.

• Once a week 
• On a day to suit you and your shopping friend  
• Can be done at the same time as your own grocery shopping. 

Role Description

• Paired with an older person to collect their shopping list, do their grocery shopping once a week and deliver it to their home.    
• Support them to create their shopping list, agree times and dates for delivery and help put shopping away as required.    
• To make payment for the shopping and then claim reimbursement from the Connects team.  
• To report back to the Food Train Connects team and complete all required documentation after each shop.  

Skills & Experience Required

• Good telephone manner and willingness to use own phone and online device to record and submit receipts and complete online forms. 

• Once a week 
• On a day and time that suits both you and your shopping companion. 

Role Description

• Collect an older person from their home on agreed date and time to take them for their grocery shopping.  
• Support them as they do their grocery shop and transport them back to their home, helping unpack shopping if required.  
• To report back to Food Train Connects team and complete all required documentation after each trip.  

Skills & Experience Required

• Good telephone manner and willingness to use own phone and online device to record and submit receipts and complete online forms.    
• Willingness to use own car to transport member during shopping trips.

• Once a week 
• Time and day that suits both you and the shopping friend.

Role Description

• Call an older person on agreed dates and times to talk through their shopping list and submit an online grocery shop on a supermarket website.   
• Support them as they do their grocery shop and agree times and dates for delivery.   
• To make payment for the online shop and then claim reimbursement from the Connects team.  
• To report back to Food Train Connects team and complete all required documentation after each shop.  

Skills & Experience Required

• Good telephone manner and willingness to use own phone and online device to carry out the online shopping activities.  

• 6 hrs – 9am to 3pm 
• Weekdays
• On-going role

Role Description

• Drive Food Train Van 
• Collecting shopping lists from customers 
• Collecting shopping orders from shops  
• Stack van to ensure shopping boxes are secure 
• Deliver and unpack shopping orders for customers 
• To record mileage

Skills & Experience Required

• Driving Licence – essential. 
• Good level of fitness

• Various hours 
• Flexible 
• On-going role

Role Description

• Supporting Food Train member to shop their weekly/fortnightly shopping list by accompanying and supporting them around a supermarket. 
• Supporting our members on and off our minibus if required to do so 
• Spend time with member advising and recommending ideas and suggestions for meals and snacks for weekly/fortnightly shopping list. Encouraging member to try new foods. 
• Respecting food choices while confidently suggesting new food choices. 
• Able to assist with packing shopping and put shopping away at home if required to do so. 
• Managing and adhering to allocated timetables.

Skills & Experience Required

• Good supermarket food product knowledge. 
• Interested in health and nutrition
•  

• 3 hrs – 8am to 11am approximately 
• Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday 
• On-going role

Role Description

• Checking members shopping orders as shoppers return to designated check out area. 
• Liaising between Shoppers/Drivers/Helpers and office. 
• Packing boxes ensuring weight distribution 
• Putting members’ orders through the till and pay for the shopping. 
• Complete necessary paperwork.

Skills & Experience Required

• Good literacy and numeracy skills. 
• Ability to work as part of a team.
•  

• Various hours 
• Flexible 
• On-going role

Role Description

• Supporting Food Train member to compile weekly/fortnightly shopping list either by a face-to-face visit or over the telephone. 
• Spend time with member advising and recommending ideas and suggestions for meals and snacks for weekly/fortnightly shopping list. 
• Respecting food choices while confidently suggesting new food choices. 
• Able to confidently monitor/rotate fridge and cupboard stock and manage out of date items during face-to-face visits.

Skills & Experience Required

• Good supermarket food product knowledge. 
• Interested in health and nutrition

• 6 hrs – 9am to 3pm 
• Weekdays
• On-going role

Role Description

• Collecting shopping lists from customers 
• Collecting shopping orders from shops  
• Stack van to ensure shopping boxes are secure 
• Deliver and unpack shopping orders for customers 
• Collect monies and complete all necessary paperwork

Skills & Experience Required

• Good literacy and numeracy skills. 
• Good level of fitness.

• Once a week for between 30 min to an hour. 
• On a day and time that suits both you and the member

Role Description

• Paired with an older person for weekly visits to their home. 
• Provide an effective befriending service for your befriendee. 
• Spend time with your befriendee, listen, chat and discuss various topics.

Skills & Experience Required

• Good communication skills and willingness to use own phone and online device to record and submit activity logs and complete online forms. 

• Occasional 
• When member requires lift to appointments etc.

Role Description

• Collect an older person from their home on agreed date and time to take them to appointments and outings.  
• Support them as necessary whilst on the trip and return them safely to their home.   
• To report back to Food Train Connects team and complete all required

Skills & Experience Required

• Good telephone manner and willingness to use own phone and online device to record and submit receipts and complete online forms.    
• Willingness to use own car to transport member during out and about trips.

• Various and flexible  
• On-going role

Role Description

• Provide an effective befriending service for your befriendee in their homes or on group outings/activities 
• Make the service, events attended and conversations interesting and fun  
• Be reliable and presentable – your befriendee may be expecting you at a previously agreed date and time  
• Provide monitoring and reporting information as required on time spent and activities with the befriendee to the project staff 

Skills & Experience Required

• Enthusiastic about working with, or caring for, older people  
• Driver with access to a car is helpful but not essential

• Once a week for between 30 min and an hour 
• On a day and time that suits both you and your phone friends.

