Housing Action Team

QUUF’s Support for the Emergency Shelter

Through our Housing Action Team (formerly Affordable Housing Action Group) we have committed to providing meals 5 nights/month at the Emergency Shelter housed at the American Legion Building at the corner of Water and Monroe Streets.

Meals can be purchased, or prepared in QUUF’s “donor kitchen”. Funds for the meal come from team members, though volunteers are welcome, even if they cannot contribute financially.  We are working to set up a way for people to contribute financially, to spread the cost across more congregants.

The evening is divided into 2 parts:

Cooks: Someone on the team plans the meal and purchases the ingredients. Volunteers assist in preparing the food. 3:00-5:15 approximately.

Servers: This team delivers the food to the shelter, serves it, shares the meal with the guests and cleans up. We also pack lunches for the next day. We do not provide the lunch food. 5:15-7:15 approximately.

  • Some cooks enjoy also being on the serving team. 3:00-7:00.
  • Training in the kitchen is provided.
  • Each team needs someone with a food handler’s card, both in our kitchen when preparing and in the shelter kitchen when serving. This is completed on line, at a cost of $10. It is good for 2 years.
  • We suggest 4-5 cooks, 3-4 servers (sometimes the same people).
  • Cost of the meal is divided between team members, cooks and servers. Anyone not able to contribute financially can speak to the team lead or Kathy or Julia. Our first week meal costs came to $80-120 for 16 people.
  • Dinner consists of a main dish, vegetable side dish, bread or bread substitute. And dessert is appreciated. This food can be bought prepared and heated at the shelter, or prepared in our QUUF kitchen. Only baked goods can be made at home.
  • Consideration should be made for vegetarians. The main dish can have meat, as long as the side and bread are vegetarian. Cheese can be added for the bread or side dish.
  • Dinner is served at 6pm, delivered between 5:15 and 5:30pm.
  • Servers and shelter staff are fed in addition to 12 to 20 guests. You will be told before your night how many to plan for.

Sign Up Suggestions:

  • You can sign up as an individual or as a group.
  • Covenant & Affinity Groups have enjoyed this as a service project.
  • Teams and Committees can sign up.
  • You can grab a few friends or family members to create a team.

There are 3 ways to sign up:

  1. Sign Up Genius
  2. Foyer clipboard
  3. Contact these people:
    Kathy Stevenson (360-385-4565) – to sign up
    Kathleen Holt (360-531-4293) – meal planning questions
    Julia Cochrane organizes servers (360-821-1926 – text or call) willowtree@olypen.com

“Volunteering to feed people who are unhoused at the Jefferson County Emergency Shelter is a profoundly impactful act of compassion that addresses both immediate needs and broader social issues. It provides essential nourishment and care to individuals who are struggling with food insecurity and homelessness, offering them not just a meal but a moment of dignity and human connection.”  ~ Bayside Housing and Services website

Once You have Signed Up To Provide a Meal

If you signed up as an individual: you will be contacted by the lead for that evening’s dinner or a Shelter Coordinator (Kathy, Kathleen, or Julia)

If you signed up as a team:

  • Indicate who is the contact person
  • Determine who holds or will obtain a food handler’s card. A copy of the certificate should be in the Kitchen binder.
  • Determine if you need training in the kitchen.
  • If you will NOT be using the QUUF kitchen (purchasing and heating at the shelter), let Kathy know so she can cancel the kitchen reservation on the calendar.
  • Find out from Kathy or Julia how many people you will be feeding.

Each group is responsible for purchasing the items needed for their dinners. There may be some available funds donated by congregants. Ask an organizer for suggestions for meals.

If a different group is serving the meal, be sure you are connected with the lead of that team.

You may be asked to provide 1 gallon of whole milk each night and 2 quarts of juice. Ask about this.

A volunteer meal record will need to be completed by your team (see below).

Each meal should include a main dish with protein, an all-veggie dish, a starch and dessert. Sometimes there are people outside the team that can provide dessert.

The QUUF kitchen is reserved from 3-6pm. If you want to get in sooner, that is likely possible; just check the calendar. We keep the kitchen pretty tidy, but no guarantees that the knives are sharp. Feel free to bring your own. After clean up, you may leave clean dishes on the drying rack to air dry.

Information the Shelter Needs at the End of our Week

Name of leader and team members:
Date:
Menu:
Ingredients purchased from:
Meal Prep location:
Total Cost:
Number of hours spent:

Servers at the Shelter

Thank you for volunteering; connecting with the guests at the shelter is rewarding as well as instrumental in heightening their sense of belonging and dignity.

Be sure you know who is preparing the meal. Plan on picking up the meal between 5:15 and 5:30pm.

Upon entering the shelter, complete forms. One form you only fill out once and one form you sign each time you volunteer.

You may want to mask; it is optional.

Wash your hands upon arrival and often. Learn and follow good hygiene practices.

Serve folks, then serve yourself and sit with others.

Learn from the staff monitors what the dishwashing procedure is.

Learn from the staff where the ingredients are for making lunches for the next day.

Sign up for another shift!

QUUF Shelter Coordinators:

Kathy Stevenson (360-385-4565) – to sign up, or use Sign Up Genius

Kathleen Holt (360-531-4293) – meal planning questions

Julia Cochrane (360-821-1926 – text or call) – organizes servers

This page last updated December 17, 2024