Info for Volunteers
In the past, The Franklin County Community Meals Program has relied on groups from local businesses or agencies to cook and provide our meals. Now, under the guidance and leadership of our Site Coordinators, we have expanded our volunteer base to include individual volunteers, like you!
Come spend some time at our meal sites, found all across Franklin County and the North Quabbin, and help us feed our neighbors! You don’t have to be a professional chef to donate your time and skills to the work; our individual model for volunteering includes a range of possible opportunities! Here’s a short list of some tasks we’ve recently asked our volunteers to take care of:
- Be on call to help deliver meals
- Help cook in the kitchen, alongside a group of individual volunteers just like you!
- Wash dishes and clean up a kitchen after others cook in it
- Lift heavy things up and down stairs
- Direct traffic
- Assist patrons
- Help process donations of food for meal sites
Being an individual volunteer is a vital part of our operations. If you’re considering stopping by, take a look at the descriptions of our meal sites to get a sense of what they’d be requesting of you, and then reach out to our Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@fccmp.org for more information!
(If you’re looking to bring a group of friends, coworkers or other dedicated people you know along with you to prepare a meal in the kitchen yourselves, you might be looking for our group volunteer information! Check that out here.)
INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEERS
Jack McElaney, volunteer
“The scope of FCCMP is a very large machine and I was unaware of its many moving parts. In August, when exhausted staff members of the team took much needed vacations, I covered for some of them and learned about other pieces to the big puzzle. One such piece was two of us doing the weekly pick-up of donations from the Big Y and BJ’s in Greenfield, driving it to the pantry in Orange, weighing it all (2,400 lbs. that day), and storing it in the appropriate places. A team of four women arrived at the pantry on our heels to prepare boxes for the next team after them. Teamwork. No one can do it alone. That day, I started to see how many people are needed to execute all that FCCMP does. Magically, they somehow connect all the pieces and get a very large machine to run smoothly. It is stunning to see how hard they work to accomplish this.” – Jack McElaney
Resources & Information for Individuals Volunteering With Us
You’re interested in learning more about individual volunteering, great! Here’s some information that you need to know to get a sense of what’s ahead of you and start that process:
Step 1: Check Out FAQ’s!
Look through our “Frequently Asked Questions” below, or contact our Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@fccmp.org
Step 2: Get in Touch
- Phone: 413-325-6631
- Email: volunteer@fccmp.org
Step 3: Onboarding
If you’ve submitted an intake form, our Volunteer Coordinator will follow up with you, find the right fit for you and connect you with a Site Coordinator. From there, your Site Coordinator will be your main point of contact. (See each site description for name and contact info of your Site Coordinator, or visit our “About Our Coordinators” section, linked here.)
If you signed up in Step 2 – you’re all set! We look forward to meeting you during your volunteer shift!
GROUP VOLUNTEERS
The Franklin County Community Meals Program has always relied on groups from local businesses or agencies to cook and provide our meals. If you’re looking to bring a group of friends, coworkers or other dedicated people you know along with you to prepare a meal in the kitchen yourselves, we have just the experience for you!
Are you part of a local business, organization, or group of dedicated people? Are you looking to engage your group in community-volunteering activities?
The Franklin County Community Meals Program is looking for groups of passionate volunteers to prep and serve meals at meal sites, pack bonus bags, or help with a special project at the Orange Food Pantry. Nothing says “our group is community-engaged” like committing to serving your neighbors.
Now, you may be asking, “What does it mean to volunteer as a group?” That’s a great question! Volunteer groups get involved in a variety of ways- you can take on the task of preparing a meal, serving the meal, or schedule a day of service outside of our regular operations.
Step 1: Choose the best option for your group!
Meal Service Support:
Volunteer groups help to cook and/or serve meals under the direct supervision of our Meal Site Coordinators. FCCMP is responsible for planning the menu and sourcing all ingredients. Volunteers come ready to help during our set volunteer shifts.
Community Collaborator:
This selection does require an advanced level of communication and logistic skills.