Role Description

• Paired with an older person for weekly phone chats.  
• Provide an effective phone friend service for your phone friend.  
• Spend time on the phone listening, chatting and discussing various topics. 

Skills & Experience Required

• Good telephone manner and willingness to use own phone and online device to record and submit activity logs and complete online forms.

• All day events 
• Weekly, Fortnightly or Monthly 
• On-going role

Role Description

• As directed, collect members from appointed pick-up point and drive them to the specified outing/event with additional support from volunteers and Food Train employees.  
• Refuel bus and complete vehicle logbook accurately. 
• Report any mechanical/maintenance issues to employees.

Skills & Experience Required

• Age 25 or over, appropriate current driver’s license (may need D1 category, depending on size of bus) and clean driving record.  
• Confidence in driving a minibus.
• Commitment to ensuring safety of passengers.
• Well-developed organisational skills and ability to work independently and to arrange routes and pick up schedules. 
• Willing to engage with people from a variety of backgrounds.  
•  

• Once a week for about 30 mins to an hour  
• Time and day that suits both you and the member

Role Description

• Paired with an older person to deliver a weekly home cooked meal.  
• Provide an effective meal sharing service for your diner.  
• Spend time with your diner, listen, chat and discuss various topics. 
• To report back to Food Train Connects team and complete all required documentation after each mealshare.  

Skills & Experience Required

• Ability to cook a home cooked meal while employing good food hygiene principles. Willingness to use own car or public transport to deliver meals. 
• Good communication skills and willingness to use own phone and online device to record and submit activity logs and complete online forms.

• 3-4 hrs  
• To be agreed with office

Role Description

• Visit the member’s home as part of a team of two (driver and helper) 
• Collect customer files from the office 
• Complete small household tasks for customers (both driver / helper) 
• Collect monies and complete all necessary paperwork

Skills & Experience Required

• Driving licence is essential (if in driving role). 
• Practical skills for odd jobs at home. 
• Good level of fitness.

• Usually 3hrs am or pm 
• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday 
• On-going role

Role Description

• Answering the telephone dealing with enquiries and taking customers’ shopping orders 
• Checking customers shopping lists and sorting for the shopping/delivery service 
• Taking shopping lists to the appropriate store 
• Checking shop/van box has the necessary resources 
• Photocopying/filing and any other administration tasks as necessary

Skills & Experience Required

• Excellent telephone manner and being able to use your own initiative with the ability to ask for help when needed. 
• Good literacy, numeracy and data input skills.

Totally flexible depending in the time you have available .

Role Description

• To participate in organised fundraising event to raise funds for Food Train Connects.     
• To organise your own fundraising event to raise funds for Food Train Connects.    
• Choose from a menu of fundraising events to participate in or create your own.    
• Support existing Food Train fundraising activity by sharing across social media.    

Skills & Experience Required

• Creativity, planning and organisational skills. 
• Willingness to use own phone and online device to record fundraising activities and submit activity logs and online forms. 

• Totally flexible depending on the time you have available. 

Role Description

• You will be given a list of Food Train members to call each week.   
• The call is to check in on them or collect weekly shopping lists, following the criteria given. 
• To report back to Food Train Connects team 

Skills & Experience Required

• Good telephone manner and willingness to use own phone and online device to record and submit activity logs and complete online forms. 

• 5hrs – 9am to 2pm 
• Friday only 
• On-going role

Role Description

• Deliver books to the member’s home as part of a team of two (driver and helper) in the Food Train van 
• Collect paperwork from the office 
• Collect books from libraries listed on that week’s rota 
• Stack van to ensure boxes/bags of books are secure 
• Deliver and uplift books from customers

Skills & Experience Required

• Driving Licence – essential (if in driving role) 
• Good literacy and numeracy skills 
• Good level of fitness.

• Totally flexible depending on the time you have available

Role Description

• Answering the telephone and dealing with enquiries 
• Mail shots/ filing / document processing and any other administration tasks as necessary

Skills & Experience Required

• Excellent telephone manner and being able to use your own initiative with the ability to ask for help when needed. 
• Good literacy, numeracy and data input skills.

Totally flexible depending on the time you have available.  

Role Description

• To distribute leaflets and posters in your local area.    
• To place posters in areas where older people may see them like doctor’s surgeries, churches, shops etc.    
• To deliver leaflets to sheltered housing complexes.   
• To report back to Food Train Connects team and complete any documentation required.

Skills & Experience Required

• Good local knowledge.  
• Ability to travel around local area.

• Flexible to suit  
• On-going role

Role Description

• Identify ways of raising funds and take action to secure funding  
• Establish relationships with local organisations, businesses, schools and colleges 
• Attract new sponsors/donors 
• Promote Food Train using local press, radio and other forms of media 
• To help organise fundraising events

Skills & Experience Required

• Past experience of fundraising and marketing would be advantageous but is not essential. 
• Enjoy partnership and development work. 
• Good organisational and computer skills. 
• Good verbal communication and written skills with the ability to work on your own using initiative.