2025 Volunteer Handbook
Mission and Vision Statement:
Our Vision | Where we are going
Our vision is to empower our guests to reach their full potential by removing barriers so they may become more self-sufficient. Paz de Cristo exists to help them achieve self-reliance, pride and self-respect. Lives are changed leading to improved economic standing, respect for others and citizenship participation.
Our Mission | Why we are here
We are here to Feed, Clothe and Empower those in need in the Phoenix East Valley.
Programs:
The following is a list of volunteer programs currently ongoing at Paz de Cristo.
• Nightly Meal Service: Our most essential service, every night of the year, we aim to provide a healthy, nourishing meal to our community. Volunteers will show up from 4:00 pm to 7:00 PM and help with prepping, serving, and cleaning up.
• Meal Coordinator: An important lead role organizing and overseeing a team of volunteers to prep, serve, and clean up meal service with direction of kitchen staff. The meal coordinator will understand food safety procedures and obtain a food handler's card to ensure all volunteers are adhering to the practices. This role will serve from 3:30 pm-7:00 pm on scheduled days.
• Guest Check-In: Must be 18 years or older. The first people that our guests interact with before receiving a nightly meal. The "hosts" of the night greet guests while checking them into our Sox Box system and confirming contact information. This volunteer will be computer-savvy and efficient with their typing skills.
• Food box Service: Three times a month, we provide emergency food boxes to the general public, designed to alleviate hunger at home. Volunteers sign up to help with intake, verification of documents, preparing the food boxes, directing traffic, and collecting carts.
• Pantry Assistant: Volunteers will assist the Warehouse and Distribution Manager in organizing incoming food donations, restocking the pantry, and putting food boxes together.
• Community Salad Build with Salad and Go: Join Salad and Go as they help create salads for the community. Volunteers will be assisting in putting together salads in our dining hall from 9:00 am - 11:00 am on the 1st Thursday of the month. (Times subject to change based on the Salad and Go schedule)
• Showers: Every week, we provide comfort showers for hygiene purposes. Volunteers serve on Wednesday from 10:00 am-2:00 pm (2 shifts) during the cooler seasons and 8:00 am to 12:00 pm (2 shifts) during the hotter seasons. The opportunity includes different tasks, including checking in guests as they arrive and timing showers, and wiping down showers for the next use.
• Clothing and Hygiene Distribution: During the shower program on Wednesdays, volunteers will assist with distributing hygiene products and clothing to guests and taking inventory of items as they are handed out.
• Sorting Assistant: Assists the empowerment team on Mondays and Fridays from 10:30 am - 1230 pm in sorting and inspecting incoming clothing and hygiene donations, folding or hanging clothes, updating inventory numbers, and organizing the sheds and shelves of donations that are available.
• Clothing Closet: The clothing closet will be open to guests every Monday and Friday. Volunteers on Mondays and Fridays from 12:20 pm - 2:30 pm will assist in running the clothing closet as guests come in and gather items, and will also help with the setup and take-down of the clothing closet.
• Haircuts: Every other Wednesday, guests are provided with haircuts. Volunteers must be a licensed cosmetologist.
VOLUNTEER GUIDELINES:
Our volunteers are highly valued individuals and we appreciate all their efforts with us at Paz de Cristo. We want your experience of service to be meaningful, safe & rewarding. Please review the responsibilities and expectations below to decide if volunteering at Paz de Cristo is a good way for you to contribute.
• Volunteers must sign up before performing service. Volunteers cannot just show up to perform at a service if not previously registered.
• Do not eat or drink while preparing or working with food. This includes gum.
• Be punctual and sign in when you arrive.
• In general, be able to lift and carry objects up to 50 pounds. Contact the office for alternate assignments if you believe this would be a hardship.
• Smoking is only permitted in the designated smoking area outside.
• Dress appropriately. This includes close toed shoes, modest clothing (no tank tops or short shorts) and no polarizing message/content displayed on them.
• Volunteers should try to park behind the dining hall when arriving for service.
• Report to staff as soon as you arrive.
• Volunteers must be 12 years old or older to participate. Volunteers 12-15 years old must be accompanied by an adult during their service. (1 adult for every 5 youth 12-15 years old)
• Signing up as a group is permitted, but please make sure all volunteers are signed up before service. Groups are limited at this time to a maximum of 10 volunteers.
• Volunteers at Paz de Cristo must not be under the influence of any drugs or alcohol other medication prescribed by a doctor.
• If you have received any type of services at Paz de Cristo in the past, you must wait at least 6 months after your last received service to sign up to volunteer.
Parking:
If you are volunteering for meal service, shower and clothing program, food box distribution, or the community salad build, please park behind the kitchen and dining hall building. (Highlighted in orange) If the parking is filled, please park in any of the guest/staff parking spots closest to the kitchen and dining hall building.
For empowerment volunteers, please park in the 'Empowerment Volunteer' parking in front of the front office. (Highlighted in orange)
Shown below is the map of the designated parking areas for volunteers.
