Food Rescue Helper
Coordinator | Sara
Coordinator | Sara
Book with Flex Option!
Choose new departure dates or change to a different volunteer program at no extra costs.
Highlights
Volunteer to have a meaningful social impact that really matters
Discover Lisbon and its beautiful nature including the beach or the rather mountainous regions
Improve the lives of thousands in need by providing them with food
Get the chance to partake in Portuguese language lessons and share daily life with locals
Contribute actively to fight the food waste in Portugal
Volunteer in Lisbon to fight food waste and feed 3000 families who need support. Discover Portugal while traveling like a local and create a REAL positive social impact.
This volunteer program is especially suitable for:
Age 16+
Singles
Couples
Families
Groups
50+
Wheel Chairs
In this program, you will actively contribute to Fight Food Waste and Hunger in a structured system that feeds over 3000 people every day. You will help the local teams collecting, organizing and distributing the food excess from restaurants and cafés to fight food waste in the city.
Volunteers will support a network of centers that recover food, in good conditions, from local restaurants, supermarkets, and cafés and re-distribute it among families, elderly and homeless people in need.
Volunteers can be working across the centers in Lisbon and their tasks will include:
- Collecting the food from local providers;
- Assisting with packaging it;
- Assisting with the sorting and storage of any food left for the next day;
- Distributing it to the families;
- Clean up at the end of the shift.
Impact
1 million tons of food are wasted every year in Portugal. This means that over 2000kgs of perfectly good food goes to waste every day, which is basically 30% of all the food we consume. This is a shocking figure as it would be enough to feed the 500 homeless of Lisbon, the 9000 institutionalized children around the country, or the 28 thousand isolated elders of the countryside.
We have partnered with several institutions which aim at breaking this cycle and recover food from restaurants, supermarkets, and cafes, and distribute it among families who need it.
Typical day
A Typical day would be:
After the initial orientation, you will have an afternoon or evening shift at your placement and will work for approximately 3 to 5 hours per day. Please note that start times and daily workload depends on the project that you are participating in. A typical morning schedule is as follows:
08:00 | Breakfast begins at Impact house, available until 10 am
10:15 | Travel to placement to join local placement staff and begin work on your project (if morning shift)
13:00 | Lunch is served at the accommodation or at your accommodation or take-away if you want to go somewhere else
14:30 | Enjoy your free afternoon as you wish or to attend Portuguese languages lessons
19:00 | Dinner at the volunteers' accommodation with the other volunteers. After dinner, you will have the remainder of the evening free to relax and use as you wish
Please note that the actual schedule can change according to the shifts volunteers participate in. There are a 10.30am, a 6 pm and an 8 pm shift.
Free-time activities
Lisbon is near the beach, near the mountain and is a great starting point to get to travel the rest of the country.
Enjoy climbing in Arrábida, festivals all around the summer, diving in Peniche, Hiking in Monsanto, visit some of the best museums in Europe in Lisbon and Porto, join for a Horse ride at the beach (like in the movies!), visit the fantastic zoo in the Capital, join a great variety of sports at your choice, enjoy swimming and water sports at the pool or at the beach (warning: the water is cold) and participate in yoga classes in relaxing places.
We can help you with anything you might want to do in your free time.
Water Sports
Swimming
Concert/
Music
Music
Sightseeing
Diving/
Snorkling
Snorkling
Shopping/
Souvenirs
Souvenirs
Climbing
Safari/
Zoo
Zoo
Hiking
Museum/
Opera
Opera
Sports
Riding
Yoga/
Meditation
Meditation
Requirements
In order to join the program you need to be at least 16 years old on the program start date.
You need to speak English (basic level)
No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.
Your helping hand will be required on
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
from
09:30
- 14:30
What's Included
Includes:
- Accommodation at a dormitory at a sustainable hostel in the city center (Private rooms with shared bathroom are also available)
- Three meals a day, every day: breakfast, lunch, dinner cooked by a Portuguese cook (Vegetarian, gluten-free and meals for lactose-intolerant are also available upon request.)
