Allison Carson

This is such a great opportunity for individuals or small teams to help prepare, pack and serve a meal to individuals in need. Upon arrival at 8 AM, volunteers assisted in taking stock of the available food, either donated or purchased and planned a meal for roughly 120 people. The volunteers worked together to cook/reheat food for the first hour or so. Then the volunteers assembled the meals into meal boxes before the distribution started at 10 AM. The patrons form a line and collect a mailbox from the window, one at a time. You can participate by serving the patrons, packing meals, cleaning up, doing dishes, etc. After the distribution window ended at 11 o’clock the team performed a quick cleanup of the area and we were finished by 11:30 AM . This was such a well run and rewarding experience and would be great for first time or seasoned volunteers! The cityCURRENT, and Volunteer Odyssey teams served alongside several other volunteers from religious organizations, universities, as well as retirees.

This opportunity is great for those looking to spend an hour over lunch serving. The RITI staff was friendly, and the event was well organized. Our team helped with simple meal prep by completing tasks like chopping potatoes, preparing beverages, serving meals, cutting toasted sandwiched and small pizzas, washing dishes, etc.