Our only currently-available position is Dinner Volunteer. This role involves committing to a day at least 48 hours in advance, preparing 20-30 servings of food in your own kitchen, bringing the food to Sam Duff Memorial Park at 6:00 on your chosen day, and distributing dinner for 30 minutes or until supplies run out. This can be a solo or group activity, but all active participants must be active Knox Needs volunteers.

NOTE: On November 1, 2024, the time will be temporarily changing to 4-4:30 to account for early sunsets and time change.

Each volunteer opportunity represents a commitment to prepare 30+ servings of food, drive to Sam Duff Park, distribute food for 30 minutes, pack up any remaining food/trash, and leave the distribution site as good or better than you found it. You are making a promise to those who depend on us to show up on time on the date you sign up for, and to provide a meal with dignity and respect.

If it is your first time volunteering, you can only sign up for one date. This is to ensure that this volunteer opportunity is a good fit for you before committing to further days. After that, you are free to sign up for as many dates/meals as you'd like!

Yes, absolutely! Every volunteer will receive a thorough training with Q&A opportunities before they take on any solo activities. These training sessions will be conducted via Zoom and can be booked after the volunteer application is complete.

Meals range from sandwiches, to pastas, casseroles, hot dogs, and more. The only requirement is that the food must ready-to-eat upon arrival at the distribution site, with no heating, cooking, or preparation required by those we serve. Alternatives are typically offered for foods with common allergens (such as peanuts), but we cannot guarantee that cross-contamination may not take place. One suggested structure for a dinner is a main dish, a side or sweet, and a drink or cup (which can be filled at the water fountain/bottle refill station we serve by).  If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out!

Knox Needs can sign off on academic-related community service/volunteer needs, such as the requirements for TN Promise scholarships. At this time, we are unable to verify/endorse community service hours mandated by court cases or legal disciplinary actions.

If you have suggestions for another location you'd like to serve at, please reach out at knoxneeds@gmail.com and we can chat about facilitation! Our current focus is creating consistency and scalability in our distribution system at Sam Duff Park, before expanding to other locations. For the sake of consistency, dinners at Sam Duff Park must be served from 6-6:30 pm, with very few exceptions (such as severe weather).

On November 1, dinner time will shift to 4-4:30 to account for earlier sunsets and time change.

Individuals 12+ may sign up as a Knox Needs volunteer and distribute food if accompanied by a parent or guardian. Parent/guardian must also be an active Knox Needs volunteer. For younger kids, consider involving them in preparing food, helping them create a supplies drive, or reach out for more potential hands-on volunteer options.

We understand that volunteering is not accessible for everyone, and there are many ways to help that don't involve hands-on volunteering! Check out the "donate" tab to sign up for a monthly recurring donation on our Patreon (and get yourself some promo codes for free Knox Needs swag!), make a one-time donation via Paypal, or check out our supplies wishlist on Amazon! Another easy and free way to support Knox Needs is to follow us on Instagram and Facebook (@knoxneeds) and spread the word! Word-of-mouth is the best way to help us succeed. Thank you so much!