Volunteer for Thanksgiving 2021!
We are so excited to be able to welcome volunteers back to St. Monica's this Thanksgiving. Please review the descriptions below for more details about each role.
Baggage Claim
Level of physical activity: High. Heavy lifting involved.
Pace: Fast
Atmosphere: Busy, and guests can be demanding
Direct interaction with our guests: Heavy
Age Limits: No one under age 15 is allowed to work in this area.
Job Description: Prior to the event, you'll help set up the baggage claim area. Then, during the event, you'll take our guests' belongings to a secured area for storage during the dinner. You'll return our guests' belongings to them after they eat and go to the Boutique.
Location: The patio between the church and the Duval Center
Time: 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Beverages (beverage prep and service)
Level of physical activity: High. You’ll be on your feet from the minute you arrive at 11:00 until the dinner ends and you help clean up at 5:00. HEAVY LIFTING IS INVOLVED.
Pace: Moderately fast
Atmosphere: Noisy
Direct interaction with our guests: Heavy
Age Limits: No one under age 15 is allowed to work in this area.
Job Description: Prep coffee & all beverages for service. Serve our guests beverages at the tables. You might be asked to carry a tub of juice boxes and milk cartons, or you might be the person serving from that tub. Other jobs are serving from carafes of coffee and pitchers of water.
Location: Meal Tent
Time: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Boutique/ Personal Shoppers
Level of physical activity: High. You’ll be on your feet from the whole time.
Pace: Moderately fast
Atmosphere: Noisy
Direct interaction with our guests: Lots at first, then none
Age Limits: Volunteers aged 8 - 15 must work alongside a guardian; no one under age 8 is allowed to work in this area (Check out Kids Crafts for volunteers under age 8.)
Job Description: Organize donated clothing to make it easy for our guests to find what they want, then help our guests shop. After they leave, clean up the area.
Location: Grand Pavilion
Time: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Food Receiver
Level of physical activity: Medium. You’ll be on your feet the whole time.
Pace: Very fast at times and very slow at other times
Atmosphere: Fairly calm
Direct interaction with our guests: Little
Age Limits: No one under age 15 is allowed to work in this area
Job Description: Take donations from people in their cars who are dropping off turkeys and pies. Take the food from the drop-off area to kitchens on the church campus.
Location: Outside, rain or shine
Time: 9:00 – 11:00 AM
Food Runner
Level of physical activity: Medium. You’ll be on your feet most of the time and periodically walking distances. Moderate heavy lifting and pushing required in transporting trays of food.
Pace: Moderate
Atmosphere: Fairly calm
Direct interaction with our guests: None
Age Limits: No one under age 15 is allowed to work in this area
Job Description: Get food from various kitchens across the church campus and deliver it to the Auditorium plating area and meal tent.
Location: Auditorium
Time: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Gravy
Level of physical activity: Moderate
Pace: Moderate
Atmosphere: Noisy and crowded
Direct interaction with our guests: None
Age Limits: No one under age 15 is allowed to work in this area
Job Description: No cooking skills required! You’ll make gravy from mixes and help clean the kitchen afterwards.
Location: Auditorium Kitchen
Time: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Greeter
Level of physical activity: Moderately high. You’ll be on your feet from the minute you arrive at 11:00 until the dinner ends and you help clean up at 5:00.
Pace: Medium
Atmosphere: Noisy and busy
Direct interaction with our guests: Heavy
Age Limits: Volunteers aged 8 - 15 must work alongside a guardian; no one under age 8 is allowed to work in this area
Job Description: Greet guests as they enter the meal tent and give them flatware
Location: Meal tent entrance
Time: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Home Bound Basket Decoration and Packing
Level of physical activity: Low
Pace: Moderate
Atmosphere: Calm
Direct interaction with our guests: None
Age Limits: Volunteers aged 8 - 15 must work alongside a guardian; no one under age 8 is allowed to work in this area.
Job Description: Package food and put it in gift baskets. Decorate the baskets used to take dinner to our home bound friends. Run prepared food baskets from kitchen to Homebound Delivery vehicles
Location: Spirituality Center
Time: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Home Bound Deliveries
Level of physical activity: Low
Pace: West side traffic. Need we say more? ;-)
Atmosphere: Calm
Direct interaction with our guests: Lots
Age Limits: Volunteers aged 8 - 15 must work alongside a guardian; no one under age 8 is allowed to work in this area (Check out Kids Crafts for volunteers under age 8.)
