Thank you so much for your interest in volunteering with us!
A Place at the Table truly could not operate without all of our amazing, committed and caring volunteers. Our volunteers are empowered to do almost everything in our cafe! We really do rely on our volunteers — THANK YOU!
There are 3 ways to volunteer:
1. Volunteer for your meal!
We ask that folks volunteer for an hour in order to receive a meal. Walk-ins welcome.
2. Join the weekly volunteer team
We are putting a pause on weekly volunteer recruitment at this time, but please feel free to sign up for a shift below or just show up and volunteer an hour! If you’re interested in joining the weekly team, please email Emily, our Manager of Volunteer Engagement, at volunteer@tableraleigh.org to get placed on the waitlist.
3. Schedule a volunteer shift
Volunteer when you can! Use the link below to sign up for a shift!
This is open to anyone over the age of 15.
Click Here To Sign Up For A Shift
If you are volunteering because you need hours for a specific reason, please reach out to Emily directly at volunteer@tableraleigh.org.
Please READ OUR VOLUNTEER RULES (below) before signing up.
Volunteer expectations and rules
1. Rules
- You must be at least 15 years old to volunteer with us
- Please eat before or after your shift.
- Come with an open mind. We have many volunteer tasks! (more below)
- Contact the cafe If you are unable to make your shift:
- Email volunteer@tableraleigh.org.
- If it is the day of your shift, you can call 919-307-8914.
2. Volunteer roles
We are a full service restaurant dedicated to providing community and respect to every person that comes through the door. To do that we ask a lot of our volunteers.
A few things to note:
Shift leads: We try to have one of our regular volunteers lead each shift. Please check in with the Lead at the start of your shift and check out before leaving. If the shift lead (or any staff) ask you to do something, please be open to trying all tasks! Not all are glamorous but they’re all important! If you need help or have a question please ask the shift lead.
Experience: If you’ve worked in a restaurant before, that’s great! If you haven’t, don’t worry because we’ll teach you everything you need to know when you get here. Our volunteers do everything from running food and washing dishes to cleaning tables and rolling silverware! If you have worked in a restaurant, please understand we may do things differently. Sometimes this is due to limited space or because we have volunteers instead of trained staff. Feel free to discuss suggestions with the shift lead or our Manager of Volunteer Engagement, but respect that they have the final say.
Community Volunteers: A Place at the Table serves anywhere from 30 to 50 free meals a day. Anyone can get a free meal by using a PLACE Card they were given or by volunteering for an hour. Many Community Volunteers volunteer often and can answer questions about how we do things.
Flexibility: Sometimes we are busy and have few volunteers and other times we might be slow with many volunteers. When it’s busy, take initiative, jump in, and help us figure things out. When it’s slow, the shift lead will try to have tasks for everyone, so please be patient! If we run out of things to do, you may sit with people at the community table and get to know other volunteers.
Running food: Delivering food to tables is our most important task. If it’s busy and/or we are serving a large group, we need volunteers ready to run food. However, we also don’t want to block access to the register, the door, or counters. If there are already a couple of runners in place, check in with your Lead to find a different task!
3. How to dress
- Please wear comfortable clothing that might get dirty. Wear closed-toed shoes. No sleeveless shirts please.
- Wear a hat and tie back long hair.
- If you wash dishes or empty trash, your clothes may get wet and/or dirty.
- We do not have a place to store belongings. Please leave valuables/your purse at home or in the car.
4. Late and cancellation policy
We are a full service restaurant dedicated to providing community and good food to every person that comes through the door. In order to do that, we ask a lot of our volunteers.
Our volunteers do everything except making the food and making the drinks! This requires many scheduled volunteers each day! When you sign up, please make every effort to make your shift. If you can’t make your shift, please let us know as far in advance as possible. To cancel, remove your name from the Golden platform AND …
Less than a day in advance: If you cancel a shift the day before or the day of, please email Emily at volunteer@tableraleigh.org AND call the restaurant 919-307-8914.
If you have a Saturday or Sunday shift, and you’re cancelling DAY OF: please also include our Cafe Manager, Amanda in your email. amanda@tableraleigh.org
More than 24 hours in advance: Please just remove your name from the Golden platform. If you have trouble, email volunteer@tableraleigh.org
You have an unpredictable schedule: If signing up in advance is a problem, consider stopping in to see if we need volunteers (Hint – Saturday is the day we’re most likely to need an extra volunteer.)
Repeated cancellations: If cancellations become a problem, we may ask that you consider volunteering in another way.
5. Youth volunteers
- Youth must be at least 15 to volunteer.
- Youth ages 15-17 need a parent/guardian to sign a waiver.
6. Group volunteering
Unfortunately, at this time, we cannot accommodate large groups and the slots listed on our Golden platform are all we can take right now. Thank you for your cooperation!
7. First-time volunteers
If it’s your first time volunteering with us, please sign your waiver.
8. Questions
If you have ANY questions, please contact Emily Weidman, our Manager of Volunteer Engagement, BEFORE signing up volunteer@tableraleigh.org.