Outreach to Bristol Lodge

Volunteers Needed for August 26, 2019

What do we do? We prepare and/or serve dinner for 60 to 80 low income, food insecure, or homeless guests – including many veterans – at Bristol Lodge in Waltham.

When do we do it? Monday, August 26, 2019 at 1:30 PM. Some jobs can be done ahead of time. You do NOT need to be available on any Monday afternoon to volunteer.

Where do we do it? At one of four separate locations of your choosing:

  • Foodlink: 17 Arlington Street, Arlington. A Redeemer volunteer orders online free desserts, bread, and milk, then pick up those items by car around noon on Monday, bringing them to the Redeemer kitchen before 3:00 PM on Monday.
  • In your kitchen. Make a salad of your choosing in a large, covered aluminum serving pan. Pans and covers are available in the kitchen at Redeemer near the church’s side yard door. Deliver the salad to the Redeemer kitchen fridge anytime on Sunday or by 3:00 PM on Monday.
  • In the Redeemer kitchen. A small group of Redeemer volunteers prepare the main dish, which usually involves carving 16 warm, cooked chickens at 1:30 M on Monday, then packing the main dish, desserts, salads, bread, milk, dressings into a car at Redeemer. You do NOT need your own car.
  • In the basement hall of the AME Church, Waltham. Three or more Redeemer volunteers heat the meal and serve it to approximately 60 appreciative Bristol Lodge guests at 5:00 PM on the 4th Monday of every month. No clean-up is involved. You will be back at Redeemer around 6:30 PM feeling wonderful!

Six Distinct Tasks Redeemer Volunteers can do
for the People at Bristol Lodge

  1. Ordering online and picking up free desserts, milk, and bread from FoodLink in Arlington, on Monday around noon.
  2. Ordering and picking up at least 16 hot, cooked chickens and fresh vegetables at noon on Monday from Costco in Waltham. The chickens are nicely boxed so your car won’t get dirty.
  3. Carving the warm chickens or preparing an alternative meal in the Redeemer’s kitchen beginning at 1:30 PM on Monday with other Redeemer volunteers.
  4. Delivering the dinner to Bristol Lodge in Waltham around 3:30 PM.
  5. Cooking the raw corn on the cob at Bristol Lodge – one hot task!
  6. Serving dinner at Bristol Lodge in Waltham on the 4th Monday at 5:00 PM

Who can volunteer? Anyone can volunteer! Teens are welcome. You do not need to attend the Church of Our Redeemer so invite a friend to volunteer with you! You do not need a car. Unfortunately, the basement hall at Bristol Lodge is not handicap accessible, so tasks 4, 5, and 6 above require being able to climb stairs. Redeemer’s kitchen is accessible. Volunteers can receive community service credit.

Why do we do this mission? Because Jesus Christ said, “feed the hungry”; because we want to reduce food insecurity in our larger community; because we want to thank veterans for their service to our country; because we want to feel good all week long.

Who feeds the Bristol Lodge Guests the rest of the month? Redeemer is one of more than 30 volunteer organizations who each prepare dinner for Bristol Lodge guests one evening each month. Redeemer has been continuously performing this outreach mission for more than 35 years! This outreach offers you a ready-made opportunity to become a part of something bigger than yourself and larger than Redeemer.

How do I volunteer?
Contact Regina Rockefeller or just show up at Redeemer’s kitchen on Monday, August 26th at 1:30.

Thank you for considering this outreach opportunity and thank you for your interest, whether you volunteer for just one day or as often as you choose or not at all.