Becoming a Volunteer 

We run two community projects that rely on volunteers:
Food Rescue - A fixed team of volunteers who collect and distribute surplus food every Friday.
​We recruit new volunteers approximately twice per year.
Clothes Swap & Repair Sunday - Drop-in volunteers welcome every 1st and 3rd Sunday (March–November) to help with mending and sewing machine support. No commitment required - just show up when you can.​

Food Rescue Volunteer 

Every Friday, volunteers collect surplus food from local businesses and distribute it to the community at our Friday evening market.
Team structure: Fixed volunteer team with scheduled shifts
Roles:
  • Morning Pickup (Friday 08:30–11:30) - Cycle to local shops to collect food
  • Evening Distribution (Friday 17:00–19:00) - Run the market stand and distribute food to visitors
Commitment
2 shifts per month.
How to Join
Sign up for our upcoming Food Rescue Information Day on Friday 16.10.2026.
Two time slots are available depending on your role preference:
  • Food Rescue Cyclist Volunteer: Slot 1 (11:30–12:30) register and find more details here
  • Food Rescue Market Volunteer: Slot 2 (17:30–18:30) register and find more details here

What our volunteers say 

"I've been volunteering at de kaskantine for almost five years now (longer than any job I have ever had!) Through covid lockdowns, snow ins or extreme heat, it's always remained such a supportive community of volunteers and regulars alike. Betty and Menno have created such an oasis in the nieuwe west and I'd recommend joining to anyone!"
-Finn, volunteering for 5 Years 
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"I've been volunteering with kaskantine for 3 years and it's one of my favourite parts of my life in Amsterdam :) it's been lovely to work with all the volunteers and to meet the people who visit the market and it feels great to be part of something that has a tangible impact"
-Ciara, volunteering for 3 Years 
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"Saving foods is really addictive. Every week it’s a surprise what we’ll be able to pick up and hand out at our market. Cooking with food waste challenges your culinary creativity, that’s an aspect of the project that I love. I really like it to be outdoors, biking trough any kind of weather to do pickups on Friday morning. On top of that, you make other people happy, it’s just too rewarding to stop."
-Saar, Volunteering for 8 Years 
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Clothes Swap & Repair Sunday

Every 1st and 3rd Sunday (March–November), we host a community clothes swap and peer-to-peer repair space.
​Drop-in volunteers welcome!
Roles:
  • Hand Mending Help - Show people how to sew on buttons, fix small rips, patch holes
  • Sewing Machine Support - Help with larger repairs, teach machine basics, troubleshoot issues
What to do: Come to the repair table, work on your own projects, and help others when they need a hand. If you know how to sew on a button, you can help!
When: Every 1st or 3rd Sunday, from 11:00 to 14:00. ​Check the calendar for the upcoming event details.