Current Volunteers
Volunteers Form the Backbone
We are so grateful to have you on board as a Women's Lunch Place volunteer. As you know, volunteers form the backbone of our meals program; without you, we would not be able to prepare and serve the nutritious (and delicious!) meals that our guests need and enjoy.
Volunteering at the WLP can be a rewarding and challenging experience. While you are always more than welcome to refer any questions or concerns to a staff member, we also have a Volunteer Manual available to help guide you through some of these challenges. We hope that the manual will be able to answer some of your questions about the Women's Lunch Place, our guests, or details about volunteering.
We also have a "Day in the Kitchen" resource available for all volunteers. This worksheet is designed to give you a detailed description of our kitchen schedule so that you may have a better idea of what needs to be done at all times. We encourage all volunteers to review it so that you may get the most of your experience with us.
Online Schedule
All kitchen volunteers can sign up for shifts using our Online Schedule. You must be registered to use the schedule; if you've already attended an orientation but did not receive a username and password, please email us to let us know. IMPORTANT: If you are a new volunteer, please email us BEFORE signing up to let us know when you'd like to come in for your first shift. This way, we can assign you a "buddy" for your first day.
If you're having trouble using the Online Schedule, please refer to our User's Guide. If you continue to have problems, feel free to email us.
Volunteers are also welcome to explore opportunities in areas of the shelter outside of the kitchen. We are currently looking for volunteers to help in our Resource Center, where they may provide guests with technical assistance or make referrals for other needed services. Other volunteers can be specifically trained to oversee daily activities in the shelter; they may fill requests for personal care items, or provide guests with emotional support. Volunteers also help in other areas of guest assistance, sorting donations and providing toiletries and clothing to guests, or running classes and activities for guests. Please contact us if you would like more information about any of these opportunities.
Volunteer Appreciation Events
To express our gratitude towards our volunteers and encourage a sense of community, we host two Volunteer Appreciation events each year. The first, held in the spring, is a more formal event where we are able to recognize the invaluable contributions our volunteers make to the Women's Lunch Place. The second, held in the fall, is a more casual social event, where we encourage our volunteers to get to know one another outside of the kitchen.
In addition, we keep volunteers in the loop about Women's Lunch Place happenings via our monthly newsblast, which is emailed out at the beginning of every month. Through our newsblast, we'll keep you informed about staff changes, new policies and procedures, upcoming outings, and other relevant information. If you are not already receiving these newsblasts and wish to do so, please email us.
Volunteers make the kitchen possible.