Cook with us, utilizing FCCMP kitchens and equipment. Our Volunteer Coordinator will help you plan a menu that will work with the skill set of your group. With coordination, FCCMP will source needed ingredients from the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. Purchasing additional food items would be at the group’s discretion and expense.
Our ServSafe certified Meal Site Coordinator will be there on the day of service to guide you & your group through the cooking process. We are open to showing you a few culinary tricks we have learned throughout our years in the kitchen! FCCMP provides all packaging materials and beverages. Any special products or packaging needed must be communicated to our staff in a timely manner. Typically supplies are ordered once a month.
Community Hero:
This is for groups that have been volunteering with FCCMP for some time.
Ordering, preparation and logistics are assumed by the group, and led by the Group Lead. FCCMP will order ingredients from the Food Bank of Western of Western Massachusetts at your request. Purchasing other food items would be at the group’s discretion and expense. FCCMP will provide a Meal Site Coordinator to supervise and provide food safety support on the day of service.
Meal Sponsorship:
If your group is unable to cook but wants to support our efforts, a check can be made in the amount of $400 to Franklin County Community Meals Program. This sponsorship will not only feed people in need, but also support a local restaurant. In the memo, write “Meal sponsorship” and the funds will be allocated to a meal catered by a local restaurant.
A designated contact person (Volunteer Group Leader) of your choosing will be connected with the Site Coordinator of that meal site, who will work with them in planning and executing their menu. The Site Coordinator and other FCCMP staff/members will work with them to support their processes (ie. provide packing materials, and, if necessary, additional volunteers and supplemental food, etc.)
Your chosen Volunteer Group Leader will be responsible for the following:
- Coordinating volunteers (at least five)
- Staying in communication with the Volunteer Coordinator
- Arriving 15 minutes earlier than the rest of the volunteers to meet with your Site Coordinator and discuss the order of operations and timeline for meal preparations that day
Jan Gabriel
“Having retired from full-time work in 2019, I was searching for a volunteer opportunity where I could serve our local community members in need, work with a group of individuals who were seeking the same, and utilize some of the organizational and leadership skills I gained in my career in an entirely different setting. Serving as a volunteer group leader for FCCMP has been challenging, rewarding, and fun, all at once! Challenging because there are always unexpected surprises creating a menu and preparing food for 100 people, rewarding because of the pride I experience collaborating with FCCMP’s staff and mission, and fun as a result of the sheer joy I’ve felt during the camaraderie of our work and the results of our efforts. I have met people I likely would never have met had I not chosen to do this. Thank you for the opportunity, FCCMP!!” – Jan Gabriel, Volunteer Group Leader.
Our Greenfield community meal site serves many unhoused neighbors. As a supplement to prepared meals, we distribute an average of 85 bonus bags each Wednesday to ensure that our neighbors can eat between community meal offerings. To lead your own bonus bag brigade:
- Collect items for packing! Ready-to-eat proteins such as tuna or chicken salad kits, jerky, nuts, or protein bars are a great place to start. Then add in fruit leather, 100% juice fruit snacks, or dried fruit. Veggie straws, pea or lentil crisps help balance things out, and a small bottled water, carton of shelf stable milk or 100% fruit juice finishes things off! Some groups opt to add in treats as well!
- Pack your paper lunch bags. Some groups opt to decorate the bags with drawings or stickers!
- Load into totes. We provide totes for bulk packing. 20 bags are packed into each tote, and we ask you to label each tote with the date you packed!
- Drop off totes at Second Congregational Church between 1 and 4pm on Tuesday or Wednesday.
To learn more, visit fccmp.org/bbb
Step 2: Get in Touch
- Phone: 413-325-6631
- Email: volunteer@fccmp.org
- Our Volunteer Coordinator is available Monday through Thursday from 9 am to 3 pm and can be emailed at volunteer@fccmp.org
Step 3: Onboarding
Once we hear from you, our Volunteer Coordinator will follow up with you, help you pick a date, begin planning your service activity.