Dinner Service

 

 

Thank you for volunteering to prepare and serve one of the weekly meals at Acts Six Soup Kitchen.  Your group is responsible for planning the menu, preparing the meal, serving, and cleanup of the kitchen and dining area on your scheduled day. Please call 435.695.7448 2 weeks prior to your schedule serving date to inform the kitchen manager what your groups menu will be.

 

The meal is served each Thursday, 5 to 7 p.m. at 912 North Main.  This is the Eagles Lodge, and Soup Kitchen is located at the rear (east) in a former public restaurant. We share the kitchen with the Eagles so some of the supplies are stored separately.

 

IN ADVANCE

At least two weeks in advance of your meal, contact Susan Poulsen, kitchen manager, at 435.695.7448 to see what main dish ingredients (usually meats) are available and settle upon a menu with her.  This is important, so meats may be removed from the freezer and other ingredients assembled.  If you have not prepared a meal before, visit on a Thursday afternoon or evening so you can see where items are kept, the serving line setup, etc.

Hint: Some groups prefer to donate and bring their own main dish ingredients. This is greatly appreciated and helps on our food budget.

 

Decide how long your meal will take to prepare (for example, if you need to come early to roast turkeys) and set your Thursday arrival time with Susie so she can meet you there, and get you started.  The building has an alarm system.

 

ON YOUR MEAL DAY

Meal Preparation:  When you get to the soup kitchen the volunteer sign in sheet will be on the bar. Please have all volunteers sign in and sign out as they enter and leave the soup kitchen. 3-5 volunteers, depending on the complexity of your menu and/or size of your organization.  Some large groups come fairly late and use lots of volunteers to prepare a quick meal.  At least one person in your group should have a food handlers permit.  Health and safety regulations prohibit children under 14 from being in the kitchen.

Put on your hair net, your apron then Wash your hands at the hand sink next to the ice machine. Proper hand washing includes warm water, soap with washing hands for 20 seconds, (sing ABC song) then grab a paper towel and turn off the water with the paper towel, grab another piece of paper towel and dry your hands. Prepare a tub of chlorine bleach water (two capfuls per gallon) and wipe down the food preparation area.

All volunteers working with food must wear clean aprons, head coverings, and gloves. Some like to bring their own aprons and caps, but we have disposables on-site.

Gloves need to be worn to prepare foods and while serving. If you touch your face or your apron please change your gloves prior to touching food again.

Our spices are in a cabinet, canned goods on shelves, and our refrigerator are all  outside the kitchen; the items on the east wall in the kitchen belong to the Eagles.

Prepare your meal.  If refrigerating items, be sure that ready-to-serve salads, etc. are covered and placed on shelves ABOVE any meat products.  Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Sanitize the food prep counter when you complete tasks, and prior to serving time.

 

Other tasks:  

There are bread products to give away.  Assign someone to mark through the labels and sort the breads into types.  Choose 8 dozen of the freshest rolls if you plan to serve them with your menu.  

Wipe off the serving tables; put salt-and-peppers on them.  Fill the silverware cart (handles up) and be sure napkins are out.  

Set up dessert table with small plates, napkins, water pitcher, cutting/serving utensils and non-refrigerated desserts.  

Set out plates in serving area. Pre-count plates, giving them a number to match with the counter’s figures.

 

Serving: 8-10 volunteers, suggest 4 on the serving line, 2 at the dessert table, 3-4 in the kitchen washing dishes, pots and pans.  To avoid cross-contamination, the person who loads the dishwasher should NOT empty it, and you need someone to wash serving dishes and pot and pans in the sink.

Between 4:30 and 5 p.m., put butter out on tables; place ice in the salad bar and set out salads and dressings, put ice and water in container, put out cream pies or other refrigerated desserts.  It’s okay if folks come in early and pick up breads, salads or get a cup of coffee.  Just smile and welcome them.

Set up your serving area and pattern, plugging in roasters (if used) to keep foods hot. Usually, there is the main dish, sides, and a roll added at the last – but it depends on your menu.  Be sure to wear clean aprons, head coverings, gloves, and a smile.

If people return for seconds, give them a clean plate.  To avoid cross-contamination, never serve onto a used plate.

Do not give take-outs until 6:30 p.m. and be sure you still have food for people who might arrive between 6:30 and 7 p.m. especially in the summertime when it is light and migrant workers come later.  If you pre-count your takeout containers, it is easy to know how many you prepared. You will need a person to count the number of meals given. The meals are tracked by Senior, Adult, Child. Put a tick mark in the provided notebook under 1 of the 3.

 

Cleanup: 6-10 volunteers, or more to go faster. Start about 6:50 p.m. This is a good time to let those young Scouts or youth groups be involved.

Kitchen: Wash and put away all dishes, pots and pans.  Please make sure that everything is completely dry. Clean counters, stove tops, dish-washing area, sinks, hand sink, etc. and sanitize counter with chlorine water.  Empty garbage cans, re-line with clean bags.  Sweep, mop and vacuum all flooring,  Be sure the coffee pot is unplugged and cleaned inside.  Put the utensil and silverware carts behind the serving counter, silverware goes into the blue buckets on the silverware cart.

Dining area:  Clean off serving counter and front counter.  Put away salt-and-pepper, etc.  Empty ice and wipe out salad bar.  You need two people to dump the salad bar, go out the back exit door and dump the ice over the drain. Either put chairs on tables or set them aside, then vacuum entire carpeted area and floor, put chairs back in place, wash off tables and chairs.  Take out all trash, then re-line trash cans.  Be sure the east door has the latch pulled across after you take out the trash and dump the ice from the salad bar.

Please make sure that everyone who volunteers signs out prior to leaving.