Our production kitchen and headquarters are located at 179 Amory Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130, steps from Stony Brook Station on the MBTA Orange Line. We offer designated parking lots for volunteer use on a first-come, first-served basis.
Our packing and distribution facility, which opened in 2024, is located at 170 Forbes Blvd, Mansfield, MA 02048
Weekdays
Volunteer shifts are available Monday through Friday, with the following times in Jamaica Plain: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. (morning), 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. (afternoon), and 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. (evening). In Mansfield, only morning and afternoon shifts are offered.
Each shift’s tasks are organized in production lines, so we cannot guarantee that volunteers arriving more than 15 minutes after the start of a shift will be able to participate in production.
The Volunteer Services team is available in person or by phone (617.522.7777, option #5) weekdays from 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. in Jamaica Plain and from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. in Mansfield.
Volunteer tasks in our production kitchen include chopping, peeling, and processing produce; portioning entrees, soups, salads, and snacks; and assembling meal bags for delivery to our clients’ homes.
At our Mansfield packing and distribution center, volunteer tasks focus on meal bag and box assembly, along with some seasonal and distribution-related activities
- To sign up for your first shift, visit our online calendar. To scroll by month, click the arrows at the top of the calendar.
- Select the shift you’d like to volunteer for and click “Sign Up.”
- Enter your first name, last name, email, phone number, and check the box if you are under 18. Then, click “Sign Up” to submit.
- After signing up, you will receive two confirmation emails:
- One email will include a link to the waiver form, which you should sign electronically before your first shift (or have a parent/guardian sign electronically if you are under 18). This email will also include a link to your Volunteer Personal Site portal, where you can manage your volunteer profile, sign up for future shifts, check shift availability, and track your service hours.
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The other email will confirm the date and time of the shift you signed up for.
We do not offer weekend volunteer opportunities at this time.
We expect volunteers to commit to the full duration of their scheduled shift: typically 3 hours for production kitchen and packing shifts, or about 2 hours for delivery driving. We cannot accommodate requests to adjust shifts to start earlier or later than our set schedules, which begin at 9:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., or 4:00 p.m.
If you are interested in volunteering regularly, please contact Volunteer Services at or 617.522.7777, option #5, to set up a recurring volunteer schedule.
No prior experience is necessary! We will give new volunteers a 15-minute orientation at the start of their first shift. Our team will show you exactly what you need to do in the production kitchen or packing areas.
Yes. We welcome volunteers to help with our special events, Pie in the Sky (September – Thanksgiving) and LifeSavor (Spring). Please visit this webpage for updates on other opportunities, including seasonal volunteer activities.
We also need a few volunteers who can commit to delivering meals to our clients in the Greater Boston area, ideally on the same day each week, with a minimum 4-month commitment, or on designated delivery dates around the fall and winter holidays.
Recurring shifts occur on weekday mornings and typically require about 2 hours. For all delivery driving inquiries, please get in touch with Volunteer Services at or 617.522.7777, option #5.
We follow a strict kitchen dress code to ensure our volunteers’ safety and food quality. Volunteers are required to adhere to the following guidelines:
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Long-sleeved shirts that fully cover the midriff and forearms
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Closed-toe shoes that completely cover the foot (e.g., sneakers or boots)
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Long pants without rips or tears, or a full-length skirt
Hairnets, beard nets, aprons, and gloves will be provided on-site.
Volunteers must be at least 13 years old to work in our Jamaica Plain production kitchen or Mansfield packing areas. All minor volunteers (under 18) MUST have a youth waiver signed by a parent or guardian; without this, they will not be allowed to volunteer. Volunteers under 18 are not permitted to use knives.
Youth volunteers aged 13-15 must be accompanied by a chaperone, with a youth-to-chaperone ratio of 8:1 for groups. Youth volunteers aged 16-17 may volunteer unchaperoned as individuals with advance written notice to Volunteer Services (), or with a youth-to-chaperone ratio of 10:1 for groups.
Children under 13 can help by making cards for our clients. Please refer to our Guidelines for Card Making to ensure your cards meet our needs
To help protect our staff and clients from communicable illness, please refrain from volunteering if you’re not feeling 100% healthy.
If you’re experiencing symptoms like coughing, fever, chills, body aches, chest congestion, shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, or diarrhea, please reach out to us at 617.522.7777 (option #5) or , or cancel your shift via your Volunteer Personal Site. We hope to see you again when you’re feeling better!
Masks are optional at Community Servings, and we don’t require volunteers to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
We host corporate and community groups daily at our Jamaica Plain location and Monday through Wednesday in Mansfield. Our high-impact, hands-on volunteer experience is a great way to strengthen bonds between coworkers while giving back to the community. There’s no need to sign up group members individually—just email Volunteer Services at or call 617.522.7777, option #5.
