COVID-19 Requirements
We are no longer requiring proof of vaccination/booster. All volunteers engaging directly with food or guests are still required to wear masks.
Please DO NOT volunteer if ANY of the following apply to you:
- You tested POSITIVE for COVID-19 within the past 10 days.
- You were severely ill with COVID-19 less than 1 month ago and have not spoken to your healthcare provider about returning to volunteer.
- You have had a fever, cough, difficulty breathing, loss of taste or smell, chills, and/or any common symptoms of COVID-19 in the last 14 days.
- You have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days.
Many Hands Make Light Work!
With a small staff of just four full-time and four part-time people, none of Xavier Mission’s work would be possible without the power and energy of volunteers. Every year, more than 5,000 volunteers provide 15,000 hours of service to keep our programs running!
No matter what your schedule or skill set, we have a volunteer opportunity that will work for you. Whether it’s a few hours on the weekend, an overnight during the week, or admin work behind the scenes, we’ve got the perfect spot!
Join like-minded people from around the city and the world to make your impact today.
Each Year…
Unlimited Energy!
Clothing Room
PLEASE NOTE – CHANGE IN HOURS AND NEW SHIFTS!
Hours of Operation: 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sundays, 9:00am – 11:00am
Volunteer Shifts:
1st and 5th Sundays (sorting only): 9:30am – 11:30am
Thursdays (sorting only): 4:00pm – 6:00pm
2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sundays (sorting and distribution): 8:30am – 11:30am
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND: Many of our guests struggle with health issues and/or do not have access to reliable health care. If you have experienced any symptoms of illness within the last 14 days, please do NOT sign up to volunteer. If you need to cancel your shift, please do so rather than come in sick. Thank you for your consideration!
FAQ
Yes, volunteers must sign up online in advance to ensure that we have enough volunteers but not too many: if too many come, people often feel they aren’t needed and that they’ve wasted their time. Please also note that we have the fortunate circumstance of being a very well-known volunteer site and that, especially during the school year, we often book weeks in advance. It is best to schedule your volunteer date as far in advance as possible.
Volunteers who require an agreement or signature from Xavier Mission BEFORE beginning community service MUST speak with the Director of Outreach. All other volunteers can sign-up through the links on the website. Volunteers should bring all service verification forms with them on the day of service to be signed. Xavier Mission can also provide a service verification letter if needed.
On the days of distribution (the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month), the shift begins with preparing the clothing room for service and continues with the distribution of clothing to our guests. On non-distribution Sundays, the entire shift is devoted to sorting through the donations that have come in during the week.
Our guests tend to be unhoused individuals that also visit our soup kitchen. Some need a fresh change of clothes because they don’t have a way to wash their clothing on a regular basis. Others are low-income individuals who don’t have the means to buy new clothing. Some have job interviews or have just gotten jobs and need appropriate clothing.
Of course! Please see the section here about donating clothing items.
Food Pantry
Hours of Operation: 2nd Saturday of each month, 10:00am – 11:30am
Volunteer Shift: 2nd Saturday, 8:30am – 12:30pm
Note: Spanish- and Chinese-speaking volunteers are particularly needed!
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND: Many of our guests struggle with health issues and/or do not have access to reliable health care. If you have experienced any symptoms of illness within the last 14 days, please do NOT sign up to volunteer. If you need to cancel your shift, please do so rather than come in sick. Thank you for your consideration!
FAQ
Yes, volunteers must sign up online in advance to ensure that we have enough volunteers but not too many: if too many come, people often feel they aren’t needed and that they’ve wasted their time. Please also note that we have the fortunate circumstance of being a very well-known volunteer site and that, especially during the school year, we often book weeks in advance. It is best to schedule your volunteer date as far in advance as possible.
Volunteers who require an agreement or signature from Xavier Mission BEFORE beginning community service MUST speak with the Director of Outreach. All other volunteers can sign-up through the links on the website. Volunteers should bring all service verification forms with them on the day of service to be signed. Xavier Mission can also provide a service verification letter if needed.
Volunteers spend the first part of the morning preparing for the pantry by setting up tables, stocking food and clothing, and bagging vegetables and bread. During food distribution, volunteers are assigned to a food group table where they assist the guests as they shop for those particular food items. Volunteers may also be asked to assist with line procedures, registration, and clothing distribution.
