Tuesday Night Prep Group: a volunteer food prep group in the DTES

The grassroots, secular DTES Neighbourhood House (DTESNH) aims to provide a dignified welcoming space for our neighbours to participate in various community inspired programs, as well as leadership, social, and recreational opportunities.

The Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House (DTESNH) is looking for volunteers to help with our Tuesday Night Prep Group (TNPG) from 6:45-9pm every Tuesday.

In this program volunteers work as a team to prepare high quality, nutritious meals that will be enjoyed by our neighbours at Wednesday's Community Drop-In program. Volunteers will look through the ingredients (whatever has been donated that week), and plan and prep dishes based on what is available. Typically TNPG makes 3-6 different dishes. TNPG has been compared to iron chef and is a good fit for people who love cooking and being creative! 

Joining our prep team is a fun way to support your community and a good opportunity to organically meet other kind-hearted and fun individuals who support the right to healthy food for residents of the DTES. Food prepared by our prep group help provide nutritious food to as many as 150 people in the community! There are 2 Team-Lead Volunteers who facilitate TNPG and provide guidance throughout the shift.

VOLUNTEER DUTIES
-	Chopping, prepping, cooking vegetables, fruit and other food items
-	Washing dishes, sanitizing dishes, placing back dishes to appropriate spots
-	Lifting may be required (if this is a concern or accommodations are needed, we can surely work with that, just let us know in your email)
-	Cleaning kitchen and any other spaces used during TNPG

REQUIREMENTS
-	Must confirm your attendance each week (a simple SignUp form is emailed out automatically every Sunday evening)
-       Understanding of, and adherence to the DTESNH philosophies
-	Commit to attending each week for at least 2 months
-	Must be comfortable working as a volunteer team without direct staff leadership
-	Willingness to learn from/with peers
-	Must stay for whole shift—part of volunteering is staying to do cleanup at the end
-	Passion for food/cooking/nutrition
-       Watch training videos and read training material before starting to volunteer
-       Must be 18 years or older to volunteer

ASSETS
-	Lived or living experience in the DTES, or volunteer or work experience
-	Food Safe
-	Organizational skills
-	Able to speak multiple languages
-	Understanding nutrition and food quality 
-	Taking initiative
-	Sense of humour is always an asset :)
-	“go with the flow” mentality
-	Naloxone training
-	First Aid Certification
-	Any relevant experience

APPLY
Email volunteer@dtesnhouse.ca to apply. As TNPG ends at 9pm, make sure that you have a safe method of transportation/feel comfortable going home at that hour.

ABOUT THE DTES NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE: 
Our mission is to provide opportunities for residents to meaningfully engage with and contribute to their community in an equitable atmosphere of sharing and learning. The secular, grassroots Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House (DTES NH) embraces people of all ancestries, genders, ages and descriptions; annually welcoming almost 9,000 DTES residents in a community where 70% of our neighbours have low‐incomes, 700 are homeless and 5,000 are under-housed.  
Those who built the DTES NH put the Right to Food at the heart of our work, as nutritional vulnerability was a theme familiar to all. Our goal around the Right to Food is to reform the nutritional impact, quality, abundance and delivery of food in the DTES in consultation with residents, community food providers, non‐food community organizations, healthcare professionals, policy makers, growers/suppliers, food/beverage industry professionals and researchers. Learn more about our organization & programs at dtesnhouse.ca The DTES NH acknowledges and honours the fact that our community lies within the Unceded Territory of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.