Volunteers

We are primarily a soup kitchen and most of our volunteer needs are met during our meal times. Below are our volunteer opportunities.

Volunteer Opportunities:

Help Serve Lunch:
We need volunteers Monday through Friday to help serve and plate our hot meals for our guests.
From 10:45 – 12:30, our volunteers help set up, serve and clean up our lunches.
We have some organizations assigned certain days, check out the list below to see if your organization is already involved. Contact them to get plugged in.
If you are not connected to one of those, please call us and we will work you in.
Make Bag Lunches:
Some of our volunteers collect pre-made bag lunches from their neighborhoods. These include all items (drink, chip, treat, fruit, etc.) except the sandwich.
We can also use people to come in and make the sandwiches at Friendship Place for the days we need them. Contact us if you are interested in this.
Memorial Garden:
If you have a green thumb and are interested in doing some light gardening, we have a small garden that could use some seasonal TLC.
Please contact us if this would be something you might be interested in helping with.

Volunteer Organizations:

Churches and groups currently assisting with volunteering.

If you are involved with one of these groups, please contact them about the date of their service.

All Saints Church of Pawleys Island
Christ Church, Murrels Inlet
Covenant Missionary Baptist Church of Georgetown
Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church of Georgetown
Georgetown Presbyterian
Grace Church, Home of Access Ministries
Heritage Neighborhood Bag Lunch Program of Pawleys Island
Precious Blood Catholic Church of Pawleys Island
Prince George Episcopal Church of Georgetown
The Rotary Club of Georgetown
St. Cyprian’s of Georgetown
St. Mary’s of Georgetown
St. Michael’s of Garden City
St. Paul’s United Methodist Church of Pawleys Island
Wayne United Methodist Church of Georgetown

If you would like to Volunteer, and you are a member of one of these groups, please call their administrator for the contact person. If you are not a member,       and would like to start your own group, please call 545-1115. We would love to get you plugged in!

Hot Meal Procedures and Guidelines:

• We are a DHEC monitored food program. Please be conscientious of sanitary regulations. Be sure to wash hands before handling food, food plates, and drinks. Gloves are available in the kitchen for your convenience.
• It is good to be here around 10:45am for each meal. We open the doors at 11:00 and stop serving around 12:15.
• We serve each meal to our guests. We are service oriented, every guest  is treated as such. Be nice, Be courteous, Be a servant.
• If there is a question or problem while the lunch is going on, please seek out a staff member to assist you.
• If there is a spill or wet spot on the floor, please see to it that it is attended to immediately. Make guests aware of the spot so they can avoid any accidents until it is cleaned.
• If children of our guests are present during the meal, please be conscientious of there whereabouts. Try to see to it that they are never left unattended.
• If you bring your own children to the meal to assist with serving, please make sure they are never left unattended.
• Most days there is a prayer, lead by our guests, before each meal. Please wait until that prayer is finished before starting to serve. We are a faith-based organization, however, we do not require that our guests sit in during the prayer. But we do require that everyone respect that time and be quiet while the prayer is being prayed.
• Never give out rides, money, or personal information to our guests.
• If there is bread or clothing on the table, it is available for free to our clients.
• Please make sure our guests do not leave with any cups or plates from the dining hall. Please seek out a staff member for special circumstances.
• We have regular days we need volunteers. There are certain days we do not. Those are bag lunch days, which are as follows: 3rd Wednesday of every      month, no volunteers needed.  5th week of months are bag lunch days, no volunteers needed.

 
Safety:
You or your volunteers can never be too safe. If at any time a guest causes any problems, or appears to have a medical emergency, immediately call 911. Phones are located in the Friendship Place office and at the desk by the front door. Do not hesitate to call. The address is 1905 Front Street.

• The Fire Extinguishers are located next to the entrance to the dining room and the first Aid kit is located in the Friendship Place office.
• No food or drink leaves the dining room! If a guest does not want to follow these instructions, let them leave, and please report the incident to the staff.