We can accommodate groups of up to 20 volunteers during morning and afternoon shifts and up to 10 in the evening shifts in Jamaica Plain. We typically book out 4-6 weeks, depending on group size and preferred shift times (2+ months in advance around fall and winter holidays). Individuals within your group may be assigned to different areas of our commercial kitchen depending on production needs.
In Mansfield, we can host groups of 4-5 volunteers during morning and afternoon shifts Monday through Wednesday. Thursdays and Fridays have very limited group availability at this time.
Individual volunteering and community groups (e.g., schools, municipal organizations, and other service groups) are free. Volunteers who want to donate to support our meal program can do so online or on-site (please note, we cannot accept cash).
Community Servings requires corporate volunteer groups to make a $75 per-volunteer donation for each shift. This donation, instituted in 2022, is equivalent to two weeks’ worth of scratch-made, medically tailored meals for one of our clients. It also helps offset the costs of staff and infrastructure needed to host large volunteer groups, deepening the impact of the volunteer experience.
If you have questions about the required donation or wonder whether your company may be exempt due to other forms of support for Community Servings, please contact our Manager of Volunteer Services, T’sera Mirescu, at or 617-522-7777 x324.
Yes. Please plan to arrive about 10 minutes before the start of your shift (9 a.m., 1 p.m., or 4 p.m.) to sign in on an iPad near the reception desk and store your belongings in the orientation/locker room area. At the start of your shift, you’ll meet with a member of the Volunteer Services team, watch a 10-minute orientation video, and have the opportunity for additional Q&A before heading to the wash station and into the production areas. The orientation will cover an overview of our mission and food safety training.
You won’t need to repeat the orientation for subsequent shifts, but please don’t hesitate to ask our production staff if you have any questions during your shift!
We cannot accept walk-in volunteers who have not already signed up for a shift. If you hope to find an opportunity on short notice, please check the Jamaica Plain or Mansfield shift calendars. If a shift title contains “full,” we are already at capacity. If not, hover over the shift to see how many spots remain available.
If you think you signed up for a shift but can’t find a confirmation email or see it in your Volunteer Personal Site portal, please call Volunteer Services at 617.522.7777, option #5, or email for assistance
Most of our volunteer activities occur in our kitchen and the packing area production lines. Due to the nature of our tasks, we cannot guarantee that volunteers arriving more than 15 minutes after the start of a shift (9 a.m., 1 p.m., or 4 p.m.) can participate in production. Additionally, individuals within your group may be assigned to different areas of our commercial kitchen depending on production needs, especially for groups of more than 10 volunteers.
Boston area traffic can be heavy and unpredictable, so we recommend allowing extra time for travel, particularly when heading to Jamaica Plain. If you’re running late, please call us at 617.522.7777, option #5, so we can alert production staff to your ETA or discuss alternative volunteer activities.
Most of our volunteer activities are performed by volunteers and overseen by Community Servings staff in production lines according to a set schedule. As such, we cannot accommodate volunteers arriving significantly early or late, or joining for partial shifts, even if you’re an experienced volunteer familiar with the tasks. For safety reasons, volunteers cannot work in production areas without supervision from our staff.
We deeply value the time and dedication of all our volunteers and appreciate your commitment to joining us on a team schedule.
We are happy to provide documentation at the end of your completed volunteer hours. We ask that volunteers sign in and out for their shifts to ensure an accurate hours count. If you’re working both morning and afternoon shifts, please sign out and return to work, as we cannot count the lunch hour during which production activities are paused toward volunteer hours. If you need documentation beyond our standard letters, please let us know in advance.
Please note that we cannot guarantee a specific number of hours within any given timeframe or accept walk-ins. If you’re having difficulty finding enough shifts to sign up for, please email or call us at 617.522.7777, option #5, and we’ll help you navigate our upcoming capacity and needs.
Community Servings is committed to hosting volunteers of all abilities for meaningful service opportunities in a safe and welcoming environment. If you or a group you represent is interested in volunteering with us and requires additional accommodations, please email the Manager of Volunteer Services, T’sera Mirescu, at or call 617.522.7777 x324. Our team will work closely with each individual or group to accommodate requests within the boundaries of our safety policies and production needs.
Contact the Volunteer Services coordination team at or 617.522.7777, option #5. Jenna Lyons and Vincere Matthew in Jamaica Plain, and Ashley Reinhart in Mansfield, are available Monday through Friday for all individual and group booking inquiries.
If you need to connect with a different team at Community Servings or have any other questions, concerns, or suggestions, please email T’sera Mirescu, Manager of Volunteer Services, at or call 617.522.7777 x324.
