Pantry Volunteer (Ref: PAV-251)

Are you a proactive, efficient and compassionate individual who is looking to make a difference? 

If so, St Giles Trust is looking for a Pantry Volunteer to work at its Leeds Pantry, where you will play a key role in providing vital support to individuals and families on low incomes across the city through a membership scheme.

This is to purchase surplus food at heavily subsidised prices and, in turn, help tackle food poverty, poor diet, overcome health inequalities and linking in clients to other support services.

About St Giles Trust

An ambitious, well-established charity that helps people facing adversity to find jobs, homes and the right support they need.  Central to our ethos is our belief that people with first-hand experience of successfully overcoming issues such as an offending background, homelessness, addictions and gang involvement, hold the key to positive change in others.

About this key volunteering role

As our Pantry Volunteer, you will help with specific Pantry needs such as stock rotation, making coffees, speaking to clients, and making them feel comfortable within The Pantry. 

You will carry out and comply with all health and safety procedures and policies, ensure all labelling of food items are correctly displayed and ensure any items are within the correct date for display.

You will be responsible for volunteering at the Pantry and providing support around deliveries and collection.

The Pantry is a Social Supermarket which will support clients to access affordable and healthy food each week (for a maximum of six months).

The Pantry offers both a responsive solution and a sustainable route out of poverty, ensuring people can access healthy food whilst getting the support they need. The Pantry is designed to look and feel like a regular shop but provides food at an affordable cost of just £3.50 per week.

What we are looking for

• Supporting the daily running and operation of the Pantry.
• Supporting the Pantry coordinator ensuring the shop is well-stocked, clean and presentable.
• To carry out and comply with all health and safety procedures and policies, including food safety and manual handling.
• To ensure all food items are correctly labelled and within the given use-by date.
• Positively supporting members and maintaining confidentiality at all times.
• To assist customers to choose their shopping items and to complete simple forms.
• On occasion, offering meal planning advice along with recipes and food shopping tips.  
• Helping to unload deliveries and ensuring food is correctly stored.
• Ensuring the Pantry always has a welcoming and dignified experience for all members.

Please note this role requires that successful candidates must undergo an Enhanced DBS check, on the basis that the post involves contact with vulnerable participants and colleagues.

In return, you can expect a competitive salary, generous leave allowance, staff pension, flexible working, a mentoring programme, an advice and counselling service, clinical therapist sessions, life insurance (4 x annual salary), duvet days, season ticket loan, employee perks programme, eye care voucher and much more.

We are an equity and inclusion confident employer. We welcome all applications and we particularly encourage applications from people of the global majority (black, brown, multi-heritage) and those who identify as disabled, neuro-expansive, neuro-diverse, with any protected characteristics and/or social barriers or challenges. We value the empowering and informative impact that all lived experiences and diversity of thought can offer the organisation.

St Giles will guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria set out in the Role Description for the vacancy.