Volunteer

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with us. Our kitchen could not operate without the dedication and year-round support of volunteers. Here's how we operate: we have approximately 125 volunteers on a weekly basis that sign up in advance, come and help us prepare the entire lunch, serve it to our guests and help us clean up after each lunch serving. They are dedicated individuals, companies, school & church groups and many others from all walks of life that help us give back.

Our kitchen is open Monday-Friday and we serve approximately 300 guests a free lunch meal from 11am-12pm. We welcome individual volunteers and volunteer groups who are age 13 and older. We can accommodate groups of 8 people maximum per day. Each volunteer must have an approved date and time to volunteer. Please do not bring additional friends, family members, or co-workers that have not been scheduled as they will be asked to leave due to our limited amount of space.

We are currently scheduling groups for April 2012 as February & March 2012 are booked.
The following Wake County Public School/Federal holidays are currently booked: 2/20, 2/21, 3/30, April 2-6, and Memorial Day 5/28.

We offer two times for volunteer shifts:
You choose which shift you or your group would be available to work.

  • 9:00am arrival -12:30pm to prepare the food, beginning serving at 11am and clean-up until 12:30pm.
  • 10:30am arrival -12:30pm to serve the food only and clean-up only.

The following steps can be taken if you or your group would like to volunteer:

  • Fill out our volunteer application and submit via e-mail to our Volunteer Coordinator, Ashley at ashley.d@shepherds-table.org or by mail to 121 Hillsborough St. Raleigh, NC 27603 or by fax at (919) 831-2005. Our Volunteer Coordinator will be in touch within 10 business days to discuss open volunteer dates and scheduling.

A few important notes to our volunteers:

  • Location and parking:
    We are located on the corner of W. Morgan St. and S. McDowell St. on the basement level of the Church of the Good Shepherd in downtown Raleigh. Our physical address is 121 West Morgan St. Raleigh, NC 27603.Our location can be tricky to find because we have no signage. The back of the church is on the corner of Morgan and McDowell St. in downtown Raleigh (you’ll see the back of a church and a small parking lot on that corner. Look for a black metal gate with a walk-down ramp. Come down that ramp and you’ll be inside the kitchen). Parking is limited and the church's small lot may be full when you arrive. We suggest carpooling if you're coming with a group. There is a paid lot on the other side of Morgan and McDowell street (http://www.godowntownraleigh.com/go/municipal-parking-deck-morgan-street-entrance) that accepts cash and/or debit/credit card.
  • Dress: Please no open toed shoes for safety reasons. Aprons and gloves are provided; however, please be aware there is a possibility food could get on your clothes.
  • Be aware that some of our guests have mental or substance abuse problems. We thank you in advance for treating all guests with respect and patience.