Be comfortable! T-shirts and jeans are fine. Please do not wear:
- Clothing with inappropriate or offensive sayings, characters, pictures or designs.
- Very short shorts/skirts, or shirts that expose your midriff.
- Sandals or other open-toe shoes—every once in a while, cans of food are dropped!
We’ll provide gloves, which everyone working with food must wear.
Yes! The maximum group size is 10, unless the volunteer coordinator is short-staffed and makes the decision to allow a larger group. Groups of teenagers under 17 MUST be accompanied by 1 adult for every 5 teens.
Group leaders should be prepared with contact information for each person in their group on the day of service. Also, group leaders MUST give the volunteer coordinator a number where they can be reached on the day of service so that we can get in touch with you if you are delayed, etc. If you do not have a cell phone, the volunteer coordinator can work out an alternate means of communicating with you on the day of service.
Welcome Table
Volunteer Shifts:
Meal Prep: 8:30am – 11:30am
Meal Service: 11:45am – 4:00pm
Location:
55 West 15th St., between 5th & 6th Aves.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND: Many of our guests struggle with health issues and/or do not have access to reliable health care. If you have experienced any symptoms of illness within the last 14 days, please do NOT sign up to volunteer. If you need to cancel your shift, please do so rather than come in sick. Thank you for your consideration!
FAQ
Be comfortable! T-shirts and jeans are fine. Please do not wear:
- Clothing with inappropriate or offensive sayings, characters, pictures or designs.
- Very short shorts/skirts, or shirts that expose your midriff.
- Sandals or other open-toe shoes—hot soup can be spilled or heavy items dropped!
We’ll provide aprons, hairnets, and gloves, which everyone working with the food must wear; if you don’t want to wear a hairnet, you can bring your baseball cap, bandana, or some other type of hat.
Volunteers who require an agreement or signature from Xavier Mission BEFORE beginning community service MUST speak with the Director of Outreach. All other volunteers can sign-up through the links on the website. Volunteers should bring all service verification forms with them on the day of service to be signed. Xavier Mission can also provide a service verification letter if needed.
Yes, volunteers must sign up online in advance to ensure that we have enough volunteers but not too many: if too many come, people often feel they aren’t needed and that they’ve wasted their time. Please also note that we have the fortunate circumstance of being a very well-known volunteer site and that, especially during the school year, we often book weeks in advance. It is best to schedule your volunteer date as far in advance as possible.
For the morning shift, volunteers of all ages are welcome. For the afternoon shift, we require that volunteers be at least 14 years old.
The AM shift is meal prep for the 1000+ meals that we’ll be serving in the afternoon. You won’t be cooking food. Instead, you’ll be:
- Pouring cups of juice, buttering slices of bread, chopping fruit and vegetables
- Rolling utensils in napkins
- Setting up and cleaning tables and chairs
The PM shift is the meal service. You’ll be performing tasks such as:
- Putting hot meal items (entrée, bread, juice, coffee, dessert, etc.) on trays
- Working at food stations giving out extras—e.g., coffee, bread, water, etc.
- Washing, rinsing, and drying trays
- Cleaning tables and chairs and sweeping the floors
Yes! For the AM shift, the maximum group size is 5. For the PM shift, the maximum group size is 15, unless the volunteer coordinator is short-staffed and makes the decision to allow a larger group. For the afternoon shift, all volunteers in the group must be at least 14 years old. Groups of teenagers under 17 MUST be accompanied by 1 adult for every 5 teens.
Group leaders should be prepared with contact information for each person in their group on the day of service. Also, group leaders MUST give the volunteer coordinator a number where they can be reached on the day of service so that we can get in touch with you if you are delayed, etc. If you do not have a cell phone, the volunteer coordinator can work out an alternate means of communicating with you on the day of service.
For the AM shift, group leaders should arrive by 8:15am and team members should arrive by 8:30am. For the PM shift, group leaders should arrive by 11:30am and team members should arrive by no later than 11:45am. Even though we don’t start serving until 12:30, there are multiple tasks that need to be accomplished before we serve and we need our entire volunteer crew available to do so.
Please stress to your volunteers the importance of arriving on time and staying for the whole shift!