Pay It Forward - Ottawa Volunteering

This activity is to help in preparation and serving of meals for Shepherd of Good Hope clients.

Shepherds of Good Hope is the largest not-for-profit organization dedicated to the needs of the homeless and impoverished in the city of Ottawa. It was founded 30 years ago, and today supports over 1600 people on a daily basis. In this activity we will help prepare and serve food to some of the poor and the homeless in our community.

Covid policy and protocol
SGH policy requires that as of September 15, staff and volunteers must have at least the third vaccine.
If you choose not to get vaccinated, or do not have the appropriate vaccination level, you will not be allowed to volunteer in settings where there is direct contact with our staff, other volunteers, and service users.
Volunteers and staff are not required to wear masks unless they are in direct contact with clients. We encourage everyone continue to wear masks considering the community we serve are vulnerable and another outbreak will be stressful for staff, clients and volunteers. We will continue to have masks available at the soup kitchen. We ask everyone to be respectful of other choices. If you choose to not wear a mask anymore, we also ask you be mindful of the other volunteers and staff you are with as there are those on the team or have loved ones who are vulnerable to Covid 19. If someone on your team asks you to wear a mask, we hope you will consider it as we want everyone to be able to feel safe while volunteering.

Some guidelines:

• Parking is available in the parking lot at 233 Murray Street. Volunteer entrance is at the back of the building in the parking lot
• Please sign the Group Release and Waiver upon arrival (see below for minors) • Volunteers are urged to leave valuables at home. We suggest locking purses and other items of value in the trunk of your vehicle where possible.
• There is a closet to lock jackets and other items in; please ensure the door to this closet is closed at all times
• Volunteers are asked to maintain boundaries with those we serve; off site contact is not permitted, please refrain from sharing personal information such as phone numbers, email addresses, etc.
• Volunteers are asked to refrain from intervening in any situation of physical or verbal aggression and that all incidents are reported to staff
• Volunteers are asked to follow universal safety precautions by wearing latex gloves, closed toed shoes, and being cautious when handling bags of donations
• Please dress appropriately – keep shoulders, midriff, and knees covered. Refrain from wearing items that have explicit pictures or language.

THIS EVENT IS A COMMITMENT TO VOLUNTEERING AND CONTRIBUTING. There are limited spots for participation in this event and your Pay it Forward team is counting on your commitment. Therefore, ATTENDANCE WILL BE MONITORED at this event. If you are a Yes and you cancel the same day as the event or do not show up, your RSVP may be removed from future events where attendance is monitored

This activity is to help in preparation and serving of meals for Shepherd of Good Hope clients.

Shepherds of Good Hope is the largest not-for-profit organization dedicated to the needs of the homeless and impoverished in the city of Ottawa. It was founded 30 years ago, and today supports over 1600 people on a daily basis. In this activity we will help prepare and serve food to some of the poor and the homeless in our community.

Some guidelines:

• Parking is available in the parking lot at 233 Murray Street. Volunteer entrance is at the back of the building in the parking lot
• Please sign the Group Release and Waiver upon arrival (see below for minors) • Volunteers are urged to leave valuables at home. We suggest locking purses and other items of value in the trunk of your vehicle where possible.
• There is a closet to lock jackets and other items in; please ensure the door to this closet is closed at all times
• Volunteers are asked to maintain boundaries with those we serve; off site contact is not permitted, please refrain from sharing personal information such as phone numbers, email addresses, etc.
• Volunteers are asked to refrain from intervening in any situation of physical or verbal aggression and that all incidents are reported to staff
• Volunteers are asked to follow universal safety precautions by wearing latex gloves, closed toed shoes, and being cautious when handling bags of donations
• Please dress appropriately – keep shoulders, midriff, and knees covered. Refrain from wearing items that have explicit pictures or language.

