Grace Cathedral invites you to share in a very special volunteer opportunity with GLIDE. We are seeking regular volunteers to join us in helping to serve breakfast at GLIDE every-other Tuesday morning from 6:30 am-9:00 am. Serving a meal in the Daily Free Meals Program can be a transformative experience. The shift starts with clamshell prep at 6:30 am in GLIDE’s main dining room, which is being used as a prep room to allow for social distancing. Breakfast is served to the community from 7:30 am to 9 am, outside, from stations set up in front of our parking lot. Our older adult and differently-abled guests are served first, and the all-access meals line opens at 8 am. Volunteers assist with everything from plating food and sanitizing the workspace to handing out boxed meals, silverware and drinks from behind plexiglass shields. Be prepared to roll up your sleeves, break a sweat, and make some beautiful human connections.
Fill out this form if you would like to know more!
FAQ for Serving Meals at GLIDE Volunteering
Parking
Glide is located at 330 Ellis at the corner of Ellis & Taylor. We are a short walk from the Powell BART/MUNI station.
Directions can be found here.
The parking garage at the Hilton San Francisco, Union Square, is a two-minute walk from Glide.
There are numerous options for valet parking in the area.
Shift Details
Upon Arrival
Please check-in at the front desk no more than 10 minutes before the start of your volunteer service, at 6:50 am.
Storing Personal Items
Once you check in with the Meals Team ShiftLead in the main dining room, Meals Staff will show you to our communal lockers where a jacket and a small bag can be secured while you are serving.
Clothing Requirements
Please wear comfortable clothing. Each volunteer is required to wear closed-toe shoes and shirts with long or short sleeves (No tank tops please!). During your volunteer service you will also be wearing a hair net (or hat if you bring one with you), plastic apron and plastic gloves.
Meal Service
Meals Team Staff and Glide Safety Monitors (in bright yellow jackets) will be present to answer your questions and provide safety to clients, staff, and volunteers. The most important thing you and your group will do is to serve as a friendly and warm presence for our clients. The work is simple (plating food, taking tickets, greeting guests, clearing trays, pouring water, making bag lunches, chopping vegetables), but the value is far greater!
Clean-Up & Eating with Meals
If you have served a meal with us (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner), and once the meal service has concluded for clients, there will be a short 15-20 minute cleanup period, after which you are invited to dine with us. In the event that you choose to dine with us, we request a donation of $2.00 per person; however, no volunteer will be turned away for lack of funds.
The Value of our Volunteers
Your presence at Glide sends a powerful message to the hungry persons who eat with our Daily Free Meals Program – it says that you care and that they are worthy of your time and energy. The diverse group of people who regularly utilize our Meals Program include those who are homeless or insecurely housed, those whose lives have been impacted by substance use and/or mental illness, elders, and low-income families or individuals.
Header photo by Alain McLaughlin