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FAQ

In response to COVID-19 social distancing recommendations and in an effort to protect our vulnerable clients, Moveable Feast’s volunteer program remains at a limited capacity until it is deemed safe to fully open again. Please read below to see current available volunteer opportunities or contact Angie Kelley with any questions.

Effective Tuesday, July 13th, kitchen shifts will change to 8:00am – 11:30am on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. This is the beginning of our transition plan to gradually increase the number of shifts available and volunteer capacity. 

  • Kitchen Volunteer: We are now accepting new volunteers and volunteer groups of up to 6 people (maximum) in the kitchen. Please find our updated policies below:
      • New volunteers will only be permitted to volunteer if they can show proof of vaccination. 
      • Those who have previously volunteered with Moveable Feast may still sign up for a kitchen shift. 
      • Kitchen Volunteers will continue to wear masks while in the kitchen, though vaccinated volunteers may remove their masks in other parts of the building.
      • All volunteers will enter our building through the main Moveable Feast entrance (beginning July 13th).
      • Shifts are available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9am-1pm, 4 volunteers at a time (until July 13th). Log in to your account at mfeast.volunteerhub.com to sign up!
    • Delivery Driver: Choose a delivery day and delivery area, and pick up your meals from Moveable Feast between 9-11am and make contactless deliveries to clients. Contact Angie Kelley directly to get started!
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    QUESTIONS ABOUT VOLUNTEERING?

    Read below for answers to our most frequently asked questions.

    GENRAL

    Where are you located?
    We are at 901 North Milton Avenue, in the East Baltimore City, east of Hopkins Medical School and the Northeast Market. Our large, red-brick building takes up the whole block on Milton between Ashland Avenue and Eager Street. Our weekday business hours entrance is on the corner of Milton and Eager; our weekend and off hour entrance is on the corner of Milton and Ashland.
    Can I get there on public transportation?

    The MTA bus routes #21, #56 and the Pink Link drops you within 3 blocks of our building, at Monument and Milton. You could also take the Metro to the Hopkins stop and then take any east-bound bus on Monument, getting off at Milton and walk three blocks north, or walk approximately 10 blocks from the Metro station to us.

    Where can we park?

    There is free street parking on all the streets around our building, as well as in the gravel lot just across from our entrance at corner of Milton and Eager.

    If I’m sick, may I still come to volunteer?

    If you are sick, getting sick, or getting over being sick, do not come in. Our clients have compromised immune systems, and it is with utmost importance we do not take any health risks. Thank you for keeping our clients in mind.

    Are there any physical requirements for the kitchen?

    The Moveable Feast Kitchen is a commercial production kitchen which has specific requirements and guidelines to ensure everyone’s safety. These following elements are important for our Clients’ welfare and our volunteer’s safety.

    Food Safety: Staff and volunteers must follow strict sanitary guidelines which include: hand washing, wearing hair nets, aprons and gloves, and proper food handling practices. Moveable Feast provides all necessary kitchen gear.

    Personal Safety: Requires the physical ability to work in cold temperatures (such as freezers), standing for up to 3 hours, working with kitchen equipment, lifting up to 25 lbs. and full dexterity to handle food, knives and carts.

    Please note that shift tasks vary by production needs. If you have physical restrictions, please contact Volunteer Services to see if accommodations can be made.

    What if I need to cancel?

    We understand that things come up. To cancel a shift, please log-in to your VolunteerHub account and cancel the shift on-line, if possible no later than 6 hours before your scheduled shift. This helps greatly with our planning and work assignment processes.

    If an emergency arises on the day of your scheduled shift, please call or text us at 443.904.3313 or e-mail our Volunteer Services office to be sure we know that you won’t be coming.

    Food Safety: Staff and volunteers must follow strict sanitary guidelines which include: hand washing, wearing hair nets, aprons and gloves, and proper food handling practices. Moveable Feast provides all necessary kitchen gear.

    Personal Safety: Requires the physical ability to work in cold temperatures (such as freezers), standing for up to 3 hours, working with kitchen equipment, lifting up to 25 lbs. and full dexterity to handle food, knives and carts.

    Please note that shift tasks vary by production needs. If you have physical restrictions, please contact Volunteer Services to see if accommodations can be made.

    What are your office hours?

    Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Volunteer Services and the kitchen staff are available on the weekends between the hours of 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. Please call ahead if you plan on stopping by!

    If an emergency arises on the day of your scheduled shift, please call or text us at 443.904.3313 or e-mail our Volunteer Services office to be sure we know that you won’t be coming.

    Food Safety: Staff and volunteers must follow strict sanitary guidelines which include: hand washing, wearing hair nets, aprons and gloves, and proper food handling practices. Moveable Feast provides all necessary kitchen gear.

    Personal Safety: Requires the physical ability to work in cold temperatures (such as freezers), standing for up to 3 hours, working with kitchen equipment, lifting up to 25 lbs. and full dexterity to handle food, knives and carts.

    Please note that shift tasks vary by production needs. If you have physical restrictions, please contact Volunteer Services to see if accommodations can be made.

    ON-SITE

    Where should I stow my personal valuables while I’m volunteering?

    We have lockers available and will lend you a padlock while you’re here. We ask that volunteer groups share lockers when they visit due to a limited number of available lockers.

    Moveable Feast is not responsible for lost or stolen items.

    If an emergency arises on the day of your scheduled shift, please call or text us at 443.904.3313 or e-mail our Volunteer Services office to be sure we know that you won’t be coming.

