*Kitchen Volunteering at St. Francis House

About St. Francis House: St. Francis House is the largest day shelter in New England. Located in the heart of Boston, it serves over 800 poor and homeless people a day, 365 days a year. 

St. Francis House has opportunities for volunteers to help serve breakfast, prepare food, or serve lunch. Below are the volunteer shift times that coincide with each task: 

- Help to serve breakfast: 7-9 AM
- Help to prepare food: 9-11 AM
- Help to serve lunch: 11 AM-1:30 PM

Please bring a baseball hat or other head covering (or you will be provided with a lovely hairnet!). Volunteers should also wear pants, closed-toed shoes, and a shirt with sleeves (no tank tops). 

Volunteers are asked to bring their own masks to the project. However, St. Francis House can provide disposable masks if a Volunteer is in need of one. For Volunteer and Guest safety, St. Francis House has separated the serving line from direct guest contact with Plexiglass. 

Important steps to complete before volunteering at St. Francis House:

All volunters are asked to please read the pre-service information here: SFH Pre-Service Orientation

All volunteers must sign and return the Volunteer Waivers of Liability: SFH Waiver of Liability. You can do so by sending it via email to kparisi@stfrancishouse.org or by printing/bringing it to service. Volunteers will only need to complete this once in order to volunteer with St. Francis House. If you have volunteered at SFH before but have not completed this wavier, please do so!

Youth friendly, 16+ with adult: All volunteers under 18 years old must have an adult who is 18+ volunteer with them at the project. Please contact us if you would like to bring youth to this project at volunteers@bostoncares.org.

When you arrive to St. Francis House for the first time, simply let our staff in the lobby know you are here to volunteer, and they will show you to the Kitchen. If you have items you’d like to lock away, please ask a staff member to show you first to the volunteer locker area.

Address of Volunteer Opportunity: 39 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116

MBTA Accessibility: Green Line (Boylston) or Orange Line (Chinatown)

At Boston Cares, we recognize that diversity, equity, and inclusion are fundamental values that guide our mission and work. Boston Cares is committed to creating a community where everyone is valued, respected, and can come and participate as their authentic selves. We expect that all volunteers and partners join us in promoting a safe and supportive space for everyone.