There are two donation opportunities every month, and we intentionally avoid consecutive donation weekends; we all like a break. The schedule can vary from month to month due to holidays. Our Community Loaves calendar is set for the entire year, making it easier for our volunteers to plan their baking.
There is no minimum donation requirement. However, our food bank partners can use all the bread and energy cookies we can donate, and demand consistently exceeds supply. Some volunteers have never missed a donation, but more commonly, our volunteer bakers develop a routine that fits into their busy schedules. Regardless of your baking rhythm, you can be confident that when you can find the time to bake, your donation will be cherished by the food bank clients.
A special note: all our formulas freeze beautifully, making planning ahead easy! Heading out of town or facing a busy weekend, you can bake your donation ahead of time, package it, and freeze it for later use. On donation Sunday, take them out of the freezer and drop them off at your neighborhood hub. Alternatively, you can make an early donation by taking them to a local freezer bank.
The amount of time donated depends on what you choose to bake. Our easiest bread formula, the Satisfying Whole Wheat Loaf, typically takes 4 hours, start to finish. Our Energy Cookies take about 3 hours, start to finish.
Volunteer Behind the Scenes
Not all our volunteers are bakers! Some dedicate their time to helping this non-profit thrive by packing supplies, assisting with administrative work, and providing volunteer support and service. A host of roles and responsibilities behind the scenes exist that allow us to bake a difference for our food bank partners. If you love what our organization is doing and would like to be involved, but don’t have the time or the interest in turning on your oven, let’s see if we have an opportunity available that might be a better match. Learn more here!