    Food Safety: Staff and volunteers must follow strict sanitary guidelines which include: hand washing, wearing hair nets, aprons and gloves, and proper food handling practices. Moveable Feast provides all necessary kitchen gear.

    Personal Safety: Requires the physical ability to work in cold temperatures (such as freezers), standing for up to 3 hours, working with kitchen equipment, lifting up to 25 lbs. and full dexterity to handle food, knives and carts.

    Please note that shift tasks vary by production needs. If you have physical restrictions, please contact Volunteer Services to see if accommodations can be made.

    What’s the dress code for volunteers?

    That depends on your volunteer role:

    • Office and Client Services volunteers should come in business casual attire.
    • Garden volunteers should wear clothes that can get dirty, sturdy shoes or work boots, and protection from the elements (sun screen, hat, sunglasses, etc.)
    • Kitchen volunteers should be in attire that aligns with our safety policies:
      • No shorts
      • No open-toed shoes
      • No heels (stiletto, kitten, wedge, etc.)
      • No tank tops (tee-shirts and short sleeves are fine)
      • No dangly jewelry that are at risk of falling into the food
      • Kitchen volunteers must wear hairnets, gloves and aprons that we provide
      • Please do not wear headphones in the kitchen
      • Maintain good personal hygiene
    Can I use my cell phone while in the kitchen?

    You may keep your cell phones on you, but please be considerate of kitchen sanitation and safety. Make or take your cell phone calls or text messages outside of the kitchen and change your gloves before handling food.

    Can we take pictures or video while volunteering?

    Snapping photos in the kitchen of your group volunteering is part of the fun! Please do not photograph anyone, including staff, unless they have explicitly agreed to be in your photo. We encourage you to post your images to your social media sites, tag Moveable Feast and include our hashtag #mfeastbmore.

    The same guidelines apply to videography.

    Videotaping requires advance permission from the lead kitchen staff and will depend on what projects are taking place in the kitchen at the time.

    Can I bring lunch?

    We have a full break room and encourage individual and group volunteers to bring snacks/lunch! Label your food and stow them in our shared volunteer refrigerator. We do ask that you help keep our facilities clean by tidying up after you are finished with your break.

    OTHER

    Do you keep a record of my service hours?

    Yes, we do actually, you do, through your shift sign-ups on VolunteerHub. You can view your volunteer history and pull documentation of your hours through your VolunteerHub account.

    Can I bring my children?

    The minimum volunteer age is 14 years old for the kitchen, with the accompaniment of a parent/guardian who will volunteer alongside and supervise the youth. Each youth volunteer must have a waiver signed by a parent/guardian prior to arrival (if parent/guardian is not present).

    For volunteer groups that include youth aged 14-17 years old, the group must be accompanied by one adult supervisor per each five youth and those adults must volunteer alongside and supervise the youth.

    For youth younger than 14, please contact Angie Kelley in Volunteer Services to learn about additional opportunities.

    Can I bring my organization/group?

    Moveable Feast loves hosting groups! Our kitchen can accommodate up to 15 volunteers at a time, with shifts available every day of the week. Shift availability vary by group size and date – please contact Angie Kelley directly with your volunteering request. On occasion, we can offer group delivery driving, as long as volunteers travel in pairs. If your group would like to volunteer, please contact our Community Engagement Manager, Angie Kelley, or visit our Group Volunteer page.

    I live in the county but want to be a delivery driver; are there delivery routes available for me?

    Yes! Moveable Feast delivers to Baltimore City and the 6 surrounding counties that touch Baltimore City which includes: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, Harford, Howard, and all 9 counties on the Eastern Shore. We will do our best to create routes that fit your schedule, though we may not always be able to accommodate. To learn more, please visit our Delivery Drivers page.

    Can we donate food or non-food items to Moveable Feast?

    Moveable Feast can only accept canned and packaged items on a case by case basis, along with non-food items. At this time we are not accepting any baked goods made at home, only those made here in our kitchen. Please contact Angie Kelley at 410-327-3420 x. 31 or AKelley@mfeast.org with your request prior to bringing in your items. All donations must be approved by our staff prior to your arrival.

    Once a donation has been approved, you will be asked to either bring a filled out food donation form or non-food donation form or fill one out here at our office. Those forms can be found below:

    Food Donation Form

    Non-Food Donation Form

    Have questions? please review our Food Donation Guidelines FAQ’s.

    Can we donate food or non-food items to Moveable Feast?

    Moveable Feast can only accept canned and packaged items on a case by case basis, along with non-food items. At this time we are not accepting any baked goods made at home, only those made here in our kitchen. Please contact Angie Kelley at 410-327-3420 x. 31 or AKelley@mfeast.org with your request prior to bringing in your items. All donations must be approved by our staff prior to your arrival.

    Once a donation has been approved, you will be asked to either bring a filled out food donation form or non-food donation form or fill one out here at our office. Those forms can be found below:

    Food Donation Form

    Non-Food Donation Form

    Have questions? please review our Food Donation Guidelines FAQ’s.

    How else can we support Moveable Feast?

    Thank you for asking this question! We raise all our own funds and every dollar donated helps provide medically tailored, healthy meals to our clients living with HIV/AIDS and other life-challenging illnesses. Donate directly here: Feed Fight Foster!

    You can also become a fundraiser by participating in one of our Special Events!

    Have a question not answered above? Contact Angie Kelley, Community Engagement Manager, for more information.

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