As part of the national charity FareShare UK, we re-distribute tonnes of donated surplus (over-stocked) food a month to charities and community-benefit initiatives across Greater Manchester. This means we are saving and reallocating good quality food which would otherwise go to waste in landfill, where its emissions would contribute to global warming and climate change. In doing this, we simultaneously tackle food insecurity, waste, pollution and environmental damage. 
It’s an operation that we want to expand, and is why we need your driving experience and delivery skills to support our growing operation, especially in these current times of increased need. 

As a volunteer Delivery Driver at FareShare, you will be driving a temperature-controlled 3.5 tonnes Mercedes Sprinter van, and working closely with a Driver’s Assistant to deliver food orders to the premises of a wide range of FareShare’s Community Food Members. You will also be involved with loading the vehicle and carrying out a variety of tasks, from basic vehicle checks to administrative paperwork.

The required skills and attributes for this role are that you:

• Must be aged 21 or over, with a full, clean driver's licence; (experience driving a van is desirable though not essential).
• Must have held a driving licence for at least 12 months.
• Must not be disqualified or have more than 3 points on your licence.
• Should be physically fit to take on moving and handling of food orders.
• Possess the ability to follow procedures and instructions.
• Have good verbal communication skills.
• Have a high respect for the standards of Health & Safety.
• Must be reliable and have the ability to commit to pre-agreed volunteer shifts.
• Have an interest in the work of FareShare Greater Manchester and our values.

 FareShare offers our volunteers:

• Career and CV advice and support.
• A reference for future employers.
• Reimbursement of expenses.
  We reimburse travel expenses up to £6 for car drivers, and up to £5 for public transport costs.
  Up to £3 is given towards the cost of lunch if a volunteer has special dietary requirements. 
  (We provide lunch for our volunteers, so will contribute towards the cost of a volunteer's meal, should they bring their own, if what we are offering in the canteen isn't considered suitable; for example, a diet that's restricted for reasons of health, religion, ethics or personal choice).
• The opportunity to give practical help to fight food poverty and reduce food waste (and associated CO2 emissions).
• The opportunity to meet like-minded people and make new friends.

 Our operating hours are Monday - Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm. 
Within these hours, the Driver shifts are 9am to 1pm or 12pm to 4pm.

We welcome volunteers who can commit to a minimum of a 4 hour shift, one day a week. 
The days and rota hours of volunteering are agreed around your availability.

IMPORTANT NOTE: UNFORTUNATELY, FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS, WE ARE NOT ABLE TO SPONSOR OVERSEAS APPLICANTS FOR UK VISAS. ALL OUR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ARE THEREFORE RESTRICTED TO UK RESIDENTS ONLY. 
PLEASE DO NOT APPLY IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE THE UK AS YOU WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR ANY OF OUR ROLES.

Skills / qualities associated with the role: Customer Service, Oral Communication Skills, Practical Skills, Team Working, Written Communication Skills.

Location: Maynard House, New Smithfield Market, Openshaw, M112JW

Getting to us:

We are just a 15 minute bus ride from Manchester Piccadilly, with our brand new base, Maynard House, located on New Smithfield Market, which is only a few yards off a main route into the city: Ashton Old Road. The market can easily be reached on a number of bus services, with the 219 being the most frequent. There are bus stops on both sides of Ashton Old Road, very close to the entrance to the market: (the WESTLAKE STREET stop, if you are heading out of the city centre towards Ashton under Lyne, and the GREENSIDE STREET stop being the closest if you are travelling towards Manchester Piccadilly). From Ashton Old Road, turn onto Whitworth Street East, and go through the market entrance barriers, then turn left and proceed to our base, which is on the left hand side. For cyclists, we have secure bike storage at our base, as well as free onsite parking within the market for those arriving by car.
If you are using a sat nav to get to us, please note that the gate on Whitworth Street East is the only point of entry to the market site, although some navigation systems may say something different.

We welcome any amount of time you can offer us, but we do ask for a minimum commitment of 4 hours a week in order to cover our standard shifts. The shift you take part in is assigned according to what suits you best.