Kitchen Volunteering at St. Francis House

About St. Francis House: Located in the heart of downtown Boston, St. Francis House is the largest day shelter in New England, welcoming up to 500 individuals experiencing homelessness each day. Our refuge, recovery, employment and housing services overlap and build on one another to provide our guests with continuous and comprehensive support.

St. Francis House has opportunities for volunteers to help serve breakfast, meal prep with our Chefs, or help serve lunch. Below are the volunteer shift times that coincide with each task:

- Breakfast service: 7-9 AM
- Meal prep: 9-11 AM
- Lunch service: 11 AM-1:15 PM

Please bring a baseball hat or other head covering (or you will be provided with a hairnet) and wear all hair tied back and covered. Volunteers should also wear pants, closed-toed shoes, and a shirt with sleeves (no tank tops).  

Masks are not required unless the Volunteer has a cough, and St. Francis House can provide disposable masks if needed. Food safe gloves and aprons are provided onsite. 

Important steps to complete before volunteering at St. Francis House:

All volunteers must read the pre-service information here prior to their service. This includes important arrival instructions, safety guidelines, dress recommendations, etc. so please be sure to review it thoroughly.  

All volunteers must sign this Volunteer Waiver of Liability in order to participate. This only needs to be done once, so if you’ve volunteered at SFH before and have already completed one, you’re exempt. Thanks!

Youth friendly, 16+ with adult family member/guardian accompanying: All volunteers between 16 and 18 years old must have an adult volunteering with them at the project. Please contact us if you would like to bring youth to this project at [email protected].

When you arrive at St. Francis House for the first time, simply let our staff in the lobby know you are here to volunteer, and they will show you to the Volunteer Lounge where you can check in (follow instructions in PDF). If you have items you’d like to lock away, this is the place you can do so. Staff can guide you from there to the department you’re volunteering in as needed (location descriptions are also in PDF)

IMPORTANT VOLUNTEER INFORMATION: Please make sure to sign the attendance board upon arrival! It will be on the table in the Volunteer Lounge. You also need to get your "SFH Volunteer" lanyards from the basket on the table while in the Volunteer Lounge. Please write your first name on the outside of the plastic sleeve in dry-erase marker (provided) and wear it visibly while on shift. You do NOT need to sign in and out on the tablet in the Volunteer Lounge; that is used for internal volunteer tracking only.

IMPORTANT: Please do not come in unless you are signed up and confirmed to volunteer!

If you are going to be absent from a shift that begins in 24 hours or less, please email both Kate Parisi ([email protected]) and Ricky Walker ([email protected]). Late cancels and no-call-no-show absences will be tracked, and excessive instances may result in release from St. Francis House's volunteer team. Thank you for understanding! 

MBTA Accessibility: Green Line (Boylston) or Orange Line (Chinatown)

At Boston Cares, we recognize that diversity, equity, and inclusion are fundamental values that guide our mission and work. Boston Cares is committed to creating a community where everyone is valued, respected, and can come and participate as their authentic selves. We expect that all volunteers and partners join us in promoting a safe and supportive space for everyone.