SATURDAY AND SUNDAYS 
Time: 6pm – 8pm.
Hours required : two hours

Volunteers are responsible for preparing and serving a hot cooked meal to the 12 guests staying at the night shelter.

We have a monthly menu which includes popular dishes such as spaghetti bolognese, chicken curry, sausage, and mash etc. Pudding and desserts are always welcome too.

Volunteers cook and serve the meals ready for 7.30pm, usually working in a team of two.

Volunteers clear away after service, load the dishwasher, wash any pots and pans and clean the kitchen and dining area.

Full training is given, and all volunteers must complete Level 2 (online) training in food safety before joining a team. Training is provided by the charity.

Normally volunteers commit to a weekly or fortnightly shift of 2 hours.

Open Door staff are always available to answer any questions.

If you are a budding chef then this role might be for you.

Tuesday (fortnightly)
Time: 1.30pm – 3.30pm.
Hours Required: two hours

The role of a drop in kitchen assistant is vital at Open Door. Working with others, volunteers are responsible for preparing and serving lunch for up to 25 guests.

Tasks can include making sandwiches, heating soup, or making a pasta bake. Volunteers need to be able to cater for all dietary requirements and work with the ingredients available on the day. It can sometimes be a bit of a ready, steady, cook, with volunteers creating fabulous dishes, sometimes working with unusual ingredients!

The drop in runs from 2.30pm – 4pm and guests are welcome to have lunch and receive any support from the staff team that they might need.

The drop in can be fast paced, and volunteers need to be able to work quickly at times to keep up with food orders.

A full induction is given and volunteers will receive the relevant food safety training.

This role is available to volunteers over the age of 18. Volunteers must have basic IT skills and an email address as our volunteer rota is online.

Normally two volunteers work alongside each other, committing to a regular weekly or fortnightly shift of two hours.

Time Commitment: Thursday mornings (fortnightly), up to 2 hours

Open Door is looking for a small team of volunteers to help organise and co-ordinate the food donations that support the smooth running of our night shelter. This behind-the-scenes role is vital to ensuring our guests are provided with well-managed, well-stocked food supplies.

The role is ideally suited to two people working together, such as friends or couples/partners, who enjoy working independently and can take initiative.

Key Responsibilities

Organising and maintaining dried food donations stored in the cellar

Rotating stock so that items with the shortest use-by dates are placed at the front

Restocking shelves with new food donations

Communicating with food shoppers and local food banks when key items are running low

Topping up the pantry with essential items as needed

Replenishing toiletries in the shower facilities

Once a month: organising the week’s fresh food and updating the menu

Who This Role Is For

Volunteers with a few hours to spare each fortnight

People who are organised, reliable, and able to work independently

Those happy working in a storage environment rather than in a guest-facing role

Pairs of volunteers who enjoy working together as a team

Why This Role Matters

Although this is not a face-to-face role with our guests, it is absolutely key to the day-to-day operation of the night shelter.

Time Commitment 2 hours per month
Flexible

The Charity Ambassador acts as a positive and trusted representative for Open Door, helping to raise awareness of the charity’s work, values, and impact within the community. The role supports engagement with young people, schools, partners, and supporters, and helps strengthen Open Door’s public profile.

Key Responsibilities
Represent Open Door at community events, charity functions, and awareness activities
Attend charity cheque presentations and supporter events, sometimes in the evenings
Speak confidently and positively about Open Door’s mission, services, and impact
Visit schools, colleges, and youth settings to talk about Open Door and its services

Attend fundraising and awareness events on behalf of Open Door
Engage with supporters, donors, and partners, thanking them for their involvement
Help promote Open Door through word of mouth and, where appropriate, social media

Attendance at events may occasionally be required in the morning (school assemblies) evenings (presentations) or weekends (events)

Skills
Passionate about Open Door and our mission and values
Comfortable speaking to small groups and the wider public
Reliable, approachable, and professional

Support Provided
Induction and briefing about Open Door’s services and key messages
Ongoing support from Open Door Charity
Guidance and materials for school visits and events

Apply Now – links to the Beacon volunteer application form

Time: Flexible

Hours required: 2 hours quarterly

This role involves placing collection tins in local businesses, regularly visiting them to collect donations, and potentially finding new businesses to place tins in. Volunteers also thank businesses for their support. This role is flexible, allowing you to fit your time around other commitments.

The key tasks include distributing collection tins to various businesses, such as newsagents, pubs, post offices, and pharmacies. Visiting businesses on a regular basis (e.g., every three months) to replace tins and collect donations.

Thank businesses for their support and potentially find new locations for collection tins. Keep records of donations and the locations of the tins.

Timing: Flexible
Hours required: 2hrs per week.

This is role is to support the volunteer co-ordinator in the run up to Harvest and the subsequent weeks after the Harvest festival. The charity is fortunate to work in partnership with several local schools and churches who donate food supplies each year. The role is to liase with the schools and churches, answer any questions and organise suitable times for donations to be collected or delivered to Open Door.

To photograph donations and to offer thanks to the schools and churches for the donations.

The role also involves helping to sort through donations and to help organise them in the cellar after they have been received.

With jobs and family commitments, lack of time can be a real barrier to volunteering and this is a simple way to support us and volunteer.  Micro volunteering doesn’t take long and often can be undertaken for short periods and, if it’s online, from anywhere, often from home. You might not have the time, but you can still volunteer and help us!

Help us grow our social media followers by becoming a  ‘Digital Champion’ Follow our social media platforms, like, share and engage with people to help us create an active online community.  It takes almost no time at all and anyone can do it.

Follow us @opendoorstalbans

Timing: December to March

• Allocating bedding to guests expected that evening
• Setting up the hall for guests
• Giving toiletries and welfare packs
• Making light refreshments for guests
• Welcoming guests, checking referral forms
• Explaining the house rules and completing the guest agreement with new guests
• Handover to security guards

• Taking a handover from the security guard at 7am
• Waking guests
• Clearing the hall and putting away supplies
• Making a light breakfast for guests
• Washing up and cleaning the kitchen