A note to instructors at Ames High School, Iowa State University, or other teaching institutions who have a community service component in their classes. Last updated 3/11/2021

THANK YOU!!  Food at First believes that exposure to a wide variety of experiences is the hallmark of a liberal arts education plus the students really enjoy volunteering at Food at First !!

Food at First has a few requests, in order to make the experience a positive one for everyone…

(1) We are blessed with a number of students from a variety of classes – but the school calendar is the same for everyone, and young people being, well, YOUNG, they tend to put things off ‘til the last minute.  That leaves them scrambling for positions, when they’ve already been filled, then begging us to let them come in anyway.  Ever seen 20 people preparing a meal?!  It’s not pretty.  So please, please, PLEASE encourage them to schedule their time right away at the beginning of the semester – FAF schedules for the next month are posted by the middle of the previous month, FAF volunteer schedules are online, they can always check to confirm their committed time.  We’ve toyed with the idea of asking instructors to have a cut-off date, where the slots must be scheduled by that time (I believe that some are doing this) – but for now, we’ll just ask for your help!

(2) We have a number of students who contact us via email and say “how can I sign up to help”?  We’re filling close to 100 volunteer slots each week, so you can imagine how it would be if each volunteer emailed to ask if they could help.  If you would please direct your students to www.FoodAtFirst.com (simply click on the Volunteer link right at the top of the page), they’ll be able to see ALL open slots for at least the next few weeks.  If you see anything that we could do to make our website more intuitive, by all means, let us know!!

(3) Most instructors require their students ascertain a signature indicating that they have fulfilled their commitment.  That makes total sense – but some tell us they must get the signature of “the Director of the program”.  We would request that you allow the Head Chef for that meal (always clearly identifiable, since they’re the one giving instructions) to sign, and to encourage the students to bring it with them when they volunteer. Better yet, our new volunteer signup software keeps track of the exact time volunteers time-clock in and out. The student volunteer can print this page and hand in to the instructor. 

If you have any input on any of the above, please email Patty Yoder patty@foodatfirst.com any time!

Thanks again for helping us to help those in need, while providing meaningful experiences for your students!!

Chris Martin, Director
Patty Yoder, Executive Director/Coordinator