- Pick-up at the airport and transfer to the accommodation (At any time)
- Guided city tour (2 hours)
- Placement coordination with each non-profit
- Materials for the volunteer activities
- Impact measurement
- SIM card
- Support 24/7 365 days a year at anytime
- Insurance Limited coverage
The ImpacTrip team will be at the airport waiting for you with a big sign and a smile on their face! :)
Impact House has the capacity to accommodate up to 44 conscious travelers who want to visit Lisbon in a different way. With both dormitories and private rooms, any traveler can choose to have a more responsible stay in Portugal.
There are various common areas such as dining room, living room, fully-equipped kitchen, a big terrace and garden to relax and participate in our interesting events calendar, as well as a swimming pool and coffee/bar. We have free Yoga classes three times a week!
Located in the Restelo neighborhood, Impact House is just 20 minutes away from the Tejo river, and 30min by bus from the city center. You can easily visit some historical and emblematic places of Lisbon, the stunning Torre de Belém and its garden, Cultural Center (CCB) with amazing art, expositions and concerts, Mosteiro Dos Jerónimos, as well as local shops, traditional restaurants, supermarkets, ATMs and most utilities you will need very close. The Hostel is surrounded by several connecting options to the city center, such as buses (30 minutes away from the center), and the Belém train station that leads you to Lisbon or Cascais (25 walking distance from the hostel). The airport is just 13 km away.
But what is really unique about us is our sustainability concept.
We developed innovative projects based on circular economy and in partnership with local non-profit partners. These projects are integrated into the very basis of the way the hostel works. Some examples are the compensation of 100% of its CO2 emissions; the upcycling and wooden waste usage as furniture of the room; the social and sustainable shop; the ecologic and biodegradable cleaning projects; the art gallery for disabled and changemaker artists; the vegetables garden; the buying in bulk policy or the almost closed food and waste cycles.
And you can also be part of it! Donate something, volunteer your time, learn new skills on our zero waste workshops, compensate your flight emissions, bike to transform plastic into new products among many other opportunities!
All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) are included on the program fees. The meals are prepared daily by a Portuguese cook lady (Impact mum) who uses fresh local ingredients to offer volunteers the best of typical Portuguese cuisine.
Good access at the project site
Visa, flights, travel insurance or vaccinations are NOT included in the program fees.
The nearest airport is Lisbon Portela Airport (LIS) in Lisbon. We assist you to find cheap flights to Portugal.
Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Portugal provides security and is a plus to have.
If you are intending to volunteer in Portugal you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Portugal.
Dates & Fees
NO CREDIT CARD FEES
Details on arrival
This program starts every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
1 - 12 weeks
Program fees
1 week
(min. stay)
$795
2 weeks
$1,045
3 weeks
$1,295
4 weeks
$1,545
5 weeks
$1,795
6 weeks
$2,045
7 weeks
$2,295
8 weeks
$2,545
9 weeks
$2,795
10 weeks
$3,045
11 weeks
$3,295
12 weeks
(max. stay)
$3,545
Average fees
$545
/week
Please note that the above shown program fees are estimated.
ImpacTrip
will let you know about the final price during your application process.
The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.
Your final payment will be agreed with ImpacTrip during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.
Why book with Volunteer World
Volunteer World is the world's leading comparison platform for international volunteer opportunities. We guide you through a safe and easy
application process
- including all necessary payments. Planning your next meaningful trip with Volunteer World gives you free access to our:
Quality Assurance
High ethical standards & transparent social impact
Flex Option
Change your reservation at no extra costs
Refund Guarantee
We refund your fees if ImpacTrip cancels your trip
Support & Mediation
We cover your back no matter what happens
Our services are free of charge!
All program fees are charged directly by ImpacTrip.
What are people saying about Volunteer World?
Food Rescue Helper
Volunteer in Lisbon to fight food waste and feed 3000 families who need support. Discover Portugal while traveling like a local and create a REAL positive social impact.
$545/week
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