Nonprofit
Published 1/26/26 7:33PM

Lasagna can change your life!

Remote, Volunteer must be in Washington, US
I Want to Help


  • Details

    Available Times:
    Weekdays (daytime, evenings), Weekends (daytime, evenings)
    Time Commitment:
    A few hours per month
    Commitment Details:
    Flexible. We estimate that each casserole takes about 2 hours to make.
    Recurrence:
    Recurring
    Volunteers Needed:
    100
    Cause Areas:
    Housing & Homelessness, Hunger, Food Security
    Good For:
    Teens, Age 55+, Private Corporate Groups
    Participation Requirements:
    Driver’s License, Background Check, Attend Orientation
    Other Requirements:
    Only the group leader is required to be fully vetted. Group members under 18 are welcome. We can have group leaders under 18 but generally have them paired with a group leader who is at least 18.
    Wheelchair Accessible

    Description

    Nativity House Shelter is looking for casserole teams to help provide meals for shelter guests.

    Making the world a better place starts in your kitchen with your family's favorite lasagna or tuna noodle casserole recipe.

    This is a great group project for large friend groups, clubs, civic organizations, Girl Scout troops and faith organizations. This project can be done entirely offsite but does require a group leader.

    Project Scope and Scale:

    Nativity House Shelter will gratefully accept as many casseroles as you are willing to make. The shelter has a REALLY big trailer freezer. Frozen casseroles are stored in a "casserole bank" which gives shelter staff a lot of meal planning flexibility. A hearty meal can be prepped for nearly 200 people in under 2 hours which is especially helpful when we're short on volunteers or short on staff.

    How it works

    • The group leader registers to join our volunteer team- They can register online at http://bit.ly/VSregSW or email meganed@ccsww.org to request a paper registration with a pre-stamped return envelope.
    • The group leader will go through the vetting process (background check, reference check and an orientation) and get a Washington State Food Worker Card.
    • The rest of the team just cooks and logs their volunteer hours

    Guidelines

    • The group leader is responsible for food safety and making sure that the team is following best practices.
    • All casseroles must be dropped off in frozen format and labeled with what it is, the date made/frozen, cooking instructions and ingredients (allergen safety).
    • Groups use disposable casserole tins for easy clean up and to protect volunteers from losing their favorite casserole dish.

    Origin Story- The idea was brought to us by two sisters who started a casserole ministry at their parish during Covid-19. The idea started with 7 casseroles and took off like wildfire. What the ladies started turned out to be a game changer for Nativity House Shelter which was trying to feed a whole bunch of people with limited people-power and limited resources during a time of great uncertainty.

    Want to learn more about this opportunity? Call Megan at 253-365-4111 or email meganed@ccsww.org.

    Private Group Details:

    • Group Size Range: 1 - 50+
    • Event can be held at a volunteer group location (e.g. office, park)
    • Donation required
    • Casserole Teams supply all of their own ingredients and materials. Groups are welcome to utilize ingredients available in the shelter kitchen but we can't guarantee what ingredients are available available as most if our inventory comes in by donation.

    Location

    Remote
    Volunteer must be in Washington, US
    Associated Location
    Tacoma, Washington, US

    How to Volunteer for This Opportunity

    Thank you for your interest in joining our team! Please complete our online volunteer registration- http://bit.ly/VSregSW. This is ONLY needed for group leaders. If you live outside of Pierce County, please email meganed@ccsww.org after you complete the registration and indicate what county you live in and that you are interested in helping with casseroles. This will help me make sure that your volunteer registration is properly assigned Pierce County instead of the county in which you reside.

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