Group Leader Handbook

This document is intended to give to Group Leaders to pass on to their group members however this applies to all volunteers.

Plan to take ownership of the meal, from menu planning to cleanup.

• Shop for recipe items needed for your meal, or use soup kitchen supplies (if what you require is available).
• Communicate with the office staff to coordinate menus to be sure we don’t serve the same meal twice in one week.
• Provide enough manpower for the entire duration of the process (3:00 to 6:00 pm).
• Sign-in clipboard holds the list of deliveries; a map is available. Deliveries are started between 4:30 and 5:00pm.

General Safety Information

• Volunteers must be 12 years old. Cooks must be 18 years old and dishwashers must be 16 years old.
• Fire extinguisher is in kitchen on wall to the left of the pass through counter.
• First-aid supplies are kept on a shelf in the back of the supply closet where pots and pans are stored. Hands must be washed prior to food preparation and table setting. Servers must also wash hands before serving food. Plastic gloves are optional while serving and clearing tables for personal safety.

Setup Procedure

• Set up dining room for 56 seats and setting the table for a restaurant-style meal.
• Each place should be set with a knife, fork, spoon, napkin, and cold drink cup.
• Each table should have 8 chairs, salt & pepper, breadbasket, and appropriate condiments.

Serving Procedure

• Use plastic gloves for handling all ready-to-eat foods at all times.
• Dining room is opened by staff member at 4:15pm. As guests choose seats, cold drinks are served at the tables, by volunteers. Hot drinks are self-serve only.
• Before serving, prepare delivered meals (see list on clipboard).
• At 4:30, group member, staff member or guest leads a prayer of thanks. The meal is served restaurant-style, immediately afterward. Plates are prepared in kitchen and handed to servers through the pass-through window. Servers deliver meals to seated guests.
• Use clean plates when serving additional portions to seated guests.
• Unless authorized by a staff member, meals and/or leftovers are not allowed to be taken home.

Cleanup Procedure

• Clear off tables. Wash all dishes and utensils taken from occupied tables. Any food taken off occupied tables is thrown out, except for condiments served from original bottles and jars.
• Wipe down tables and chairs with water and soap solution first, then with sanitizer solution. Fold chairs and stack on top of tables.
• If your group mans the kitchen on Fridays, we clean in order to leave the facilities ready for church use on the weekend.
• Wipe down all food preparation surfaces, including counters and stove surfaces.
• Wash all dishes and utensils in automatic dishwasher. Hand wash all large pots and pans, scouring as needed. Return dishes, utensils and cookware to proper places; cabinets are labeled for your convenience.
• Put all dishes back in the soup kitchen’s supply cabinet. PLEASE COUNT THE NUMBER OF DINNER PLATES BEFORE PUTTING ANY AWAY SO THE SOUP KITCHEN STAFF CAN KEEP ACCURATE DATA.
• Empty coffee pots, turn burners off, rinse pots (run through dishwasher on Fridays), and return to coffee machines. Wipe down machines. Please remember to remove the coffee grounds from the filter container.
• Clean automatic dishwasher: turn off heater, turn off booster, drain water from machine, rinse off traps, wipe down the inside of machine and replace traps. Wipe down sink surfaces. Scour sinks and dish counter with cleanser.
• Place all soiled/used towels in crate to be brought back to office.
• Sweep and wash kitchen floor. Remove trash from bathroom and replace trashcan liner. Sweep floor and wipe down the bathroom fixtures.
• Pick up spilled food from floor and spot-clean. Sweep and dry mop the dining room floor. Vacuum entry stairs and all doormats. (Please wait until all guests have left, or 5:30 whichever comes first.)
• Take out trash and recyclables; replace barrel liners.

Miscellaneous

• Extra community service volunteers are frequently scheduled as part of the day’s workforce. Please accommodate these people in all aspects of the meal.

ALWAYS CHECK WITH THE KITCHEN COORDINATOR IF YOU REQUIRE HELP.

Please do not bring valuable items with you when you come to volunteer.  Sonshine Soup Kitchen cannot be responsible for items lost or stolen.

For the protection of our guests please respect their privacy and dignity with your confidentiality.

This information is updated frequently but is subject to change.

“May we in fruitful deeds, gladly serve others’ needs, that faith in action we may show.” – Omer Westendorf, God’s Blessing Sends Us Forth