Reports to/Department: Under the supervision of the General Curator, reports to Commissary Keeper or other assigned Animal Care staff members.

Position Description: The Brandywine Zoo is looking for interested volunteers to work in our animal commissary. The animal commissary is where our keepers stock and prepare nutritional, balanced diets for our animals. We are hoping to find candidates that are willing to work either Saturdays or Sundays on a regularly scheduled basis.

Volunteer Responsibilities:

  • Prepare diets for animal collection, including cutting produce, weighing items, cutting raw meat and frozen prey items, cooking vegetables and eggs, and other items as instructed.
  • Restocking items as needed, including 50 pound feed bags, boxes of canned goods.
  • Cleaning commissary including wiping walk in refrigerator/freezers, counters, floors, shelves, and other tasks as assigned.
  • Cleaning all dishes, buckets, utensils.
  • Organizing all outgoing diets and delivering to animal areas for animal keepers to distribute.
  • Preparing food related enrichment for animal collection, i.e. stuffing pinecones with food, making blood balls, making fruit popsicles, stuffing bamboo cane with food, etc.
  • Performing assigned Zoo Commissary tours and presentations. This includes engaging zoo visitors in an informational presentation at scheduled times.

This Opportunity is GOOD for People Who:

  • Enjoy food preparation and practice clean kitchen habits.
  • Like to accurately follow recipes.
  • Like sharing their learned knowledge with people of all ages.
  • Enjoy public speaking and teaching others in small to large groups.

Volunteer Requirements:

  • 18 years of age or older.
  • Able to lift 25 to 50 pound bags with little to no assistance.
  • Willing to work with knives, microwave, cleaning solutions.
  • Willing to work with a variety of animals products, including but not limited to: raw meat, live feeder insects, frozen prey food items (mice, rats, chickens etc.)

Training: The training that will be required for this position will take approximately 4 days working with our commissary keeper. Training days will be scheduled Monday through Friday only.

Required Time Commitment: Minimum of 1 shift a week.

Shift Times: 8:30am – 11:30am and/or 12:30pm – 3:30pm.

Scheduling: Based on availability and agreed upon scheduled with Animal Curator and Animal Care Department.

To Apply: All volunteers must complete the DE State Parks Volunteer Application. Volunteers must also complete and pass a background check administered by DE State Parks. For more information, please visit www.destateparks.com/volunteers.

Questions: Email us at Education@BrandywineZoo.org.