Gamma Sigma

Hyde Park Kenwood Food Pantry

Date: Jun 1, 2019 at 9:30am to 1:30pm
Enter by the side door: 1169 E. 56th St. If the door is locked you'll have to knock for admittance. We are one block south of the Garfield/55th St. bus, and there is street parking. At the pantry we give out groceries every Saturday from 10 AM to 1 PM, so we want volunteers to arrive by 9:30 to help with the set-up and get oriented to the pantry. You must be on time; before we open we need to move all the food to the distribution area. We're usually out of the pantry by 1:30 after cleaning up. Typically, new volunteers do physical work: carrying cases of food up and down stairs to our distribution area and back, standing while helping recipients choose food items, helping recipients carry grocery bags up stairs, recycling the cardboard cases, cleaning the storage area, etc. Other important information: 1) No water fountain; bring your own beverages and snacks; we have a fridge if you want to use it. 2) Do not wear politically-oriented clothing; our federal contract forbids anything that looks like political activity, including wearing clothes endorsing candidates for elected office and holding voter registration drives. 3) No open-toed shoes or flip flops; you'll be climbing around on old, splintery wooden pallets and taking the recycling up a metal staircase. 4) Wear old clothes and dress in layers--the pantry will be hot if the boiler is on, cold while opening the door to the alley for recycling during the winter, and dusty at all times. 5) Bring allergy meds or inhalers if needed (see #4). 6) Pantry personnel will sign paperwork that the volunteers bring with them having to do with community service hours; however, we do not hand out service certificates or letters on letterhead, nor do we sign paperwork after the service day has passed. 7) For your safety, we need you to stay in the pantry area unless specifically invited to go elsewhere in the building.