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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY ON SEPTEMBER 11TH
9/11 Day is the nonprofit that founded and leads the National September 11th Day of Service and Remembrance. As we prepare to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11, 50,000 volunteers in 50 cities will come together to pack 20 million meals for people experiencing food insecurity. We are organizing the largest day of service in American history and we need your help!
Event Support Volunteers do not pack individual meals but instead are the support and backbone to the event’s success, helping welcome participants, lead meal-packing teams, keep supplies moving, and ensure the event runs smoothly. Volunteers must be 18+, and all positions are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Event Support Volunteer Opportunities (Assigned as needed)
Table Captains – Lead and energize meal-packing teams
Heavy Lifters / Runners – Keep supplies moving and meal-packing stations stocked
Hospitality & Registration – Welcome, check in, and assist volunteers
Set-Up & Break-Down Crew – Help prepare and reset the event space
Learn more about the event and register for Charleston directly HERE.
Together, let’s honor the 25th anniversary of 9/11 through compassion, unity, and service. We hope you’ll join us for what will be our most meaningful and ambitious year yet.
Event Details
Charleston Meal Pack for 9/11 Day – Set Up Day
Join us in packing 20 million meals for the September 11 National Day of Service & Remembrance (“9/11 Day”)
This email includes everything you’ll need to know. Please read it all the way through. Thank you for registering to participate in our Set Up Day for our 9/11 Day Meal Pack for Charleston on Thursday, September 11, 2026 at the Gaillard Center in Charleston. We are grateful for your willingness to be a part of this nationwide effort (visit 911day.org).
Date/Time: Thursday, September 10, 2026 1-5p
Location: Gaillard Center – Grand Ballroom, 95 Calhoun Street Charleston. Garage and street parking is available, and CARTA use from the Visitors Center and carpooling is suggested.
WHEN TO ARRIVE
Please plan to arrive promptly before our 1 p.m. start. All participants will go through a quick registration/check-in process in the ground floor lobby. You can wear a fanny pack or small bag for phone/keys/light wallet and water bottle but please leave valuables at home or locked in your car. There is no locked storage on site.
HOW TO GET THERE AND WHERE TO PARK
33 Alexander Street Charleston = garage entrance
Located at 95 Calhoun Street, the Gaillard Center’s Grand Ballroom in Charleston (note: the Grand Ballroom is an exhibition hall, adjacent and connected to the Gaillard performing arts venue – different building).
GARAGE: Look for the garage entrance on 33 Alexander Street, with 600 parking spots. You will receive a parking voucher after the event to “chase” your ticket upon exit to cover your parking fees that day for support staff only.
Alternative if full: the nearby Aquarium Garage on 24 Calhoun Street has plenty of parking just a short walk to the Gaillard, but leave time to find parking and make the 10-minute walk. Neither garage takes cash and is card-only. The venue is ADA compliant. For more details on parking and accessibility, click here.
WHERE TO GO ONCE YOU ARRIVE
Once you have parked, proceed out of the garage to the Calhoun Street entrance and you will see the Grand Ballroom in the exhibition hall side, across the lobby from the performing arts side. Once you enter, look for the check-in table and show your registration check-in confirmation on your phone – we will direct you from there.
WHAT TO BRING
- Ticket: Please have your ticket ready for check-in, either printed or accessible on your phone. You can find your ticket in the confirmation email sent by noreply@order.eventbrite.com.
- Bag Restrictions: We discourage volunteers from bringing purses, backpacks and large totes, all of which are subject to search.
- Food & Drink: Food and drinks are not allowed in the meal pack area. You may bring a water bottle.
WHAT TO WEAR
Wear comfortable and casual clothing. Closed-toe shoes are recommended. The facility is air-conditioned but dress comfortably to lift, pack, and move. It is best to leave jewelry and valuables at home. No weapons or firearms of any kind will be permitted. Permanent jewelry and hard-to-remove piercings (such as nose rings or cartilage piercings) are permitted.
WHAT TO EXPECT
After registration, our set up day for Charleston Meal Pack for 9/11 will be fun and energizing experience setting up supplies and ingredients for the next day’s event, when 500 more volunteers will create red lentil jambalaya meals for the Lowcountry Food Bank to distribute to those in need. Supplies and ingredients include setting up tables with table coverings; bins, bags, boxes and laminators to seal the bags, and of course, all the food ingredients at about 50 stations.
TRAINING ZOOM CALLS: OPTIONAL FOR SET UP VOLUNTEERS
We will hold two Support Staff Zoom calls to give you an overview of the day and your role. You may attend either call; this is an optional 30-minute introduction, and we highly recommend that you do.
Links:
TUESDAY 9/8 11AM: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8077427872?pwd=nukMHxxZFkvzZ5drt5LDA1h0xbUcp8.1&omn=84578346476
WEDNESDAY 9/9 6PM: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8077427872?pwd=nukMHxxZFkvzZ5drt5LDA1h0xbUcp8.1&omn=83794795416
Video of meal pack operations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnJxFG4E4jw
THANK YOU again for your willingness to serve as part of this important effort. With your help, we will provide much needed support to food-insecure families in the Lowcountry.
See you Friday, September 11th!
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Photo Credit: Matt Stone/Boston Herald
