Mission Team Kitchen workers
What are
the working conditions like in the kitchen?
We have a
full service kitchen capable of serving 50 to 250 people during any given week.
God has provided full industrial food service equipment, including a walk in
refrigerator, freezer, industrial ovens, and high powered cafeteria style
dishwasher. You will not be in a “camp”
environment in the kitchen.
How many
people can sign up to work in the kitchen?
Every week
is different – the need is based on the number of volunteers present during the
week, and the number of people from each group that sign up to help in the
kitchen. If you have those in your group
that are interested, please advise Cammie of that desire early as there are a
limited number needed.
When
does the day start & end?
As a *general
rule the schedule is:
5:30 am to
1:00 pm for breakfast and lunch
4:00 pm to
6:00 pm for dinner
If you are
part of the kitchen team, we are depending on you to assist every day you are
here.
*Please be
flexible with us during the week – some food preparation days require
additional time.
Note:
Wednesday is a “short” food service day with only breakfast and lunch
served. Because of this, it is the chef’s
day off, and you will be asked to arrive at 5:30 am & be responsible for all
food preparation & clean up for those meals. She will leave specific directions for a
simple breakfast and lunch.
What are
we going to do?
There are 3
meals served every day except Wednesday, and there is a volunteer group
assigned kitchen clean up daily, so teams will be doing most of the food
service and primary clean up. Your role is in addition to these teams;
however, you will also be helping out with these responsibilities as
needed. Your primary role is to assist
the Chef who will assign food preparation, stocking, setting out & putting
away food.
Many of the
tedious elements of food service for large groups are already done. There are
only a few food items that require “recipes” throughout the week --- most of
the food is for industrial size service, with touches to make it southern home
cooking.
There are occasionally
teams that will want to pack lunches to take to the job site. If so, you will assist in setting up a “lunch
assembly” area for sandwiches.
Is
dishwashing one of the tasks?
Yes…but you
will be pleased to know that the industrial dishwasher does almost all of the
work. It’s a matter of pre-rinsing the
items to be placed in a dishwashing tray, sliding it into the dishwasher and
pushing a button. (Remember the
dishwashers from elementary school?) We
“air-dry” all items for sanitation sake – so no drying dishes. All food service is on disposable
plates/cups/bowls/utensils…..so no dish scraping either!
Are
there any other things we’ll do besides work in the kitchen?
You may be
asked to help in light service around the complex. Some of those duties might include cleaning
windows, sanitizing counters and service equipment, sweeping, emptying trash
cans, sorting donated items, etc.
Will we
be able to work on a job site at all with our team?
Depending
on the number of volunteers in house that week and the number of others that
have signed up for kitchen service, this may be a possibility. We want you to feel like you are an integral
part of the team and their accomplishments throughout the week even though you
are not on site with them continually.
Some of these arrangements will be made based on need, so we ask your
flexibility in working with us.
If we
sign up for “kitchen service”, does it exempt us from working on the kitchen,
grounds and bathroom clean up schedule for my team?
This is
completely up to the “leader” of your group and how the work assignments are
made. You are part of a team regardless
of your location of service, but if your team has enough to do those duties
without you, that will be fine.
Is there
any time off in the middle of the day?
There are
always many things to be done and we could put you to work continually. The
reality is that you will have down time in between meal preparation and clean
up – usually 2 to 3 hours in the afternoon.
Who will
give us directions daily?
Elizabeth is our full time Chef / Kitchen
manager. She plans the meals, orders all
the food, and is responsible for full management of the kitchen and kitchen volunteers. You will be amazed that one person can manage
feeding hundreds week after week with a smile and heart to serve.
Our
facility has had many groups in and has at one time or another answered most
all of the questions that will be asked.
Because of this, there is signage and labeling on almost every piece of
equipment, cabinet and storage location.
Much will be obvious once you are on site.
What are
the advantages / disadvantages of working in the kitchen?
Advantages
- You will get to smile and greet
every person in the facility throughout the week, as you will be serving
them food in the food line!
- Your days are much more
scheduled than on the job site.
- You can leave your grubby
clothes at home.
- The facility is air
conditioned!
- You won’t have to wear “OFF” as
cologne.
- After breakfast clean up, you
can take your shower in an empty bathroom!
Disadvantages
- Depending on the distance of
your team’s job site, you may not be able to share in the sense of
accomplishment at the worksite as they progress throughout the week.
Know that
those that stay back to work in kitchen service are doing as important a job as
those on the roofs or laying floors.
There are many roles needed to rebuild homes, lives and hope, whether it
is with nail guns, power saws or with spatulas and bread knives.
Your
rules seem so rigid!
Our guidelines
were not created randomly because we like to make rules. We desire to be stewards of the time and
resources for all who volunteer at Lagniappe.
For every guideline or requirement there is a reason based on a past
experience. We have varying numbers and
groups from week to week and hope you will find once you are on site that the
guidelines are set up for everyone’s benefit in order to have a good volunteer
experience!
