Senior Meals Portioning & Packing Volunteer 2025

**Due to the nature of our kitchen volunteer opportunities, we need to coordinate with first-time volunteers who have not yet had an orientation in our kitchen space. Orientations take place at the beginning of a new volunteers' first shift. If you are interested, please reach out to caridad@communityfoodbank.org. Please include what shift you would like to volunteer for and that you are a new volunteer at the Caridad Community Kitchen.

Caridad Community Kitchen is looking for volunteers to join our team in portioning & packaging meals for home bound seniors. Volunteers will be trained by experienced volunteers and staff. Shifts take place Monday - Friday starting at 12pm and ending at about 4pm. All tasks are done in a teamwork-based setting and volunteers are generally expected to arrive at 12pm and stay for the entire shift. 

Shift Tasks

• Set up, re-stock supplies, and clean up work area at end of shift
• Portion meals and sides designed specifically for our senior community
• Work in an assembly line on specialized equipment to seal meal trays
• Count, sort, and organize meal items for next-day pickup by partners, as time allows
• Treat all volunteers and staff with dignity and respect, while adhering to Caridad Community Kitchen’s food safety guidelines

Ideal candidate qualifications & Physical expectations

• Fine and gross motor-skills in fingers, hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders as volunteers use kitchen tools to scoop, place, pick-up, and move meal materials
• Comfortable working as part of a team
• Interest & ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Good oral communication skills
• Able to lift between 20-30 pounds
• Able to stand for 4 hours (volunteers take breaks as needed)
• Able to adhere to our kitchen dress code to maintain the safety of our food (see below for dress code)

Dress code

• Long pants that cover the ankles
• Socks that cover the ankles
• Closed-toe shoes
• No tank tops
• **No jewelry or watches may be worn in the kitchen, except for a plain ring and a necklace that is tucked into a shirt. All earrings and facial jewelry must be removed. No exceptions. 
• Hair nets, aprons, and gloves will be provided by our program and need to be worn in the kitchen

Our dress code helps us keep both our volunteers and our food safe! Volunteers will be working directly with food, with our commercial kitchen equipment, walking in and out of our walk-in coolers & freezers, and working in our warehouse space. Long pants, socks that cover the ankle, and closed toe shoes help keep our feet & legs safe from accidents while removing our jewelry and watches ensures that nothing we are wearing makes its way into our food.

We have lockers and locks for storage of any items while volunteers are in our space.  

Guidelines for Volunteer Health & Food Safety

As a kitchen that serves individuals in our community who are at an increased risk for contracting food-borne illnesses, we take health and food safety very seriously.

These Health & Food Safety Guidelines encourage practices and behaviors that can help prevent individuals from spreading illnesses and/or foodborne pathogens to food. Health & food safety is of the highest important to us. Our meals are serving community members who may be experiencing a compromised immune systems and potentially lack regular access to medical care.

Please do not arrive for your shift if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms 24 hours before your shift:

• Sore throat
• Fever
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea

Please do not come to our facility until more than 24 hours have passed since your last symptoms have subsided. Please do not arrive for your volunteer shift. If you are feeling unwell, reach out to our volunteer coordinator by phone or email. And don't worry! While we rely on and love to have our volunteers with us in person, your health and the safety of our food is more important! 

If you have been diagnosed with a contagious disease that can be transferred via food AND you have worked at the Caridad Community Kitchen, please notify our volunteer coordinator as soon as possible. Our highest priority is everyone's safety & we practice respect, trust, and discretion when discussing sensitive information.

Location, Parking, & Contact Information

Caridad Community Kitchen is located at:

Parking: We have a small parking lot located to the south of our building (enter via Main Ave.) and street parking is available on our cross street, 2nd Street. If you are arriving via bike, we have bike-hanging available indoors.

Contact Information: For any questions, please see our contact information on our Caridad Community Kitchen location page! All communications can also be sent to caridad@communityfoodbank.org and phone calls can be directed to our main number at 520-882-5641.