Volunteer Job Descriptions

How can we cook for so many? We are suggesting you get a team of 4 or 5 people together. Three of these people would make two or three 9 x 13 casseroles in disposable aluminum pans (a total of 6 to 9) and one person could bring a vegetable. Café of Life provides milk and juice each day.

Our purpose today is to help in meeting the basic needs of the less fortunate people of Bonita Springs, Florida, providing nutritional and supplemental assistance while preserving the dignity of the client.

How often would we be asked to cook? It would be wonderful if you would agree to take one day a month, but Café of Life remains flexible.

What would we prepare? Café of Life strives to serve a hot, well balanced meal as this may be the only food some get on that particular day. Café leaders have recipes available or you can use your own recipes. Pasta, rice, and/or beans are very popular.

How do we get the ingredients? Many volunteers buy their own ingredients and consider that a donation to the Café of Life. Others turn in the receipts to the treasurer for reimbursement plus there is usually meat available for use in our freezers.

Do we need to stay after we bring the food? The choice is yours. Many enjoy seeing how much the clients appreciate and enjoy the food, others choose to leave.

How can we cook for so many? Teams of 4 or 5 seem to work best. The suggested amount of food would be to serve 80-100 people. Casseroles, vegetables, and a starch, if necessary.  2 large or 4 half pans of each. Fruit, apples, oranges, bananas. A simple desert completes the meal.

How can we help? Every day, Monday through Friday, several of the stores in our area donate food to the Café of Life. These items include all sorts of breads, desserts, salads, produce of all kinds that are nearing the expiration date. Rather than throw these items away, they give it to the Café. We receive items from Publix, and Fresh Market. This volunteer job requires a vehicle with a large trunk or an SUV. There are people at the Café to unload.

We also need volunteers to transport clients to and from our feeding site with our 15 passenger buses each day.

How often would we be asked to drive? We can use your help as often as you are able to assist us. We particularly need people who can help out on a moment’s notice when one of our other drivers is not able to assist on a particular day.

When do you need us? Usually the drivers arrive at the stores around 10:30 a.m., load up and deliver to the Café.  Monday through Friday items are set up at our Leitner Park site.

Our passenger van drivers are utilized Monday through Friday.