DIY Bagged Lunches for Hospital Patients & Families (2025)

The Doorways provides lodging and support to thousands of families every year who need to be close to life-saving medical care in Richmond. With 117 rooms, we are one of the largest hospitality houses in the country and proudly operate entirely on donations. We are looking for volunteers who are willing to help us provide some small comforts of home to our guests so they have everything they need to feel supported in their recovery process. We can't do it without you!

Position Description: Volunteers can provide bagged lunches for our guests! This helps us ensure guests always have access to healthy and quickly prepared foods while staying with us. These lunches are stocked as needed in our open pantry and made available to all guests. Bagged lunches help us supplement served meals so no guest is ever without a meal at The Doorways.

Bagged Lunch Details: Volunteers are responsible for all the items in the bagged lunches. More details are below! 

• Lunches can include (but are not limited to) - Microwaveable meals (Easy Mac, ramen, soup, etc.), drinks, fruit cups, granola bars, chips, cookies, gum
• The food must be individually packaged within the bagged lunches and they cannot contain anything homemade
• All lunches should be the same or should be clearly labeled 
• Our guests are mainly adults, please keep that in mind when purchasing items
• Lunches can be placed in brown paper bags or plastic ziploc bags
• Groups are welcome to write notes or draw pictures to be included in or on the bags
• We can accept anywhere between 30-50 lunches at one time, if you would like to make more please call first. 
• If your bagged lunches need to be refrigerated, please call first.
• They can be tailored to holidays, specific needs or anything your group might like! We do however ask that bags remain religiously neutral to better accommodate our guests

Qualifications, Skills, & Requirements: This is a perfect activity for businesses, schools, neighborhoods, civic associations, friends, and families looking for a way to give back remotely.

Time Commitment: Depends on how many lunches you make! Between shopping and assembly, it's best to plan for 2-3 hours.

Other Information: This opportunity does not take place at The Doorways. Volunteers are expected to prepare bagged lunches themselves, and deliver the items to The Doorways after coordinating the drop off date/time with our Volunteer Manager.

If you have any questions please contact Kelly Lindquist at [email protected].