Volunteering with Hope Clinic Grocery Delivery

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If you were unable to fill out your volunteer paperwork online - be sure to bring your filled out paperwork or ask for a copy when you arrive.

Summary: Delivery packers arrive at Hope two hours before drivers to pack bags of groceries, customize orders to client’s requests, and prepare carts of groceries for drivers when they arrive. We typically have about 40-60 deliveries each Wednesday and Friday.
Drivers receive a delivery route and bags of groceries labeled with client’s names and drive to homes in Washtenaw County to drop off the groceries.

Delivery Packers:

  • Check in – When you arrive for your shift, please  report to Hope’s front lobby to get checked in.  

  • Proceed down to the dining room and wash your hands. A Food Program staff member (likely Emmeline or Emily) will give you the list for the day and any special instructions.

  • Packing bags - The Delivery Captain will help direct you to organize labeled bags for clients in alphabetical order on rows of tables in the dining room and start loading carts with food from the pantry to fill the bags. Special requests are noted on the list and after the basics are filled in, special requests can be added.

  • Hand off bags to drivers – Most of our deliveries are done by Door Dash. As drivers arrive, you will look at their list of assigned clients and help them find the right bags and load them onto carts.

Drivers:

  • Complete driver agreement – For first time drivers, you will need to print and return a completed driver agreement. Hard copies will also be available at Hope. 

  • Send license/insurance information – New drivers will need to send a photo of their driver’s license and insurance to Emmeline, our Food Program Manager. You can email eweinert@thehopeclinic.org; your information will be kept privately on file. 

  • Have a GPS/phone available – At Hope, you will receive a delivery list and route for your shift, with clients’ contact information, address, and delivery notes (review driver agreement for how to safely dispose of this list).   

  • We ask volunteers to provide their own GPS system for locating each client to distribute the bags of groceries, as well as a cell phone to call clients when you arrive. We will provide instructions on how to hide your personal phone number when calling clients to protect your privacy.

  • Pick up groceries from Hope – Plan to arrive at Hope Clinic at your designated time slot.  You will pick up the groceries outside of the building at the dining room door (closest to Harriet St.).

  • Doordash will only deliver within 10 miles of Hope Clinic, so you will be taking any deliveries that are outside that zone - typically 1-2 deliveries (2-6 bags) to west Ann Arbor.

  • Deliver groceries to clients – Once your groceries are loaded into your vehicle, plan your route. We try to put them in a logical order, but depending on where home is for you, this might change your route.

  • When you arrive at a delivery point, call the client to let them know you’re there and ask where the best place is to leave the groceries. If you cannot reach them, wait a few minutes and call again. If you are still unable to reach them, leave a message if possible telling them the time, and if possible, where you left the groceries. If there is no good place to leave them, let them know you were not able to make contact. In this case, please return the groceries to Hope if you are able, or give them to another client on your delivery route.

    • We will provide you ways to protect your personal phone number when calling clients. These instructions will be on your delivery route.

  • Reminder: You may enter a building, but NOT A RESIDENCE. If a delivery client lives in an apartment building, they may buzz you in so that you can leave the groceries outside of their door, but under NO CIRCUMSTANCES may you enter their residence or make physical contact with the client.