Serving Information

The Soup Kitchen serves lunch from Sunday through Friday at The Church of the Redeemer, 36 South Street, Morristown (one block east of the Green, across from Scotti's Records) and on Saturday at St. Peter's Church, 70 Maple Ave., Morristown.

Lunch is served from 11:45-1:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
On Sundays from September to June, lunch is served from 12:30-1:30.
On Sundays in July and August, lunch is served from 12:00-1:00.

Volunteers are asked to be at the church by 10:30 a.m. and stay until the kitchen and dining room are cleaned up (usually until 1:30 or 1:45). On Sundays when lunch is served from 12:30-1:30, volunteers are asked to work from 11:00-2:00.

The team who is scheduled to serve, unless otherwise agreed upon prior to the serving date, generally provides the food.

The Soup Kitchen is an ecumenical organization comprised of 34 member congregations, most of whom are assigned a regular day of the month to come in and serve. The second Friday of each month is reserved for corporate teams. Teams generally consist of 12-14 volunteers. If you have a team who would like to volunteer, please contact Terry Connolly at (973) 267-0709.

Check with us about volunteer opportunities for children under 12. Regretfully, volunteers under 12 years old are not permitted in the dining room during lunch.

Volunteer duties from 10:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m.

  • Turn on exhaust fans and preheat ovens
  • Take chairs down from tables
  • Place flower arrangements on tables
  • Make salad but do not add the dressing until just prior to serving
  • Heat casseroles to 140 degrees or higher
  • Heat soup
  • Wash fruit and place in bowls
  • Slice bread
  • Put desserts on individual plates
  • Heat or cook vegetables
  • Make coffee and juice
  • Assemble cutlery packets as needed
  • Pour milk and juice
  • Set out peanut butter, jelly, and bread on the take-out table
  • Set food out on serving tables

Volunteer Duties from 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

  • Place only items to be served immediately on serving tables; keep the rest in the ovens. Keep hot food covered when not actually serving.
  • One person to serve soup, two to serve entrees, one to serve vegetables, one to serve salad, one to serve fruit, one to serve bread and butter, two to serve dessert, and two runners to replenish items on the line.
  • Our guests are asked not to handle food, so please offer the guests what you are serving and place it on their tray. Do not serve onto the used plate; give the guest a new plate.
  • If you notice a behavior that causes you concern for someone's safety, inform the staff immediately. Please use proper discretion.
  • Most of our guests appreciate your service and will tell you so. Occasionally, someone will complain. We suggest you keep smiling and remember they may be having a bad day.
  • Please wear plastic gloves while handling food and serving. If your hair is long, please tie it back when preparing and serving food.
  • Come to the Soup Kitchen prepared to have a good time. The teams who have fun together help our guests the most

Volunteer Duties from 1:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.

  • Help yourself to lunch from the leftover food
  • Wipe down all tables with sanitizing solution and put up chairs
  • Sweep floors in dining room and kitchen
  • Wash pots, pans, utensils, and trays, dry them, and put them away
  • Count the number of trays-this tells us how many guests we served. As trays are stacked, put a paper cover on each.
  • Transfer leftover food to containers and label with date and contents. Store casseroles and soup in refrigerator and desserts and bread in blue plastic bins.
  • Clean stove, countertops, and carts with Windex
  • Clean and rinse sinks thoroughly
  • Empty all garbage bags in appropriate outside dumpster. Place all recyclable materials in marked receptacle in kitchen. Aluminum pans should be flattened and thrown away (they are not recyclable).