Motivations for volunteers in food rescue nutrition

- Food rescue nutrition is the process of redistribution of surplus food to low-income populations.
- The Motivations to Volunteer Scale is a valid tool to assess why individuals volunteer in food rescue nutrition.
- The extent of motivations of participants was relatively high.
- Major reasons for volunteerism included requirement, career improvement, social life, and altruism.

ObjectiveA variety of organizations redistribute surplus food to low-income populations through food rescue nutrition. Why volunteers participate in these charitable organizations is unclear. The aim of this study is to document the participation and motivations of volunteers who are involved specifically in food rescue nutrition.Study designA cross-sectional study was conducted in two phases.MethodsIn phase 1, a new instrument, Motivations to Volunteer Scale, was developed and validated in 40 participants (aged ≥18 years). In phase 2, the new scale and a demographics questionnaire were administered to 300 participants who were volunteering in food pantries and churches.ResultsThe pilot study showed that Motivations to Volunteer Scale exhibited an internal consistency of Cronbach's α of 0.73 (P < 0.01), and a reliability from a test-retest of times 1 and 2 was r = 0.9 (P < 0.05); paired t-test was insignificant (P > 0.05). The scale was validated also by comparison to the Volunteer Function Inventory (r = 0.86, P < 0.05). The constructs of the newly developed Motivations to Volunteer Scale were requirement, career improvement, social life, and altruism. The mean motivation score of the 300 volunteers was 9.15 ± 0.17. Greater motivations were observed among participants who were aged >45 years, women, Hispanics, college/university graduates, physically inactive, non-smokers, and had an income ≥ $48,000.ConclusionsThe Motivations to Volunteer Scale is a valid tool to assess why individuals volunteer in food rescue nutrition. The extent of motivations of participants was relatively high, and the primary reason for volunteering was altruism. Health professionals should be encouraged to participate in food redistribution.