Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington Headquarters

This application is for anybody who is interested in an ongoing volunteer role with one of our programs. Typically, people commit to serving ~4 hours a week for 6 months to a year. You then would have the option to sign up for another year or to take a step back. These roles require screening and your attendance at an orientation.

If you are not interested in serving on a weekly basis (or want to get started right away), please feel free to check out our Volunteer Calendar to see individual opportunities where you can simply "sign up and show up" right away!

Or, if you spoke to someone who works at Catholic Charities about volunteering for a specific program or doing a specific internship but don't see that option in the list, complete this application.  There is a place in the application where you can tell us who you talked to and what you hope to do.

Either way, if you complete this application, we will give you a call to talk through the roles that are available!

Volunteers will greet people and give them boxed breakfast and lunches. We provide these meals 5 days a week: Monday - Friday. The people coming for the meals are regular clients of Anchor Behavior Health programs. The Program serves people who are vulnerable to a number of conditions, including food insecurity and isolation. We provide these meals to make sure they get nutritious meals twice a day and have the opportunity to engage with a community of caring people.

Impact of the Volunteers:

Volunteer engagement will foster positive relationships with our consumers and help them feel like valued members of the community. The Cafeteria Volunteers will be supervised by the Admin Clinic Manager who will ensure proper training, development, and support while the volunteer is on-site.

Duties & Responsibilities:

The Cafeteria Volunteers will  

• Receive meals from the contractor and ensure that there are at least 25 meals available to serve consumers.
• Engage with consumers in chit-chat as they come for their daily for breakfast and lunch
• Check each consumer’s ID for verification and record the consumer’s name in the male log.
• Track number of consumers that come in per day for breakfast and lunch to ensure that we have enough meals to provide.
• Clean the eating area – wipe down the tables, sweep the floor – after each consumer has finished eating and lock up the kitchen before leaving.
• At the end of each shift, the volunteer should submit the breakfast/lunch log to the Admin. Clinic Manager.

Qualifications:

Volunteers should:

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Have a friendly demeanor and desire to serve others
• Ability to remain calm is stressful situations
• Be able to lift at least 25 lbs.
• Adhere to an appropriate. casual dress code (no distressed or revealing clothing).

Desired Skills, Experience & Characteristics:

• Bilingual (Englis-Spanish) is a plus, but not required.

Volunteer Benefits:

Volunteers will become more familiar with the Anchor Mental Health community of clients and Catholic Charities work with this community. Volunteers will be part of a small and effective team who make a difference for people who are marginalized by society.

Support:

Volunteers will receive training and support from on-site staff.

Time Commitment:

We are looking for volunteers who can commit to serving at least twice a month, every other week, the same day of the week, for a year.

Breakfast service is roughly 1 hour. Lunch service is also roughly 1 hour.

Location:

Volunteers will serve in-person at Anchor Mental Health, 1001 Lawrence St., NE, Washington, DC 20017

Residential street parking is available within 3-4 blocks of the building.

Anchor is accessible by public transportation. The Brookland Metro Station is 3 blocks walk.

Staff Liaison:

Admin Clinic Manager

202-635-5957; 

Next Steps:  

• Complete the application at the green button to the right  

• Have a brief, informal Get to Know You conversation with Catholic Charities Volunteer Office staff member
• Talk with the staff liaison for this role to match mutual expectations 

• Complete the required screening, e.g., criminal history check (not disqualifying) 

• Attend volunteer orientation 

• Schedule your service