Get Involved
Meals that Heal
Volunteer to Create Home-Cooked Meals for Guests
You’re invited to create a wonderful home-cooked meal for our guest families, in the comfort of the fully equipped House kitchen, just like home.
Want to come for a visit and help prepare a meal? Call Kelly at 317.267.0605 ext. 210.
Volunteer Guidelines & FAQ
We have updated our Meals that Heal policies and guidelines in the wake of COVID-19 to prioritize the safety of our families, volunteers and staff. All groups must abide by these rules in order to participate.
Volunteer Duration: 4:30-7:30pm
Dinner is Served: 5:30-6:30pm
Participation Requirements
- Meals that Heal groups may include a maximum of four (4) volunteers. Everyone who comes with your group counts toward this total. This is a temporary limit during COVID-related restrictions.
- Meals that Heal volunteers must be at least 18 years old. As an increased precaution at this time, children are not currently able to participate.
- All volunteers must be completely illness/symptom-free (cold, flu, fever, stomach virus, etc.) for at least 14 days prior to volunteering.
- Volunteers should consider personal health risks and limitations prior to volunteering. The CDC defines higher risk individuals as older adults (65+), and people with serious, chronic medical conditions (heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, etc.).
- All volunteers will complete a brief COVID-19 screening upon arrival at the House. We also ask volunteers who test positive for or are exposed to COVID-19 within 14 days of their shift refrain from any volunteerism.
- Volunteers must wear facemasks, gloves, and hats/hairnets, so that hair is pulled back securely. RMHCCIN will provide aprons, gloves and hairnets. Additional health practices during participation will include frequent hand washing, proper glove changes, and no face, hair or phone touching.
- All Meals that Heal volunteers are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Proof of vaccination status will be required at check-in for all volunteers. For the safety of our families, unvaccinated group visitors will not be allowed to enter the House at this time.
Food Safety
Cooking On-Site
Your group will receive direction from our culinary team to safely prepare, cook and assemble all food in the House kitchen. Our culinary team will secure all needed groceries and ingredients in advance of your meal thanks to the donation you made when you completed your registration.
Safety Practices
Our culinary team will review all safety protocols while on site. We ask that our volunteers practice proper food safety measures, including frequent handwashing, eliminating cross-contamination/raw foods, wearing hairnets/hair ties, face masks and gloves, etc. Additionally, all refrigerated items should stay chilled as long as possible, and food in the kitchen should always be covered.
Meal Service & Clean Up
Social Distancing
We remind all group members to be mindful of spacing between one another while participating.
On-Site Dining
House dining rooms will have limited seating capacity, ensuring our families are able to practice safe social distancing while eating. Additionally, some families may choose to eat in their rooms depending on seating availability and their comfort level. RMHCCIN families often have inconsistent schedules due to patient treatments and may not be in the dining room to eat while your group is on-site. Please know that finding a freshly prepared meal waiting in the refrigerator when they return is a welcome sight.
Packing Meals
As an added precaution, volunteers will pack all prepared food into individually sized to-go containers for families to enjoy either during or after the scheduled mealtime.
Clean-Up
Participants are responsible for thoroughly cleaning the kitchen as part of the Meals that Heal volunteer shift. Cleaning instructions will be provided by our culinary team, and all volunteers are expected to stay until clean-up is complete. and all trash is taken to the dumpster.
Volunteer Expectations
We strive to create a safe, welcoming and respectful environment for our families, staff and volunteers. As such, we expect volunteers to adhere to the following:
- Bring compassion and respect to your volunteerism.
- Follow direction of RMHCCIN staff.
- We welcome volunteers, staff and families of all backgrounds, ethnicities and religions. Please exclude any personal religious influences while on-site to ensure a welcoming space for all.
- You may take photos of your group only and must thoroughly wash your hands after taking pictures or using your phone. Please do not take photos or videos of RMHCCIN families without permission.
- Volunteers are prohibited from exchanging personal information with or soliciting services to our families.