Out of the Cold
For more than two decades, Holy Blossom Temple has generously opened its doors to the Out of the Cold Program (OOTC) during five winter months while providing nutritious meals and shelter to thousands of adults who are homeless, isolated, or facing food insecurity. Volunteers prepare warm meals, serve our guests with dignity, provide uplifting and meaningful programming, and provide visitors with vital supplies during the harsh winter months.
This year, 2024-25, we will open our doors on November 7 at 5:30 pm. It will run for 5 months from Thursday, November 7 to the last Thursday of March (March 27) from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Current Chairs: Janet Shiner and Mitchel Toker
Immediate Past Chairs: Ellen Howard and Andrea Katz
Volunteer Coordinator: Tabitha Grove
Sign Up and Volunteer!
Welcome to Holy Blossom’s Out of the Cold Program! Thank you so much for volunteering your time to serve those in need this winter. To sign up, please contact our volunteer coordinator Tabitha Grove. Her email can be found directly below.
Once you contact the volunteer coordinator you will be sent a link to fill out a Google form. Please fill it out to the best of your ability so that we can determine which roles and responsibilities you can fulfill with us. (Roles and Responsibilities are explained here- LINK TO THAT PAGE)
You will have the ability to indicate your preferred volunteer role and date of service, but we do not guarantee that each role is available to every volunteer on their preferred date. If you are not assigned your preferred role, you will have a greater chance of being in that role with continued service.
Dates do fill up! If we cannot accommodate you on a preferred date, we will do our best to find you a date that works later in the season.
You can ask questions about our program by contacting Rabbi Samuel Kaye or the Out of the Cold Chairs.
Please do not come to Out of the Cold if you have not registered and confirmed with the volunteer coordinator. We do not accept ‘walk-in’ volunteers.
Volunteers must be at least 12 years old. Volunteers between 12-15 years old must be accompanied by a guardian.
We look forward to seeing you at Holy Blossom Temple!
Email: [email protected]
Roles and Responsibilities
These are the current roles available to volunteers at Out of the Cold.
You can ask questions about our program by contacting Rabbi Samuel Kaye or the Out of the Cold Chairs.
As we continue to expand and rebuild our program more roles will be created. If you have special talents or want to contribute to our efforts in a way you don’t see listed here, please let the Out of the Cold Chairs know!
Driver
Start Time: 4:00 pm
Pick up hot meals and deliver them to Holy Blossom Temple. You must have a large enough vehicle to fit the large hot storage meal box. Must have a valid driver’s license.
Donation Driver
Start Time: 7:00 pm
Deliver leftover and extra food to designated locations for distribution. Must hold a valid driver’s license
Return Driver
Start Time: 7:00 pm
Return empty large storage meal boxes to their original location. Must hold a valid driver’s license.
Sort and Hand Out Clothing/Toiletries
Start Time: TBD
There will be some opportunities to assist with clothing and toiletry distribution at a later date.
Outdoor Greeter
Start Time: 4:30 pm
Greet our guests and welcome them to Holy Blossom Temple. Ensure they find the dinner location.
Indoor Greeter
Start time: 5:00 pm
Greet guests as they enter the room. Assist guests with any initial questions or needs.
Set-Up
Start Time: 4:00 pm
Help with the setup of meals, tables, chairs, sign-in/out, coffee, and serving station.
Meal Server
Start Time: 5:00 pm
Distribute hot meals to guests. Gloves, masks, and aprons are required and will be provided.
Meal Plater
Start Time: 5:00 pm
Plate hot meals, salads, fruit, and desserts for guests. Gloves, masks, and aprons are required and will be provided.
Welcome Table
Start Time: 5:00 pm
Welcomes guests to sign in and provide name tags. Assists guests with initial questions.
Coffee and Tea Server
Start Time: 5:00 pm
Assists guests with hot coffee and tea.
Tear Down
Start Time: 7:00 pm
Assist with tearing down meal set up and cleaning up remaining materials.
Supply Drives and Donations
Thank you for your interest in making donations to Out of the Cold at Holy Blossom Temple.
Current clothing and supply drive Information will appear below. Due to limited storage space at Holy Blossom Temple, we do not accept donations of clothing or toiletries for Out of the Cold outside of the indicated dates and times. You can always help us supply our Tiny Pantries by placing smaller donations in the Janis Rotman Tzedakah Centre.
Large food and supply donations for meal service can be discussed with our Out of the Cold Chairs. Please note that any food or supply donations need to be able to support a minimum of 50 people per evening. We are always thankful for our partners who have made significant donations to help us maintain this program!
Current Partners:
Rudolph’s Bakeries
Loblaws
L’Eat Catering
A Word from our Chairs and Volunteer Coordinator!
Letter from OUTGOING Chairs:
Andrea Katz writes: OOTC is such an important program for the Temple and for our community and being able to open our doors and welcome guests back after 3 years was exciting. Restarting the program was not without its challenges – we had to think through how to deliver our core services in new ways. The program might have looked a little different, but the end result of seeing our returning guests and new guests sitting around our tables was truly rewarding.
OOTC could not run without so many dedicated new and returning volunteers – from our drivers picking up the meals, the servers including families serving the tables, to our home bakers making 60 amazing desserts in their home kitchens, we thank you for making the season successful and look forward to the next full season of OOTC starting in November.
Letter from CURRENT Chairs:
Janet Shiner writes: This will be my fourth year co-chairing OOTC. What drew me to this position of leadership was being asked by someone that I was excited to work with on a cause I believe in. The first two years were difficult during the pandemic, but we continued diligently with the program to feed hundreds of needy people. Last year was a huge success bringing OOTC back into the Temple and notwithstanding the limits of the kitchen, we successfully fed hundreds more guests this season with a delicious, hearty, and healthy meal every Thursday. I have enjoyed working with and learning from Andrea and Ellen and I am happy to welcome Mitchell to our team. Of course, our program is only as good as its volunteers, and we were so grateful for so many awesome volunteers who also believe in the value of this wonderful work. Together, we are making a positive change to help community members in need.
Note from Volunteer Coordinator:
Tabitha Grove writes: As the volunteer coordinator, my role is to intake and match up volunteers with the various roles, in whatever capacity they can manage for time commitment. For the run of the show for the evening I lay out the various jobs that need to be done and match up with different volunteers’ availability.
If you have interest in being involved with the program, please reach out to me at ootc@holyblossom.org
