We are overwhelmed with gratitude at the amount of interest in volunteering during the holidays, and love that so many of you are interested in helping your communities. Unfortunately, we are also overwhelmed with the number of calls and emails we receive during this time. So please use the website to sign up!

Like our food service, JCUV administration is made up entirely of volunteers, so we have to make every minute count. Before contacting us, please see if your question is addressed on our website first.

To help you do this we have created this list of Frequently Asked Questions, the Holiday Edition:

1. When are sign ups posted?

Sign ups are posted the first week of each month. Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JCUvolunteers to be the first to know when we post new opportunities. These events fill up fast (within a day or two) so be sure that you are follow us and check the website frequently.

2. The sign up says full, can I still sign up?

Unfortunately we can’t always accommodate everyone who asks on any given day. For safety, we cannot have too many people in the kitchen at once. If the sign up is full, please use the waitlist. It’s also important to remember that people are just as hungry in March as they are in November and December, so please, please, please, come help at one of our other events. We serve year round, so we have plenty of opportunities for you to help!

3. I called/emailed 3 days ago, why haven’t I heard back?

We have no paid staff. Most of our volunteers work regular jobs too (one has 3!), have families and other commitments, and we get to your inquiries as quickly as we can. We simply cannot keep up sometimes. Please be sure to check the website for the information, it will be much faster.

4. I have a (school, church, sports team, work etc) group that wants to sign up, can you do that?

That’s a great idea, just not this time of year. We would love to have your group join us any time other than the holidays. Hungry people need to eat all year round so please sign up in January! We serve year round, so we have plenty of opportunities for team-building while you help your fellow men, women and children.

5. How else can I help during the holidays?

While we have more than the usual number of volunteers during the holidays, we also feed a lot of people healthy food, and those ingredients cost money. This is a terrific time to donate money for supplies. And watch our website and Facebook page for food donations that come up.

6. When is a better time to volunteer?

Please remember that people are hungry and need your help all year long, even though that thought seems to be top of mind around major holidays. Celebrate your birthday or anniversary by volunteering. We look forward to seeing you in January, February, March and throughout the year!