Volunteer Opportunity: Welcome Meal

Position Summary:

When a new client arrives in Memphis, World Relief is required to provide a culturally appropriate, warm meal to them. Arrival Meal volunteers either cook, buy, or donate money towards a family’s arrival meal. Meals should be ready-to-heat, meaning they are ready for the family to heat up and eat at their leisure when they arrive home.

 

Key Responsibilities:

1. Deliver the meal to the World Relief Memphis office on the morning or afternoon of the arrival. Or, donate towards buying their meal by donating to our office.
2. Families will have plates and utensils at home already. However, a nice serving platter or tea kettle and cups (if culturally appropriate) would be a greatly appreciated gift to the family.

 

Qualifications:

1. Great cooking skills!! Or, knowledge of great restaurants in the area to buy from.
2. Knowledgeable and willing to learn and abide by other cultures’ food preferences and customs.
3. Reliable, flexible, and respectful towards other cultures.

 

Time Commitment:

1. Flexible, no certain weekly or monthly time commitment. Volunteers can deliver a welcome meal to our office whenever their schedule allows.

 

Benefits to Volunteer:

1. Be one of the first acts of hospitality our newest neighbors receive!
2. Gain cross-cultural skills and experience.
3. Begin mutually transformative friendships with refugees.

 

Onboarding and Training: 

1. General short-term/long-term volunteer application
2. Criminal background check, reference check, and motor vehicle check

 

Management: 

Arrival Meal Volunteers will be collaboratively managed. Church and Community Engagement (CCE) will recruit and onboard Arrival Meal Volunteers. Ongoing communication about Arrival Meal opportunities will be scheduled in a collaborative calendar. The volunteer can sign up to bring an arrival meal in the calendar. The Volunteer Coordinator will provide them with important cultural details and recipe/meal ideas for the family. The Volunteer Coordinator will also put the volunteer in touch with the caseworker to coordinate dropping off the meal at the World Relief Memphis office.  CCE and IWS will do quarterly check-ins to communicate the status and need for onboarding new volunteers and communicate feedback from current Arrival Meal Volunteers.

 

Feedback Loop: 

After each Arrival Meal Volunteer’s first and second meals have been donated to families, CCE will ask the volunteer and IWS for feedback. CCE will do quarterly check-ins with volunteers who have provided a meal to receive feedback about their experience. CCE and IWS will do quarterly check-ins to communicate the status and need for onboarding new volunteers and communicate feedback from current Arrival Meal Volunteers. IWS will also recommend that the Arrival Meal Volunteer should consider other opportunities.