Volunteers make La Soupe happen.

Volunteers are a vital part of La Soupe's mission to Rescue, Transform, and Share. Every time you volunteer, you will leave knowing that you have helped to provide 15,500 servings per week for our neighbors living in food insecurity. Since 2016, over 200 active volunteers contributed 9,270+ hours of service to La Soupe.  We need volunteers every day to help keep our 81 share agencies fed. 

For Food Runner volunteer opportunities, we use Food Rescue US. You will pick up surplus food from our Food Donors (grocers, restaurants, etc.) and deliver it to La Soupe. Or, if you pick up from La Soupe, you will deliver to our receiving agencies. Typically, this will take an hour of your time. 

For Kitchen help, we use a system called Duplie to schedule and self-manage volunteer kitchen shifts. You can come to La Soupe and help in various ways: sorting, cleaning, storing produce, chopping, and light food prep. 

For Culinary Education help, we offer a variety of classes to students with varying schedules throughout the week. These classes need volunteers to run smoothly and on time.  On Saturdays, we are in need of Teaching Assistants and Prep Chefs for certain classes (not all). These positions will require a special training session and a self-funded background check.

If you are interested in any of the volunteer opportunities listed above, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Ali Ulanski, at alison@lasoupe.org. When contacting Ali, please indicate which avenue of volunteer work you would like to pursue.

• How do I sign up to be a food runner?

  Register to become a food runner with Food Rescue US application. Once you have done this, simply choose a run that works for you!

• How do I know if my car is large enough for the run I sign up for?

  Each run is assigned a Rescue Size under run details. Use the chart below for guidance

• What time do I get to La Soupe or to grocer?

  The time listed in Pickup Window is the time to arrive for your pickup from a grocer or to La Soupe for your delivery to an agency.

• How do I close my run?

  Log on on to Food Rescue US and from your home page, click on “view open runs” from the top. Complete the information and click on “Post Details and Close Run” at the bottom of the screen.

• What does “adopt” a run mean?

  If you can commit to a particular run each week, adopt it so that you don’t have to keep signing up for it. If you can’t make a particular run, modify your schedule to cancel that occurrence.

• What if I can’t make my driving run?

  Log on to Food Rescue US and “un - claim” your run. If you have adopted the run, un - claim that occurrence. You must close all of your completed runs before you can modify your schedule.

• What if I’m having probIems navigating the Food Rescue US application?

  Please email Ali, at alison@lasoupe.org

How do I sign up to help in the La Soupe kitchen?

Please contact our volunteer coordinator, Ali, at alison@lasoupe.org.

How do I sign up to help with Culinary Education?

Any interest in helping our Culinary Education team can also be scheduled by reaching out to Ali at alison@lasoupe.org. This goes for volunteering for our Cincinnati Gives a Crock program, Cooking Improv Classes, and other classes.

• Do I have to schedule a time to volunteer or can I just stop by when I’m free?

  All in house volunteers are required to sign up for a shift - M-F from either 9 - 12 or 1 - 3. For driving runs a specific time will be given.

• How old do I have to be to volunteer?

  At this time no one under 18 unsupervised is permitted in the kitchen.

• What should I wear to volunteer in the kitchen?

  Your feet must be covered and your hair restrained. Please wear closed-toed shoes and have a means of restraining your hair: hat, ponytail, or hair net are all good options.

• Can I complete service hours mandated by a school, church, youth group, etc. at La Soupe?

  You can complete service hours by claiming driving runs or signing up for an in-house shift.