As a volunteer handing out food at the Works of Mercy Food Pantry in Temecula, you’ll be on the front lines of service, directly connecting with individuals and families in need. Your role includes setting up the distribution area, organizing food items, greeting clients with kindness, and ensuring that they receive the appropriate amount of food based on household size. You’ll offer more than just groceries—you’ll provide a warm smile, a listening ear, and a sense of dignity to those we serve, helping create a welcoming and respectful environment for all.

As a volunteer delivery driver, you will serve as a vital link in God's providence by collecting the food that sustains our pantry and feeds our local families. Driving your own pickup truck or large SUV, you will visit local grocery stores to pick up food donations and maintain friendly, warm relations with our retail partners. By carefully operating under Feeding America guidelines, you ensure that rescued food is transported safely and efficiently, turning your time behind the wheel into a beautiful ministry of stewardship and community blessing.

After our drivers pick up food donations from local supermarkets, the items are brought back to the pantry for careful sorting. Volunteers inspect and organize donations, which include milk, eggs, bread, pasta, canned goods, fresh produce, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, deli items, and frozen foods. Usable food is promptly stored in our commercial refrigerators and freezers to ensure it stays fresh until it is distributed to families on Mondays and Fridays. Any food that is expired or unsuitable for distribution is not wasted — instead, we work with local farmers to repurpose it for agricultural use, supporting sustainability and making sure that every donation serves a purpose.

As a volunteer delivering food to the needy with Works of Mercy,  you’ll help bring essential support directly to the doorsteps of individuals and families who are unable to visit the pantry themselves. Your duties may include picking up pre-packed food boxes, organizing delivery routes, and safely transporting the items to each household. Along the way, you'll offer a friendly smile and a moment of human connection—reminding those in need that they are not alone. Your service ensures that no one is left behind due to age, illness, or lack of transportation.

As a volunteer Call Taker, you will serve as the compassionate first point of contact for individuals in need, offering a calm and caring presence to callers experiencing difficult times. Your core responsibilities include listening with empathy, gathering basic information about their needs, and guiding them toward available services like the food pantry or other community resources. Comprehensive training is provided to help you confidently manage calls, determine basic eligibility, and refer requests to the appropriate person for authorization when callers qualify for specific financial assistance.

As part of our registration team, you are the vital first impression of Christ's love for everyone walking through our doors. Working at the computer stations, your friendly face will welcome neighbors, patiently answer their questions, and gently input their information to register them for food distribution and special programs. More than just entering data, you will hand out informational flyers about upcoming events, serving as a beacon of guidance, hope, and hospitality that sets a beautiful, comforting tone for their entire visit.

If you are a creative go-getter who wants to serve Christ behind the scenes, our fundraising and grant writing team needs your passion and vision. In this vital role, you will help sustain our food pantry by brainstorming fresh ideas to raise money, writing grants, and managing public relations to spread goodwill throughout our community. By sharing your talents to tell our story and secure funding, you will act as a bridge to God's providence, ensuring we have the resources needed to continue bringing hope and nourishment to local families.