            Before the Meal:
Look under the counters in the dining room for the following:

• Please fill out a volunteer registration form. They are located in the kitchen.
• Get out about 50 cups for the meal.
• Cutlery, check with Jim, our Food Coordinator, to determine the appropriate need for the day.
• Extra cutlery
• Condiment supply, extras are in the kitchen.
• Make sure trash can has a liner (liners are in the kitchen).
• If needed, open the windows and turn on fans or air conditioner.
• Make sure the tables are set.
• Bring in ice, the beverage container, and pitchers of water from the refrigerators.
• Place beverage container on counter, and fill about 30 cups of ice and drink.

Prior to Opening the Doors:

• Make sure the Sister’s door to the office and the door the convent is closed 
• Make sure all volunteers know where the fire extinguisher and first aid kit are located.
• If there is bread available, it will be on the table in the hall. White bread will be given out by Jim. Bags for the bread are in the boxes under the tables.
• Make sure all volunteers know where the phones are located.
• Unlock and open the left side of the double doors by the dining hall. Place the bungee cord on the handles, one inside, one outside. That way the door won’t lock behind people as they close it.

During the meal:

• One volunteer needs to remain in the dining room for the duration of the meal to serve drinks and keep accurate count of who needs plates. Some guests will try to get a second plate early.
• Begin plating and serving the meals after the prayer has been said. Food needs to remain hot.
• It is best to have three volunteers during the meals:
  * One person to stay serve the drinks and manage the dining room.     This person needs to remain in the dining room at all times.
  * One person to bring the meals from the kitchen and serve them.
  * One person to assist in the preparation of the meals.
• Clean up all spills immediately. Warn guests and volunteers that there is a spill in the area. Rags are in the kitchen, and the mop is in the mop closet next to the Men’s Room.
• Make sure children receive smaller portions. Tell Kitchen staff to prepare a “child’s plate”.
• The Food Coordinator will let you know if there will any seconds, usually served at 12:00 PM.
• There are no “to go” plates.
• Keep the hallway clear and the door to the outside mostly closed, it keeps heat/flies out.
• Remember to have fun, be friendly, and enjoy our guests.

End of Meal:

• Close the double doors at 12:30pm.
• Wipe down all tables with soap and water.
• Refill condiments if needed.
• Empty trash can and replace with new liner
• Place chairs on table after they have been wiped down.
• Sweep the dining room floor
• Close the windows, turn off fans and the air conditioner.
• Check the bathrooms for paper towels and toilet paper. Extras are located in the kitchen.
• Before leaving, notify the staff of any problems or concerns you might have had.
• Before leaving, tell the staff that you are headed out to your car. Never leave alone.
• Make sure you know when you are scheduled to volunteer again.

Bag Lunch Meals

• Supplies, most likely, will be left out in the kitchen for volunteers to put the bag lunches together.
• Place one of everything into paper bags.
• Sandwiches should remain in the refrigerator until about 15 minutes before they are handed out.
• At about 10:45 am place one sandwich in each bag.
• Hand out meals at the double doors.
• No one comes inside during a meal, unless there is medical issue. If there is a problem regarding this, seek out a staff member for assistance.
• One lunch per person. If there is a problem, seek out a staff member for assistance.
• Once all of the lunches have been handed out, close and lock the double doors. 

Directions to Friendship Place

Friendship Place is in the offices of St Cyprians Catholic Church, at 1905 Front St. You can come all the way down Front St along the harbor walk and go pass the steel mill on your left. Or, you can stay on US 17 through five-points until you come to the Front St intersection, with the mill on your left, and make a right.

Either way past the mill, travel three blocks or so till you cross Merriman. St Cyprians is in the next block on the left. There's a white Madonna in an open field next to the church and offices. Come to the double glass doors and ring the bell for Friendship Place (middle one).