Job Description: Deliver food to our home bound friends and visit with them.
Location: Homes in the Santa Monica area; we’ll provide addresses and maps
Time: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
External Line Management
Level of physical activity: High. You’ll be on your feet the whole time.
Pace: Moderate to Fast
Atmosphere: Noisy and crowded
Direct interaction with our guests: Heavy
Age Limits: No one under age 15 is allowed to work in this area
Job Description: Talk to our guests as they wait in line to go into the Auditorium, be the gate-keeper/security check-point at various entries around the parish campus. Distribute masks and water bottles to guests waiting to enter the campus.
Location: Outdoors, on the perimeter / sidewalks outside the St. Monica campus
Time: 9:30 AM-1:00 PM, 11:00 AM– 5:00 PM
Internal Security/Internal Line Management
Level of physical activity: Medium. You’ll be on your feet the whole time. No heavy lifting.
Pace: Very fast at times and very slow at other times
Atmosphere: Noisy and crowded
Direct interaction with our guests: Heavy
Age Limits: No one under age 21 is allowed to work in this area
Job Description: Help direct traffic in and around the St. Monica campus and direct guests to where they need to go. Ensure that guests only go where they need to, keep guests socially distanced, and help to address on-campus conflict between guests if they arise.
Location: Throughout the St. Monica campus. You’ll be assigned to a specific station the day of the event.
Time: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Mashed Potatoes
Level of physical activity: Moderately high. You’ll be on your feet from the minute you arrive at 1:00 until your shift ends at 5:00.
Pace: Medium
Atmosphere: Noisy and crowded
Direct interaction with our guests: None
Age Limits: No one under age 15 allowed
Job Description: Making instant mashed potatoes. One STRONG person will get a good workout stirring the pot. Others will measure and pour ingredients.
Location: Auditorium Kitchen
Time: 1:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Pies
Level of physical activity: High. You'll be on your feet the whole time.
Pace: Moderate
Atmosphere: Calm at first, then very noisy once the dinner starts
Direct interaction with our guests: None
Age Limits: No one under age 15 allowed to work in this area
Job Description: Cut pies and put them on plates, then clean up the area.
Location: Meal Tent
Time: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Food Plating
Level of physical activity: High. You’ll be on your feet standing in one place from the minute you arrive at 11:00 until the dinner ends and you help clean up at 5:00. You’ll be on your feet the whole time.
Pace: Fast at times, slow at others.
Atmosphere: Calm at first, then noisy and crowded
Direct interaction with our guests: None
Age Limits: No one under age 15 allowed to work in this area
Job Description: Fill plates to be served to our guests by the Table Service Team, then clean up your area
Location: Auditorium
Time: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Seater
Level of physical activity: High. You’ll be on your feet the whole time.
Pace: Moderately fast
Atmosphere: Noisy and crowded
Direct interaction with our guests: Lots
Age Limits: No one under age 15 allowed to work in this area
Job Description: You’ll walk among the tables in the meal tent to find empty seats and put down a placement, then hold up a paddle telling the greeters how many guests to send your way, then you’ll help clean up the meal tent
Location: Meal tent
Time: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sharing Our Blessings
Level of physical activity: Medium. HEAVY LIFTING IS INVOLVED.
Pace: Moderate
Atmosphere: Small Group
Direct interaction with our guests: None
Age Limits: No one under age 15 allowed to work in this area
Job Description: Pack up our leftover canned goods and cooked food for distribution to agencies that help people in need. Wear COMFORTABLE closed-toe shoes and clothes that might get dirty. You’ll get the food from various places around the church campus, sort the canned goods into boxes, pack the cooked food and load the food into a truck and van.
Location: Patio between Grand Pavilion and Caruso Center
Time: 1:00-3:00 PM, 3:00-5:00PM
Stuffing Cooking
Level of physical activity: Medium. HEAVY LIFTING IS INVOLVED.
Pace: Slow
Atmosphere: Very calm early in the day, slighter less calm later
Direct interaction with our guests: None
Age Limits: No one under age 15 allowed to work in this area
Job Description: Cook stuffing and assist with transferring cooked stuffing to be plated for service to guests. Kitchen cleanup.
