Those who volunteer to help at the funeral luncheons see first hand how grateful the families are and that the people who attend can feel the love and compassion extended to them by the parishioners.

How the Ministry Works:

• When the parish is contacted about planning a funeral, an invitation is extended to the family for the parish to host a luncheon.
• The “luncheon coordinator” contacts a “kitchen workers team leader” who in turn organizes a team to set the tables, organize the display of food, and clean up afterward.
• The coordinator also contacts “callers” who call volunteers who have offered to prepare food.
• The coordinator then purchases the meat, cheese, bread, etc. and delivers it to the luncheon location.

Expectations:

• The coordinator is expected to make her calls to the kitchen team leader and callers immediately and to provide them with complete information about the time, location, and number of people estimated to attend.
• Callers are expected to begin contacting volunteers within a couple of hours as a courtesy to allow the volunteer plenty of time to do his/her grocery shopping and food preparation.
• Kitchen team leaders are expected to organize their teams to ensure that the room is set up and food displayed attractively on the buffet table by the time the guests arrive. The team also cleans up afterward.
• When volunteers are called and asked to prepare food they are expected to prepare a salad or dessert to feed 12 to 15 people and to deliver it to the luncheon site by a specific time.