Covenant Soup Kitchen
220 Valley Street
Willimantic, Connecticut 06226

860.423-1643

Proud to be a member agency of

Covenant Soup Kitchen is a non-profit organization that is open 365 days per year with a very small staff of four. We could not be successful without help from the hundreds of dedicated volunteers and community service workers we see each year and we would love to have you join our team!

If you are interested in volunteering, please complete our
Volunteer Request Form!
 
If you cannot complete the online form, please call (860) 423-1643, Ext. 13. 
 
We would enjoy talking with you about volunteer opportunities which might appeal to you. Please note that we usually schedule volunteers two weeks out but feel free to call and we will let you know if someone has called out and left an opening sooner than that!
 

Kitchen Assistants  

Currently, all meals are being served downstairs in our dining room, with both dine-in and takeout options available. Face coverings are currently optional.

Breakfast is served daily 8:30-9:30 am and lunch is offered from 12:00-1:00 pm with take out meals available 12:45-1:15 pm in the cooler at the double red doors at the back of the building. We serve dinner on Friday and Saturday from 4:30-5 pm and have grab and go meals in the cooler outside on Mondays at 4:30 because a community organization has stopped serving meals on Mondays. 

Volunteers are needed before meals to help with food preparation, during meals to help serve, and afterward to help with clean up.

 

Community Food Pantry Cooperative (CFPC)

Help is needed to sort donations, stock the pantry shelves and fill the written guest orders for pick up or home delivery the following day.  The CFPC is now open in the house next to the main building on Valley Street.  We would love your help getting it stocked and having it open for as many hours as it can be staffed for in-person shopping.  We have volunteer shifts available anytime between 9-11 am and 1-3 pm and would also like to add an evening shift on Fridays, 3-5pm.

 

Drivers

Our Homebound Delivery program has grown and we are in need of drivers to deliver food and other needed items to guests who are unable to get to us due to health, mobility and transportation issues.  We would love your help providing this crucial support if you are able to drive, carry boxes and safely navigate stairs. 

We also need drivers to pick up foor and other items which are generously donated by our local grocery stores.  People with trucks or sport utility vehicles are needed from time to time to pick up larger donations and deliver them to Covenant Soup Kitchen. 

 
Gardening If you have a green thumb, donations of homegrown, fresh produce and/or help with landscaping are always appreciated!
 
 
Volunteer Information and Frequently Asked Questions
 

 -We generally schedule volunteers Monday-Friday between 9 am and 4 pm. We also have opportunities for some Friday and Saturday afternoons/evenings between 3-5:30 pm to assist with Friday and Saturday evening meals. There are opportunities on Saturdays between 9am - 2pm and on Sundays between 8:45 am - 1 pm. Please note, weekend hours are very popular and tend to book up quickly.  

 

-If needed in the kitchen, you would be assisting our regular volunteer kitchen crew in getting meals prepped, set up, packaged and served. 

 

-If needed in the Communinty Food Pantry Cooperative, you would be assisting with checking dates, sorting donations, stocking shelves, filling guest orders for pick up and for home delivery and taking guests shopping for needed items.

 

-There are often other projects going on including things like distributions of food and other needed items, community outreach events, registration for flu and COVID-19 vaccination clinics, voter registration activities, etc. and you may be asked to assist in those areas if you are comfortable doing so.

 

-If you have any health concerns or limitations, please let us know and we will happily work with you to find a task that with which you feel comfortable.

 

-We welcome you to share in the meal we serve or bring your own lunch.  We serve guests from 12-1 pm and clean up from 1-2 pm, or until we are finished.

 

What to wear

We supply gloves, aprons and hairnets if you are in the kitchen or are working with food.

 

Please wear comfortable clothes which you do not mind getting wet/dirty, t-shirts (no tank tops), closed toe shoes (no sandals or slides). 

 

Please have your hair tied back and covered with a hat - baseball caps and knit hats are fine.  We have hairnets available, if you do not have a hat.

  

What not to bring

Please do not bring valuables with you.  CSK is a very busy organization and it is difficult to keep track of people's belongings.   

 

Where to park

You can park on the street, in the Walnut Street parking garage (there may be a charge for the garage beginning in June 2023) or the parking lot on the corner of Valley Street and Bank Street, across from the Fire Department and Police Station.  Parking tickets will be issued if you stay in a space longer than allowed, so check the signs and move your vehicle as necessary. You may not park in the parking lot directly behind our building, which belongs to the United States Post Office.

 

When you arrive

Please enter through the double red doors at the back of our building and come down the stairs. Please sign in on the Volunteer Clipboard near the copier in the back.  Please write your first name on a nametag and wear at all times.    

 

Important - If you need to track your hours for any reason (school, work, court) then you will need to also sign in in the notebook in the back.  A staff person will set you up with a log sheet and it is very important that you remember to have a staff person sign you in and out each time. Only hours that have been initialed by staff will be counted and written on your verification letter at the end of your service.

 

After you sign in, please check in with the staff and you will be assigned to a project!

 

If you cannot be here when scheduled

We understand that things happen and you may not be able to get here as planned.  If you are ill, please stay home and get better!  Please call or e-mail to let us know that you cannot make it before your shift is scheduled to begin.  We need time to get other volunteers to fill in, so at least a day ahead of time is preferred, if at all possible. 

Phone:  860 423 1643

e-mail: info@covenantsoupkitchen.org

 

Before you leave

Please sign out and leave your name badge holder in the container.  If you are not returning, please discard the paper insert and return the empty holder to the container with the blank inserts so a new volunteer can use it.

 

 

If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions, please do not hesitate to speak with a staff member. Your feedback is important and will help us make Covenant Soup Kitchen a better place for everyone. You can also e-mail kclark@covenantsoupkitchen.org or phone 860 423 1643 ext. 10 to discuss your thoughts.

 

We know that you could be volunteering anywhere and we are very grateful that you choose to be here. 

 

 Thank you!