Join our Team Volunteer Program and make a difference in your community! This is an opportunity for your team to gain a deeper understanding of poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity in Toronto and, most importantly, to be a part of the vital community work that helps people rebuild their lives.
We offer interactive, enriching, and unique team-building and employee engagement opportunities for small and large groups.
Looking for individual volunteer opportunities? Click here and look for any position that starts with Volunteer.
Click here to download our volunteer booklet that provides an overview of both in-person team volunteer activities as well as drives your group can do at your location.
On-Site Team Volunteer Opportunities:
We highlight below several team-building volunteer opportunities that we are recruiting for at the moment. The details for the event include the location, donation amount required (depending on group size), and the volunteer activity outline.
Weekend Food Security – Prepare and assemble 200+ bagged lunches. These food kits ensure that the residents in transitional and affordable housing have access to healthy food on the weekends. Learn about Fred Victor’s housing programs and how we are tackling food insecurity. This event is available on Fridays for groups of 5 to 20 people.
Shelter Services Meal Prep – See firsthand how Friends Catering feeds those in our programs across the city while lending a hand. Volunteers will help prep meals that can be easily frozen alongside our Friends Catering team. Your participation allows for tasks to be completed more quickly AND provides your team a chance to learn more about issues surrounding food insecurity. This event is available Monday – Friday afternoons from January through April.
Community Care Kits – The day-to-day can be difficult for people living on fixed and low incomes. Your team can help by preparing 50+ kits for Fred Victor clients. The kit contents will vary depending on the time of year that your volunteer event occurs in, in order to provide our front-line staff with items that clients currently need.
Community Garden Growers – Depending on the time of year, you will help prepare garden beds with soil and compost, measure plots, plant seeds, weed, water, harvest or clean up garden areas – at our community gardens in Regent Park. Connect and chat with local community gardeners. This event is available from mid-April to the end of June or September to mid-October (Tuesdays or Thursdays preferred) for 6 to 20 people.
Off-Site Team Volunteer Opportunities:
Gathering much-needed items for one of our locations is a great way to show our clients that others in the community care about them. To raise awareness we encourage you to start your drive off with a short presentation (virtual preferred) about Fred Victor and which of our sites/programs will benefit from the items your team collects.
Underwear Drive – Fred Victor has many different sites that support individuals who are homeless and experiencing deep poverty. We receive many clothing donations but we always need new underwear, incontinence items, and socks. By holding an underwear drive you could help us fill this great need.
Hygiene Items Drive – Fred Victor has many different sites that support individuals who are homeless and experiencing deep poverty. We are always in need of hygiene items. By holding a hygiene item drive you could help us fill this need. Your team will be provided with a full list of needed items to help direct your drive.
Household Cleaning Kits – When our clients are moving into a new home they are usually struggling to cover their basic expenses, without funds to purchase cleaning supplies to maintain their new home. Being able to keep one’s home clean is important for one’s mental health, and demonstrates that you are a responsible renter. Help us welcome clients into a new space by providing these items!
Home Starter Kits – Many of our Transitional Housing programs have clients moving into permanent housing every month. It costs a lot to move and set up a new home so we try to supply each client with some of the basics to help. Your team will purchase, assemble and deliver Home Starter Kit to the location.
Testimonials
“The staff at Fred Victor helped us put together a plan to revitalize the community backyard at one of their sites. The yard was overgrown with weeds and the lawn chairs had worn out at the seats. By the end of the day, we shared our progress with the tenants by inviting them to have a picnic with burgers made on a brand new barbecue.” InFlow Inventory Team Building Day at the Dawes Rd. Family Housing
“It was a great experience hosting a brunch at Fred Victor with our GE Capital Team. We learned so much about working in a kitchen, met some wonderful people and learned first-hand about the work they do to help the homeless community. I would recommend volunteering in the Restaurant to other groups wanting to make a difference!” GE Captial Team Building Day at Friends Restaurant
Check out what team building day at Fred Victor is like: