Volunteers: What to Expect

HOPE Missions provides a safe place for people to come and enjoy breakfast, coffee, juice, and fellowship Monday through Saturday (except the last Saturday of the month) from 7:15-10:00 a.m. We call this ministry “Honey’s Place” in honor of Honey Denison for her faithfulness in serving the least of these in our community. We are here to share the love of Jesus Christ by building relationships with those who are dealing with deep poverty, homelessness, addiction, loneliness, and worse. 

Please read Help is a Four-Letter Word to learn about our approach to serving. We simply ask you to come with an earnest desire to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We know we won’t always get it right, but that should not prevent us from trying something new while looking for ways to improve each time. The simple idea here is to share with those in need. I would add, share with intentionality, not accidentally. Pray that God has prepared your heart to be a servant of Christ.

Volunteer servants have quite a bit of flexibility when serving at HOPE Missions. Some can only be here an hour before they go to work. Others come early and stay late. The best way to learn is to simply show up and serve somewhere. 

Serving Positions

1. Cooking. Two or three people are needed to prepare food. For those who love to be behind the scenes, preparing food for our friends, this is your place!
   • Cooking, cleaning, and preparation.
   • You’ll need to come early to prepare the meal or bring something ready to serve (e.g., Bojangles’ biscuits, breakfast burritos, etc.)
2. Food distribution. One or two people are required to manage passing out food. The food is set up adjacent to the check-in station and has one or two people with serving gloves to help distribute the meal, drinks, snacks, and especially coffee and condiments. This is a great place for those who like to share a smile and a pleasant good morning.
3. Check-In Station. One person is needed to manage the process.
   • Using our laptop, we check in each person when they enter. On Mon, Weds, & Fridays, we ask if they are here to take a shower or have laundry.
   • If they’re new, add them to the system by asking for their name, birthdate, hometown, where they’re staying, and if they’re a veteran. No identification is required. We have a welcome kit and offer to show them around!
   • Once signed in, we offer a variety of services at this station, including hygiene products, underwear, socks, water, device charging stations, etc. It’s a very busy station!!
4. Storage Bins. One or two people are needed for this process. One of the most significant services we provide is securely storing personal items for up to 60 people. We have a room with special shelving specifically for these 27-gallon totes. During operations, a guest will ask for his/her bin. We retrieve the bin and roll it out to them. Once they’re done, we roll it back and store it. We do not open the bins. These are personal and private property. Our job is to keep them safe.
5. Showers at Clean Start. One or two people are needed. Ron calls this the bullpen. From the beginning, we’ve partnered with Clean Start to help manage the flow of people in and out of their Shower and Laundry facility. Clean Start has been around for 15+ years, so we lean on their ministry to give folks a great start to the day. Ron is the “king” of the process, but it would be great to have someone else available. Duties involve:
   • Manage the flow of people. Ensure we have someone “on deck” and ready to shower when a spot is available. You’ll be communicating to see who’s next while letting them know who’s done.
   • Interact with folks as they wait for their shower. This is a great opportunity to get to know people. Just remember, many of our guests have just spent the night on the street or in a place that has no shower facility.
6. Mingle and General Support. Two to Four people are needed. While the priority is focused on breakfast and showers, we have several opportunities to mingle with our friends as we share coffee, breakfast, play guitar, or corn hole in the parking lot, to name a few.
7. Clothing Monday. Two to four people are needed to manage clothing. On Mondays, we provide clothing. During check-in, those who want clothing complete a clothing request form and give it to a clothing runner. The runner provides the slip to those in the back that are filling the requests. When completed, the runner provides the clothing to the person that requested clothes.
8. Cleanup. Two people (typically someone that’s already on-site). At about 9:45, we need a few people to pick up trash, recycle, vacuum, and tidy up the place. As we get close to 10 am, we need folks to retrieve the outside seating, cornhole games, etc., and bring everything inside. We need the toilets cleaned and the bathrooms sanitized.
9. Serving Team. We would love to have a team that can provide all of the above for a given Monday through Saturday! If you’re interested in providing a team of 6 to 8 people to handle the entire operations, please contact us to pick a day to come and serve alongside us and learn the process. It’s not that difficult, but personal experience is far better than trying to type every detail here.

Summary of Serving Positions We hope that your church or organization will consider partnering with us to take a day and serve with us. We hope you can see that anywhere from 1 to 10 people can make a significant impact in a variety of ways in just a few hours.

Position	# of people
1. Cooking	2 or 3
2. Food distribution	2 or 3
3. Check-in station	2 or 3
4. Storage bins	1 or 2
5. Showers at Clean Start	1 or 2
6. Mingle and General Support	2 to 4
7. Clothing Monday	2 to 4
8. Cleanup	2
9. Serving Team	6 to 8