Franciscan Outreach Association 
1645 W. LeMoyne Street, Chicago, IL 60622
Telephone (773)278-6724 
 
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Volunteer Opportunities

at the Marquard Center

 

Dinner Volunteer ~

Every night we need 6 to 8 volunteers to serve dinner to our guests at our Marquard Center dining room. Volunteers work from 4:45 p.m. until approximately 7:00 p.m. Volunteers are assigned one or more of the following duties:

  • setting the table for dinner

  • greeting the guests

  • handing out cups of coffee

  • filling trays

  • bringing trays to tables

  • washing dishes

  • cleaning up after dinner

Guests clear and scrape their own trays as they finish their meal. When dinner is concluded, volunteers wipe the tables, mop the floor, and put the chairs on the tables. Part time volunteers work with several full-time volunteers and the supervisor. No previous experience is necessary, only a willingness to be friendly and helpful. Volunteers are encouraged to talk with the guests and even join them for dinner once most of the guests have finished.

We welcome individuals, families, and corporate church, and civic groups to volunteer with us. We also welcome student and young adult groups, but ask that all volunteers be in high school or older.

You can now see our online volunteer calendar for dinner servers at http://www.parishcalendar.com:8080/facil_21514/dinner_server.  Check for available dates and then use the form below to schedule.  If you see a group name on the calendar with a number after its name, that's the number of volunteers they will bring. We need a total of 6 to 8 dinner volunteers.  You can't sign up on this calendar directly, so complete the form below and contact Merrill with any questions. If you don't see a date that works for you at this time but want to stay in touch, sign up for our newsletter.

  • School and Youth Groups - We welcome high school and high school aged youth groups to participate in our ministry to the homeless. Due to limited space both in the kitchen and on our volunteer calendar, we must limit the number and frequency of high school and youth volunteer groups. This is to ensure that everyone has something to do for the evening as well as allow a broader range of adults to become involved with our ministry. Please note our revised policy: Each group can bring a maximum of 6 to 8 servers (plus up to two adult chaperones or group leaders) once per month or 3 to 4 servers twice per month.  

  • Calling the Kitchen  -  During regular business hours call the office at (773) 278-6724.  If you need directions or wish to call the kitchen on the weekend after 4:00 pm, call the office and dial extension 27. 

  • Sign in - Please have all members of your group sign in when you arrive. We need to know who's on our site and want to make sure everyone has the chance to receive our newsletter.

  • Please - Bring only the number of volunteers that you say you'll bring.  If we have too many volunteers, then some volunteers won't have any work to do and will not enjoy the experience. Note that if you're scheduled to bring four volunteers, for example, another group will be scheduled to bring the rest of the volunteers that will be needed for the dinner. Please help make the experience good for everyone by not bringing more volunteers than you say you'll bring. If you'll be bringing less than the number you've said, call us if you can, even if its last minute, so we can try to schedule more people. If you want to bring more, call us so that we can check to see if there is room. Contact Merrill with any questions.

Laundry and Shower Volunteers ~

We can occasionally use volunteers to help with our laundry and shower programs in the afternoons.  Contact Merrill for more information.

Relief Receptionist ~

Assist in answering the phone, door, and handing out mail to our guests when our receptionist is out of the office.  Courteous manner and basic communication skills needed. Schedule your volunteer time for a morning, afternoon, or full day. Contact Person: Tony. Click here to sign up for this opportunity.

Newsletter Distributor ~ 

Place copies of our quarterly newsletter at neighborhood churches, businesses, and restaurants, after asking the owner for permission. Scheduled at your convenience. Contact Person: Carin.  Click here to sign up for this opportunity.

For all of these volunteer opportunities ...

  • Map - We are near North Avenue and Ashland. You can view and print out a map to the Marquard Center.  If you use the CTA mapping guide, please be sure to specify that our address is in Chicago.

  • Parking - The City has initiated parking restrictions on parts of LeMoyne for after 6:00 p.m. every evening. You won't need a permit if you park on Paulina or on LeMoyne right in front of our building on the South side of the street (between Paulina and the alley on our side of the street). You will need a temporary permit if you park on LeMoyne anywhere except right in front of our building on our side of the street. Look for signs! You can get a parking permit from one of the staff as soon as you arrive if you can't find an unrestricted space.

  • All Faiths are Welcome - Volunteers come from all faiths and all backgrounds. We do not preach to our guests or hold religious services for them. 

Volunteers must schedule a date in advance.  We prefer that you contact us through this form so that we have all of your contact information and the dates you'd like, but if it's last minute or to follow up you can call Merrill at (773) 278-6724

We are filled for the 2011 Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

 

Name: 

Address: 

City:     

State:       Zip:

Phone number(s):  

 

E-mail:

 

Please confirm your email address:

 

Would you like to receive our monthly online newsletter?  (Check the box by pointing with your cursor and clicking - don't use Enter to check the box.) yes     no

 

 

What would you like to do?

 

 

When would you like to volunteer?

 

The name of your group, if any, and the type of group it is:

 

 

How many persons would be coming (not more than 10 for serving dinner, including yourself):

 

 

 

How did you hear about us? If you searched for us on the web, what search terms did you use?

 

 

Thank you for inquiring about volunteering!