Volunteering Roles at Lunch Positive
Lunch Positive is a voluntary community organisation which runs a weekly lunch club every Friday for people with HIV. We’re based on Dorset Gardens, just off the bottom of St James’s Street in central Brighton.
Our aims are to provide a safe and supportive space for people to meet, to share a healthy meal and to find peer support. We also do other things like provide advice and information, involve clients in volunteering and helping; and provide occasional training in cookery and understanding healthy eating. We look for volunteers who can show empathy, respect and inclusivity with our clients and other volunteers.
Volunteering with us
Volunteering with us is an enjoyable, fulfilling and productive activity! The voluntary roles we have are varied, but all have the same aims – to provide a welcoming & helpful environment and a space which everyone benefits from visiting. We give full training and lots of support, and work towards being flexible with our rota. We usually ask volunteers to help for at least two sessions a month. Travel and out of pocket expenses are paid.
Roles which we need help with are outlined below. Please also see our main Volunteering page, and our online Volunteer Application Form.
Food preparation helpers
… to help prepare food and cook a healthy meal.
Volunteers undertaking this role work together in a small team, preparing a different meal each week. We usually cook for about 50 people.
Some experience in working with food would be helpful, but not essential; and there’s plenty of support in learning the ropes and settling into volunteering in the kitchen.
( image depicts pre-Covid activities)
Kitchen helpers
… to help ‘housekeep’ the kitchen – keeping it tidy and clean, and helping with dish washing.
This role involves working alongside another volunteer, and is essential to ensure our food is prepared on time, that we have enough dining room supplies to serve the meal, and involves helping clear up at the end of the day.
Every area of the lunch club benefits from the kitchen helpers support!
Dining area helpers
… to help keep the dining area tidy, and spend some time making clients feel welcome.
Three or four volunteers work together doing this each week. This role is ideally suited to people who have a desire to get to know other people, to chat and make people feel welcome and included.
Helpers in this role also get involved with clearing up the dining area at the end of the day.
( image depicts pre-Covid activities)
