Community Meals provide many benefits to the Solid Ground Community. The first is that it helps stretch the food budgets of families who often struggle to make ends meet, especially towards the end of the month. It also provides a great way for families to make connections with one another and with the Solid Ground community. Meals are usually offered the 3rd Tuesday of each month at our East Metro Place location at 3521 Century Ave N in White Bear Lake. However, we encourage groups to plan a meal on a weeknight that works best for them.
This is a great opportunity for groups of 5-15 members. Children are welcome to assist but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Responsibilities
Volunteers are responsible for preparing and serving a meal for the families at Solid Ground. Food can be cooked & prepared off-site and transferred to our facility, or groups are also welcome to have food catered, if they prefer. Meals should serve about 75 people and should include a main dish, a side dish, and vegetable and/or salad. Dessert and beverages are optional. We encourage groups to create menus that are both nutritious and kid-friendly.
Meals should be ready to be served by 5:00pm, which is when the doors open for our families. Groups should plan to arrive at 4:30pm to help with setup. Volunteers may arrive earlier if they need to prep food in our kitchen, to which basic cooking & serving tools are available for use. We ask that volunteers wash, dry and put away any items they use.
As families enjoy their food, volunteers are encouraged to sit down and strike up a conversation with the adults, play a game with the kids, or offer to take plates if someone is finished eating.
We are happy to make any accommodations to help ensure that volunteers have the most positive experience possible. For any questions, please contact Dylan at 651-846-9024 or DMcDonough@solidgroundmn.org.