THIS EVENT IS A COMMITMENT TO VOLUNTEERING AND CONTRIBUTING. There are limited spots for participation in this event and your Pay it Forward team is counting on your commitment. Therefore, ATTENDANCE WILL BE MONITORED at this event. If you are a Yes and you cancel the same day as the event or do not show up, your RSVP may be removed from future events where attendance is monitored

RSVPs open about 2 weeks before the event

This activity is to help in preparation and serving of meals for Shepherd of Good Hope clients. Other activities such as sorting donations and breakfast preparation may also be done depending on the number of volunteers in attendance.

Shepherds of Good Hope is the largest not-for-profit organization dedicated to the needs of the homeless and impoverished in the city of Ottawa. It was founded 30 years ago, and today supports over 1600 people on a daily basis. In this activity we will help prepare and serve food to some of the poor and the homeless in our community.

Some guidelines:

• Parking is available in the parking lot at 233 Murray Street. Volunteer entrance is at the back of the building in the parking lot
• Please sign the Group Release and Waiver upon arrival (see below for minors) • Volunteers are urged to leave valuables at home. We suggest locking purses and other items of value in the trunk of your vehicle where possible.
• There is a closet to lock jackets and other items in; please ensure the door to this closet is closed at all times
• Volunteers are asked to maintain boundaries with those we serve; off site contact is not permitted, please refrain from sharing personal information such as phone numbers, email addresses, etc.
• Volunteers are asked to refrain from intervening in any situation of physical or verbal aggression and that all incidents are reported to staff
• Volunteers are asked to follow universal safety precautions by wearing latex gloves, closed toed shoes, and being cautious when handling bags of donations
• Please dress appropriately – keep shoulders, midriff, and knees covered. Refrain from wearing items that have explicit pictures or language.

THIS EVENT IS A COMMITMENT TO VOLUNTEERING AND CONTRIBUTING. There are limited spots for participation in this event and your Pay it Forward team is counting on your commitment. Therefore, ATTENDANCE WILL BE MONITORED at this event. If you are a Yes and you cancel the same day as the event or do not show up, your RSVP may be removed from future events where attendance is monitored

All volunteers must wear masks at all times when working. Shepherds will provide masks to those volunteers who do not have one.

NEW - Additionally, visors will now be mandatory for all volunteers and staff when unable to be at a distance of more than 6 feet from someone else, whether downstairs prepping, or upstairs serving. If you don't have your own visor, or other protective eye gear, at home, we will be providing you with one. Face wear will be collected at the beginning of your shift from the clean container, and returned to the dirty container when you leave. These masks will then be cleaned, using safe and effective soap and sanitizer, for the next round of volunteers. The use of a visor and mask is currently the best way to limit the spread of COVID and keep you and others safe.

Shepherds continues to provide gloves to volunteers and allow for social distancing.

NEW: PARKING CHANGES - the entire Shepherds parking lot is now being used as an outdoor drop-in centre. There will be some parking available in the lot behind the Shepherds where the Tim Hortons was located at King Edward and St. Patrick. The spaces facing King Edward are being made available by the new owners of that property Hussh.

Some guidelines:

• Please arrive at 233 Murray Street at 8:30 a.m.

• Please sign the Group Release and Waiver and please read the COVID-19 screening statement upon arrival.

• Please bring a ball cap or hair cover of sorts to wear as per our food handlers policies : when preparing food items please wear a head cover (ball cap, hairnet, etc) and apron, tie hair back, wash hands frequently, refrain from eating while preparing food, receive proper first aid for any wounds

• Volunteers are urged to leave valuables at home. We suggest locking purses and other items of value in the trunk of your vehicle where possible.

• There is a closet to lock jackets and other items in; please ensure the door to this closet is closed at all times

• Volunteers are asked to follow universal safety precautions by wearing latex gloves, closed toed shoes, and being cautious when handling bags of donations

• Please dress appropriately – keep shoulders, midriff, and knees covered. Refrain from wearing items that have explicit pictures or language.

THIS EVENT IS A COMMITMENT TO VOLUNTEERING AND CONTRIBUTING.
There are limited spots for participation in this event and your Pay it Forward team is counting on your commitment. Therefore, ATTENDANCE WILL BE MONITORED at this event. If you are a Yes and you cancel the same day as the event or do not show up, your RSVP may be removed from future events where attendance is monitored.