Location: Spirituality Center
Time: 9:00AM – 4:00PM
Table Service
Level of physical activity: High. You’ll be on your feet from the minute you arrive at 2:11:00 until the dinner ends and you help clean up from 5-6:30.
Pace: Non-stop fast once the event starts at 1:00; standing around until then
Atmosphere: Noisy and busy
Direct interaction with our guests: Heavy
Age Limits: No one under age 15 allowed to work in this area
Job Description: Set out placemats, Serve give guests meals and clear the tables after each guest leaves
Location: Auditorium, Meal Tent
Time: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM, 2:15 PM - 6:30 PM
Bussers
Level of physical activity: High. You’ll be on your feet from the minute you arrive at 11:00 until the dinner ends and you help clean up at 5:00.
Pace: Non-stop once the event starts at 1:00
Atmosphere: Noisy and busy
Direct interaction with our guests: Moderate
Age Limits: No one under age 15 allowed to work in this area
Job Description: You’ll clear and clean the table after each guest leaves.
Location: Meal Tent
Time: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Traffic Angels
Level of physical activity: Moderate
Pace: Moderate
Atmosphere: Active
Direct interaction with our guests: Very little
Age Limits: No one under age 15 allowed to work in this area
Job Description: Helping guide vehicle drop off and pedestrian volunteer foot traffic
Location: Driveway between Grand Pavilion and Duval, Parking Garage
Time: 7:00 AM-10:30 AM
Trash Angels
Level of physical activity: Moderate. HEAVY LIFTING IS INVOLVED.
Pace: Moderately fast
Atmosphere: Some places will be chaotic and others will be calm
Direct interaction with our guests: Very little
Age Limits: No one under age 15 allowed to work in this area
Job Description: Patrol the parish campus to empty trash cans and take the bags to a dumpster.
Location: Entire parish campus
Time: 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Turkey Carver
Level of physical activity: High. You’ll be on your feet the whole time.
Pace: Moderately fast
Atmosphere: Busy, but not chaotic
Direct interaction with our guests: None
Age Limits: No one under age 15 allowed to work in this area. Volunteers will be working with sharp knives.
Job Description: Carve turkeys. Lots and lots of turkeys. Then, help with general kitchen cleanup, dishwashing, and helping with other food stations as needed.
Location: Grand Pavilion Kitchen
Time: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Volunteer Lounge
Level of physical activity: Medium
Pace: Moderate
Atmosphere: Calm and quiet
Direct interaction with our guests: None
Age Limits: No one under age 15 allowed to work in this area. Volunteers will be working with sharp knives.
Job Description: Help set up lunch before the event starts. Serve lunch (Subway sandwiches) to volunteers upon arrival. Cater to volunteers coming in for a break / snacks throughout the event. Clean up after the event ends.
Location: Volunteer Lounge Tent
Time: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Volunteer Check-In
Level of physical activity: Low
Pace: Moderate
Atmosphere: Calm and quiet
Direct interaction with our guests: None
Age Limits: No one under age 15 allowed to work in this area. Volunteers will be working with sharp knives.
Job Description: Help check in volunteers as they arrive in the late morning. Set up check in stations prior to volunteer arrivals, check volunteers in upon arrival, and conduct temperature checks of volunteers.
Location: Volunteer Check In Stations
Time: 9:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Mass
Mon–Fri, 7:00 am - Church
Mon–Fri, 12:10 pm - Church & Livestream
Sat, 8:00 am - Church & Livestream
Sat, 5:30 pm - Church
Sun, 7:30 am - Church
Sun, 9:30 am - Church & Livestream
Sun, 11:30 am - Church
Sun, 5:30 pm - Church & Livestream
Outdoor seating is available at all weekend Masses.
Confession
Mon–Fri. 5:30–6 pm
Sat, 4:30–5:00 pm
There are no confessions on secular holidays or other observances when the parish is closed.
Holy Days & Holidays
Holy Days: additional Vigil and evening Masses, 6:30 p.m.
Holidays: single Mass, 9:30 am with no confessions
Eucharistic Adoration
First & Third Fridays: 7:30–8:30 a.m. & 7–8 p.m. · Church
Second & Fourth Sundays: Noon–3 p.m. · Chapel
contact us
St. Monica Catholic Community
725 California Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90403
310-566-1500 Contact Us
Saint Monica
Preparatory
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