We’re so grateful to the many volunteers, church groups and other partners who provide a meal for our RILA clients and clinic volunteers! Clinics can be long evenings, and many participants come straight from work, so having a hot meal is such a blessing. We also know that some RILA clients struggle with food insecurity, so we love being able to offer them a nice dinner (and leftovers to take home when possible). Below are answers to come common questions about providing a meal for clinic.
If you have other questions that aren’t covered here, feel free to email Emily (emily@restorationimmigration.org) or Mel (mel@restorationimmigration.org).
Can I bring a meal (or part of a meal) even if I can’t come to the clinic?
Absolutely, if this is you, please email us! When we don’t have a group providing a meal, we will very often do a potluck-style dinner and we’ll email you and invite you to contribute a dish!
How much food should I plan to make?
At a full clinic, we typically plan for about 60 people, plus more if you plan to eat with us. The week prior to clinic, we should be able to give you a more accurate headcount, though it’s difficult to be exact as often clients bring guests or children with them.
What should I bring? Are there any dietary restrictions I should be aware of?
Not necessarily! It’s nice to provide a vegetarian option if possible, though that’s not required. Crock pot meals like soups or curries are great options. Beans or chicken and rice is always a hit, and a big salad can help feed a crowd too. We also have used frozen lasagnas to supplement meals. Alternatively, ordering pizza can also be a good option, especially for clinics when there are fewer people. We’re grateful for whatever you choose to provide!
We also have a list of volunteers who have offered to bring dishes or desserts. If you would like to lead the meal, but need a little help, we can always put a call out to these volunteers as well to request additional dishes. Let us know if this would be helpful!
When should we arrive?
We ask that you be ready to start serving dinner at 6:00pm. In most cases, we suggest that you plan to arrive by 5:30pm to start setting up. If you think you will need more than 30 minutes for meal preparation and/or set up, feel free to arrive earlier, as RILA staff will be on site all afternoon and able to let you in.
What do we need to bring?
RILA provides paper plates, bowls, cups and disposable or washable silverware. Most of these are located in the cupboard in Restoration’s kitchen to the upper left of the refrigerator (labeled “RILA” on the inside of the cabinet). We also use one of Restoration’s water dispensers, so there is no need to provide drinks unless you’d like to have something besides water available. It’s always a good idea to bring your own serving utensils, though there is a limited selection in Restoration’s kitchen that can be borrowed, as long as they are washed and put away at the end of the evening.
What set-up are we expected to do?
Set up is fairly low-key, and we typically have staff and volunteers around to help, but the more you are able to do, the easier it is for us! It’s very helpful if you can set out the food, paper products, and filled water dispenser, so that everything is ready to serve. If you have time, it’s also very helpful if you can help set up seven round tables and 6-8 folding chairs per table in the Fellowship Hall and one large table with six chairs in each Kids’ Small Group room for client meetings.
What happens during the clinic?
Clinics are evening events where we meet with a group of clients so that we can make progress on their cases. Typically, each client will meet with a group of three RILA staff or volunteers: an interviewer, an interpreter and a note taker. Clients may have family members or friends there as well, and they often bring their children.
We typically meet with two groups of clients, the first at 6:30pm and the second at 7:30pm. This means that clients will arrive in two waves, so be aware of that when setting up and serving food. We try to be ready for clients to eat at 6:00pm, and clean-up typically can begin after all the clients in the second group have started their meetings, usually between 7:45-8:00pm.
Do I need to stay the whole time?
Not necessarily. Particularly if you’re working with a group to provide dinner, it often works well for a few people to come to set up and to stay for the first part of the evening, and then for a second group of people to come for clean-up. We do encourage those providing dinner to stay and join the clients and volunteers for dinner, as this is a great opportunity to learn more about them and RILA. It also helps us to make clinics feel more welcoming to clients.
If you do stay for the whole time, there are RILA volunteers who are in charge of monitoring children in the Fellowship Hall, and you’re always welcome to participate in these activities under the supervision of our trained volunteers.
If we’re serving as a small group, can we set up dinner and then have our small group meeting?
Our vision is that serving a meal would be in addition to, or in lieu of, a regular small group meeting as a way to engage with this ministry and grow as a group! Alternatively, your group is always encouraged to pray for the clinic, and we can reserve some quiet space for you elsewhere in the church if you would like to do this.
What clean-up are we expected to do?
It’s so helpful if you can stay to help clean up! This involves putting away (or giving away!) any leftovers, cleaning and returning any borrowed utensils or washable silverware, returning the paper products and water dispenser to the kitchen, and breaking down the tables and chairs in the Fellowship Hall. It’s also helpful to take the garbage out to the cans located at the back of the parking lot. If you can’t stay to clean up, RILA staff and volunteers are always able to pitch in, but we’re grateful for every extra pair of hands, especially at the end of a long evening.