Please contact us at volunteer@pazdecristo.org or 480-464-2370 x2120 for any further assistance.
Ending Volunteer Service:
Volunteers are free to end service at Paz de Cristo at any time, however, since volunteering is such a huge part of our services we provide, we ask that you provide at least 48 hours before any scheduled shift to do so, and provide a reason for doing so.
If you need to leave at any time during a volunteer opportunity, please notify a staff member to assure the appropriate safety and coverage measures are taken before you leave. Any complaints or feedback regarding a volunteer opportunity or volunteering can be directed to the Volunteer Coordinator or staff onsite. Please contact 480-464-2370 or volunteer@pazdecristo.org.
Service Hours:
Paz de Cristo cannot properly supervise court ordered community service for volunteers. As such we regrettably cannot be used as a provider of community service hours.
Our volunteer programs do not accommodate group home or agency and clientele volunteering at this time.
School volunteer hours can be supported if contacted beforehand. Contact the office and speak with the volunteer coordinator for more information. For the most convenience, we ask that any paperwork be completed directly at the scheduled volunteer opportunity and that online hours be submitted within the same week of the volunteer opportunity.
Behavior Guidelines:
First and foremost, volunteers should always behave with respect. Respect towards staff, other volunteers, and especially the guests. Treat others as you want to be treated.
All are welcome at Paz de Cristo, so make sure you are welcoming in your manner to Guests, Staff and other Volunteers alike. If a problem occurs, contact the nearest staff or security, or follow the grievance procedures entailed in this handbook.
Working with guests:
Guests at Paz are typically in some of the worst spots of their lives, and frequently in need of many services. They come from many different walks of life and cultures. Many are worn down by the struggle of seeking services. However, they are our neighbors, and deserve our respect and considerations for their situation. Treat them with respect and dignity and most will treat you the same.
When Interacting with guests, please keep in mind the following:
• Do not give a ride, money or personal information such as your last name, address, phone number or email to any guest in any circumstance.
• Do not engage in any physical contact with our guests that could be misunderstood or result in a health risk.
• Refer violations of the above or any other situation that may result in injury, loss, or just generally does not seem right to you to the nearest staff on duty. Trust your gut if something seems off.
Trespassing:
On the rare occasion guests act out and continue to after a warning, Paz reserves the right to trespass them from the property and deny them service for a duration of time as the staff deems fit. Guests that come up in Sox Box as trespassed are not to be served. Contact the nearest staff member immediately if you encounter this situation or the off duty officer for any urgent emergencies.
Donation Guidelines:
Donations are accepted during office hours 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Donations are best accepted at the loading dock on the west side of the building underneath the blue awning.
When it comes to donations, keep in mind we are a food bank, as such, we accept the following items, generally, for donations
• Nonperishable food in good condition
• Adult Clothes, new or gently used, for use in our clothing closet and showers
• Hygiene products.
• Citrus: Citrus can be donated on the days immediately preceding our emergency food box programs. This means the Monday before the first 3 Tuesdays of the month. Citrus cannot be accepted at other times due to spoilage issues.
Donations we cannot accept:
• Consumer meat products – we do not know if it has been stored properly
• Clearly Rotten food
• Children’s Clothing – we do not have space to store this, recommend Deseret Industries or St. Vincent
• Toys – Unless specifically doing a toy drive, we do not have the space to store them
• Appliances, working or broken – we are not a scrap yard or a repair shop.
Paz de Cristo GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES:
There are two key factors in establishing a workable grievance procedure. The first is the concept of a progression of levels at which a given complaint may be handled. Typically, this begins with a step that provides for rapid and informal addressing of a complaint by those immediately involved, with appeals to successively higher levels of management. The second factor is the availability of an alternate procedure, to be used if successive attempts at negotiations have failed.
Many grievances can be solved quickly by correcting a misunderstanding, or with a simple negotiation. In this case the grievance procedure saves time, money and the relationship between the parties. Having the issue handled by those immediately involved is a benefit as well, as they generally know more about the problem at hand than do people at higher levels.
Any dispute which may arise from an employee with respect to the interpretation of the terms and conditions of the Agreement shall be subject to the following Grievance Procedure. All grievances shall be initiated at Step 1.
Step 1. The volunteer shall present the grievance to the most immediate supervisor who has the authority to make adjustments in the matter within 14 days of the alleged grievance.
Step 2. If a satisfactory settlement is not reached in Step 1 within three days following its completion, the volunteer must present the grievance to the Director. The grievance must be in writing and shall state the name of the grievant, all pertinent information pertaining to the grievance, and any action taken or not taken by immediate supervisor. The Director will meet with all parties named and go over all issues. The Director will then give a written response within 5 days to all parties.
Step 3. If a satisfactory settlement is not reached in step 2 within 5 days of the date of the written grievance to the Director, the volunteer may present the grievance to a designated executive member of the Board of Directors who will schedule meetings to investigate the grievance within 14 days of receipt of the grievance and then will submit a written response within 7 days of the meetings.
Last Updated August 2025
