Become a Volunteer!

Thanks for your interest in volunteering with us to build a diverse, inclusive community through a high-quality dining experience with healthy delicious food.

Volunteers at Stone Soup Café each add a unique spice and flavor to the community, which contributes to our culture of belonging. When everyone adds an ingredient to the soup pot, we all share in the bounty!

In order to ensure the best volunteering experience, please take some time to review our Volunteer Handbook.

Once you are ready, feel free to register and sign up for a shift!

Find us at 399 Main Street in Greenfield, in the basement of All Souls Church. We're on the corner of Hope Street & Main Street. Enter at the Hope Street entrance – through the red door. Street parking is free on Saturdays.

Volunteer Agreement

I understand that the Café community is built on personal responsibility and relationships. I will act with respect for Café’s volunteers and guests. I will take responsibility for my actions. If I am uncomfortable addressing an issue with another community member, I will bring the issue to the attention of the Volunteer Coordinator. If I am not able to make a scheduled shift, I will let the Volunteer Coordinator know that I cannot attend.

I acknowledge that Stone Soup Café is committed to the ongoing work of building a beloved community, where all walks of life can come together to share nourishment, connection, and learning for body, mind and spirit. In order for all people affected by racism to feel a sense of belonging at the Café, I all agree to practice antiracism and build a culture of inclusivity, justice, and transformation.

Volunteer Shifts

Friday Food Prep

>> 2:30PM - 4:30PM / 4:30PM - 6:30PM / 6:30PM - 7:30PM

Come on down to the Stone Soup Café and chop with the crew! Be ready to learn to prep food, prep veggies, and make dessert! Tasks: chopping vegetables, cooking, and cleaning.

Saturday Meal Service

>> Morning Food Prep, Cooking & Set-Up (8:30AM - 10:30AM)

Cook with our chef! During this shift, we complete the preparation of veggies and finish cooking all the dishes for Saturday’s lunch. Tasks: chopping vegetables, cooking, dishing out the soup, rolling compostable utensils, dish-washing. If you'd like to stay for food service, sign up for that shift as well!

>> Meal Packing (11:00AM - 1:30PM)

Even in this time of COVID 19 - we know that we can serve our community. This shift goes until 2:30pm so that everyone can assist with cleaning the dining room before leaving (sweeping, mopping, wiping down surfaces). As Chef Kirsten says, “When you’re done, you’ve just begun!” If you cannot stay for the whole shift, please sign up for the earlier Food Prep shift instead.

>> Outdoor Meal Service (11:30AM - 1:30PM)

If you're a sociable-type and you love chatting with community members, this is the shift for you! Join us outside taking people's meal orders, helping to run the Free Store/Food Pantry, and keeping the meal-pickup line movin' and groovin'! We have fun, even when it's chilly.

>> Dishwashing & Kitchen Clean-Up (1:30PM - 3:30PM)

If you love to clean and organize – this is a job for you! Dishwashing, cleaning kitchen space, sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor. We work and sing along to great tunes while scrubbing down the Cafe! Hopefully, the morning dishwashing fairy has made your job light.

>> Meal Delivery Driver! (12:15PM - 2:00PM)

We are all so grateful that we are able to deliver hundreds of meals to our community every week! Our volunteer drivers bring SO much happiness, relief, and respect to our communities.

We deliver to Greenfield, Bernardston, Deerfield, Shelburne Falls, Colrain, Great Falls, Millers Falls, Montague, Lake Pleasant, and sometimes even Whately and Sunderland.

HOW MEAL DELIVERING WORKS:

Sign up using the link above! Please create a Track-It-Forward account so that we have your phone number. Write a message with your time preference (if you have one), and your preferred delivery zone (e.g. "I prefer to deliver to Montague-area")
On Friday afternoon you will receive an email with your scheduled time-slot (i.e. the time when you should arrive at the Café on Saturday).
Arrive at the Café at your scheduled time and wait in a nearby parking spot. You will be called when your order is ready.
When it's your turn, drive to the front of All Souls Church (399 Main Street, Greenfield).
We will do a brief COVID screening and help you load up the meals.
We will give you a list of addresses to deliver to, and off you go!

Check out our volunteer sign-up portal!

Community Guidelines

The Stone Soup Café board, staff, and volunteers strive to conduct ourselves in a responsible and ethical manner. By having guidelines we create a space that is safer for everyone. We collaborate to achieve the Café’s mission, uphold the Café’s values, and work to maintain a positive, respectful and constructive tone throughout the Café.

At the Café, we all agree to:

Treat everyone with dignity, respect, and kindness. Help the Café be a welcoming environment for everyone. Facilitate a climate of trust and mutual support through relationships focused on respect. Communicate with language that is inclusive and compassionate. Recognize that most people are doing the best they can.
Respect others’ boundaries. Avoid forcing personal values, beliefs, and behaviors on others. Instead, strive to exchange knowledge and build relationships. Stay curious and open to learning new things! Listen to understand.
Work with mindful intention and ask for clarification if confused. Asking for help is celebrated!
Use your good judgment in terms of your own physical condition, and do not come in if you are sick, or have any condition that could negatively impact on your ability to deliver quality services.
Remember that volunteers are not rule-enforcers or gatekeepers; Volunteers are helpers. At times, volunteers may have to clarify information or a policy, but try and do so with a smile. If a rule needs to be enforced, get a staff person.
Try to resolve conflicts with direct and respectful conversation.