Volunteer Vacancies

Kitchen Assistant (Drop in Service)

NO CURRENT VACANCIES

Time: 2.00pm – 4pm.

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.

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

Kitchen Assistant (Night Shelter)

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.

Food Bank Volunteer

NO CURRENT VACANCIES

Time: Flexible (Friday 1-3pm)

Hours required: 4 hours per month.

This role requires volunteers, or a group, who can give up their time twice a month, to collect food donations from the foodbank in St Albans and deliver it to Open Door. This role involves sorting all the dried goods into date order, making sure donations are rotated correctly and liaising directly with the Food Bank.  The volunteer would need use of their own car or van.

This role does involve collecting pallets of food, lifting and moving of goods. A volunteer with good mobility and who is comfortable lifting heavy items is essential.

Training in manual handling will be given prior to volunteering.

Micro Volunteering -Digital Champion

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

Donation pickup and delivery driver

NO CURRENT VACANCIES

Time: Ad hoc

This role is on an ad hoc basis. The charity often receive offers of donations last minute. This role requires flexibility to collect donations locally at short notice as and when donations are offered.

The donations could be at any time but usually supermarket and shop donations of food, tend to be in the evening after 5pm.

Social Media Volunteer

NO CURRENT VACANCIES

Time: Flexible

Hours required: 2 hours per week

The role is to regularly update supporters via the Charity’s Facebook and Instagram page.

Adding posts and videos of campaigns, supporters and any other news when required. To signpost any specific questions to the fundraising co-ordinator and respond to comments in a timely manner.

The volunteer may also be working alongside other local partner agencies as required.

Harvest Donation Co-ordinator

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.

Winter Beds Volunteer

Timing: December to March

The Open Door Winter Beds Project is run by volunteers, who help support the smooth running of the Winter Beds Project each winter. Volunteers are needed in the evening, throughout the night and in the morning to perform a variety of roles including:

• welcoming guests and booking in
• supervising overnight guests
• preparing breakfast
• setting up and clearing down
• laundry
• administration

There are also volunteer opportunities to support the Winter Beds Project Manager in coordinating volunteers.

The Winter Beds Project runs between December and March each year. Volunteers are on a rota and only called upon if the weather becomes severe. Volunteers will be provided with full training, provided by Housing Justice, and supported by a Project Manager and an experienced team of staff from The Open Door Night Shelter.