for TEENS
Teens are the backbone of
The Ceres Community Project.
As the project’s chefs, our teen volunteers prepare, cook and package the beautiful, delicious and nourishing meals that we send each week to our clients who are dealing with life-threatening illness. Working in our kitchen with professional chef mentors, teen volunteers learn how to cook healthy meals using fresh, local ingredients while making a substantial contribution to our community.
We currently cook on
Tuesday from 2–5,
Wednesday from 1–5, and
Thursdays from 1–5:30.
The kitchen is located at
330 S. Main Street in Sebastopol.
We have room for about eight teens each day.
Once you contact us with the days and amount that you would like to volunteer, we will work you into the schedule as quickly as possible. What works best for us is if you can commit to a regular time, for example, every Wednesday from 1 – 5 for some period of time. But we’re also happy to have you if it’s for one afternoon, every other week, or on some other more random basis. During the summer it is helpful if you can come for the entire shift but during the school year we accommodate a wide range of schedules with teen volunteers showing up between 1 and 3 p.m.
We schedule our chefs about a month at a time.
The kitchen is small so there is a limit of how many people we can have working at a given time. If you are not on the schedule, it isn’t possible to just drop in and lend a hand. And, if you’ve committed to a shift, we are counting on you to be there to help get the work done.
You do not need cooking experience to work in The Ceres Community Project kitchen. There are a wide range of jobs for everyone from beginning cooks to those with more knowledge.
Before you join us for the first time, please:
1. Complete the Teen Application and email it to volunteer@ceresproject.org so that we have your contact information for you and your parents on file.
2. Read the Teen Kitchen Orientation. This provides important information about what to wear and what to expect when you come to the kitchen.
3. We also encourage you to attend a Volunteer Orientation Evening so that you understand the big picture of the difference your time in the kitchen is making.
Finally, we’ve also attached a pdf file of our Teen Chef’s Manual which includes photos of our teen chefs at work, what to expect in the kitchen, basic cooking information, and interesting facts about the relationship between what we eat and our health.
If you are interested in volunteering,
please contact our
Volunteer Coordinator Margaret Howe
with your interests at
volunteer@ceresproject.org
or by calling
707·829·5833 extension 2.
Volunteer Orientation Evenings
Ceres Community Project Kitchen
330 S. Main Street, Sebastopol
Tuesdays, 5:30 – 6:30
January 19
February 16
March 16
April 20
May 18
June 15
July 20
August 17
September 21
October 19
November 16
December 14
This is an opportunity to understand the big picture of the Ceres Community Project, learn more about the food we prepare and who we serve, meet staff and other volunteers, ask questions and have a taste of a delicacy that our chefs prepare! All teen and adult volunteers are invited and encouraged to attend.
