Volunteers are crucial to all operations of the Open Table food pantry, whether in traditional roles or using special skills to support with administrative functions or special projects.

Open Table food pantry needs your time and talent. Volunteers are vital to our mission of ensuring that no one in our service area goes hungry. We cannot do this without you!

Yes, we are OPEN and need volunteers!

For the health and safety of all our volunteers, clients, and staff, in-person volunteers during this time of COVID, we ask our volunteers to limit their shifts to one consistent in-house shift per week.  Volunteers must wear face masks at all times and wash hands upon arrival at Open Table regardless of vaccine status.  Please maintain 6ft separation while volunteering at Open Table and stay home if you are feeling sick.

Based on our needs and your availability, you will be assigned to a team and remain on that team throughout the duration of the COVID-19 crisis. While we greatly appreciate your willingness to volunteer more often. From a public health point of view, it is safer for Open Table’s community (guests, volunteers and staff) for everyone involved to limit exposure to one another. It takes 180 volunteers per week to run Open Table, and if all were exposed to COVID19 on site – we would not be able to run our program.

We encourage our volunteers to schedule themselves for shifts as soon as they know their availability for the month with Volunteer Gopher, our volunteer management database. We also encourage you to remove yourself from the schedule as soon as you know you will not be able to make a shift. If you availability changes, please let us know and we will do our best to put you on another shift.

Every week 180 volunteers work together to run our Pantry and Meals programs. Regular 2-hour shifts take place at our 33 Main Street location.  M-Thu 9:00 AM-6:30 PM. We also have many behind the scenes opportunities – fundraising, event planning, administrative support, transportation and board membership. Please be sure to indicate on your application your availability and interests. It takes a village to run Open Table.

If you are not available when we are open, we encourage you to consider helping us with our special events or projects. Volunteers are often able to help in this capacity with much more flexibility. The skill sets we are always looking for include: grant writing, public relations, marketing, event planning, board development, fundraising, community outreach, and knowledge of multiple languages.

Our wonderful main facility is located right in the heart of downtown Maynard. Although there is on-street and lot parking directly around the building, we are requesting that volunteers who are spending more than an hour at the facility please park in the River Street Municipal lot (parking fees are waived for Open Table) just a short walk away. This will allow downtown parking to remain available for visitors and patrons of the stores and restaurants in our community. Thank you!

Parking Directions for Volunteers

• From Route 62 westbound (Waltham Street), continue onto Summer Street.
• Take a left on Nason Street
• Take a left on Main Street (Route 62 eastbound).
• Take a right on River Street directly across from Open Table and follow the road as it curves toward the end of the street.
• Look for Open Table sign on telephone pole in front of the parking lot on the left. Permits are waived for Open Table. DO NOT PARK across the street – you WILL BE TOWED.
• The lot is a 3-minute walk from the corner of River and Main to our facility at 33-37 Main Street. Walk to Open Table via River Street for the quickest route.