Volunteer Descriptions

General Volunteer

These are the friendly faces that customers will see when they come to the cafe for a cup of coffee or granola bar. They work in the cafe as cashiers, preparing food, or washing dishes.

Time commitment: 2 hours per shift

Attributes:

• • Be committed, responsible, and willing to learn
  • Enjoy interacting with fellow volunteers and the public
  • Have, or be willing to complete, the Food Safe Level 1 Certificate

Responsibilities and Tasks:

• • Attends the mandatory Volunteer Training Day each semester
  • Has an understanding of Agora’s mission statement and philosophy
  • Arrives at shift on time each week
  • Reports to Human Resources Manager regarding scheduling conflicts, or if unable to attend shift (provides 24 hours notice)
  • Prepares menu items, serves customers and maintains a clean work space
  • Rotates tasks with other shift members to learn all procedures in Agora Café
  • Works by Food Safe standards

Baking Volunteer

These volunteers work a general volunteer shift, usually in the mornings, and are the ones that prepare the daily baked goods, like Agora’s famous granola bars. They also take on general volunteer roles, like taking orders, preparing food, and cleaning.

Time commitment: 2h/shift

To be a baking volunteer, you should:

• Have an interest in baking
• Be committed, responsible, and willing to learn
• Enjoy interacting with fellow volunteers and the public
• Have, or be willing to complete, the Food Safe Level 1 Certificate
• Baking experience an asset

Shift Leader

These volunteers take on a greater role in the cafe by helping manage the cafe when the execs are not present. They are good leaders and problem solvers, delegating tasks to general volunteers and keeping the cafe running smoothly during the day. They maintain open communication with the executive team with updates and issues.

Time commitment: 2h/shift

To be a shift leader, you should:

• Have strong leadership and communication skills
• Understand the general workings of Agora and know its mission statement and philosophy
• Know about the operation of the different appliances in Agora, like the cash register and dishwasher, to be able to help general volunteers
• Be committed, responsible, and willing to learn
• Enjoy interacting with fellow volunteers and the public
• Have, or be willing to complete, the Food Safe Level 1 Certificate
• Experience working in Agora or in the food service industry is an asset 

Prep Shift Leader

Prep volunteers work under the prep shift exec to help prepare the weekly meals for Agora, like soups or curries. These volunteers enjoy cooking or want to learn more cooking skills.

Time commitment: 2-3 hours per shift

Attributes:

• • Strong leadership skills
  • Committed and responsible
  • Understands the importance of following Food Safe practices
  • Has a passion for preparing and cooking meals
  • Has Food Safe Level 1 Certificate

Responsibilities and Tasks:

• • Has an understanding of Agora’s mission statement and philosophy
  • Arrives at shift on time each week
  • Delegates tasks to prep-shift volunteers and ensures everyone stays on task and follows the recipes correctly
  • Ensures quiche, soup and/or entrée has all been properly made by the end of shift
  • Participates in preparing quiche, soup and/or entrée to be served during Café hours
  • Works by Food Safe standards

Prep shift volunteer

Time commitment: 2-3 hours per shift

Attributes:

• • Committed, responsible and willing to learn
  • Enjoys interacting with fellow volunteers
  • Understands the importance of following Food Safe practices
  • Has a passion for cooking
  • Has Food Safe Level 1 Certificate, or will obtain certification within 4 weeks of starting at Agora

Responsibilities and Tasks:

• • Attends the mandatory Volunteer Training Day each semester
  • Has an understanding of Agora’s mission statement and philosophy
  • Arrives at shift on time each week
  • Reports to Human Resources Manager regarding scheduling conflicts, or if unable to attend shift (provides 24 hours notice)
  • Prepares quiche, soup or lasagna for day shifts to serve
  • Works by Food Safe standards

Catering Volunteer

Time commitment: ?

These volunteers work with the catering exec to fulfill our catering orders, making large batches of cookies, granola bars, or other cafe menu items. Agora will not be taking on catering orders right away upon re-opening. We will provide updates on when our catering services will start up again. Any volunteers interested in being a catering volunteer should put another position as their first choice but can indicate their interest in working as a catering volunteer.

To be a catering volunteer, you should:

• Have an interest in baking and food preparation
• Be committed, responsible, and willing to learn
• Enjoy interacting with fellow volunteers
• Have, or be willing to complete, the Food Safe Level 1 Certificate
• Baking experience an asset