Women and Children's Free Restaurant (WCFR)
Positions:
Multiple
Location:
Emerson-Garfield
Focus Area:
Food Security
Populations served:
Time Commitment:
Varies
Women and youth
Our Mission
Women & Children's Free Restaurant & Community Kitchen (WCFR) is a vital safety net that fills nutritional gaps for women and children in need while fostering dignity and respect, both within our restaurant and in the community.
Who We Serve
All women and children (boys up to age 19) are welcome to our restaurant. Many diners are single mothers who work or go to school. Often, they struggle to put nutritious meals on the table seven days a week. Some diners are senior citizens, disabled or underemployed women who simply cannot make ends meet.
Programs
Restaurant Meals
Tuesdays & Wednesdays from 3:00-6:00 pm (last seating at 5:45 pm) and Fridays from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm (last seating at 1:15 pm).
Our flagship program started in 1988, Restaurant Meals offers nutritious meals and dignified service for families in need. Women and children are greeted, seated and served scratch made, restaurant-style meals by volunteer servers. Diners sit together to encourage conversation and a sense of community. Volunteers often join diners at the table to eat. Our diners are not asked to qualify to receive our services.
Nutrition-to-Go
We broaden our reach by providing nutritious, scratch-made meals to 28 partner agencies. Our goal is to complement the services of other social services agencies through a collaborative effort to improve the quality of life of women, children and families through healthy meals. Nutrition-to-Go provides meals at no cost to our partner organizations, and our partners agree to provide the meals to their program participants at no cost.
Partner agencies include: Anna Ogden Hall (UGM), CAPA, Catholic Charities Counseling, Cup of Cool Water, Crosswalk (VOA), Family Promise of Spokane, Feed Cheney, Hope House (VOA), Jonah Project, Next Generation Zone, North Central High School, Odyssey Youth Movement, Open Doors, Our Place Community Ministries, Partners with Families & Children, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Shadle Park Presbyterian Church, Southwest Spokane Community Center, SPEAR Ministries, Inc., St. Margaret's Shelter, Transitional Living Center, Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery, West Central Community Center, Women's Hearth, YWCA Women's Opportunity Center, and YWCA Safe House.
Nutrition Essentials
Equipping women and children with knowledge and resources to improve their overall health and reduce the risk of obesity and diabetes. Support includes cooking workshops and goal setting for women's health, and the health of their families.
Volunteering at WCFR
Learn More about Volunteering at WCFR:
Please join us on the first and third Thursday of every month from 4-5 pm to learn more about our mission and discover if volunteering at WCFR is the place for you. If you’re interested in being a volunteer and would like to learn a little more about opportunities, please RSVP
Curbside Meal Distribution - IN-PERSON
Help guide traffic and load vehicles during curbside food distributions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Kitchen Volunteers - CURRENTLY SUSPENDED
Do you know your way around the kitchen and want to work under the direction of a professional chef? We have openings for weekly and on-call food prep cooks, kitchen assistants, dishwashers, and meal platers. Join our incredible volunteers who assist the staff with meal preparation and support the kitchen during meal service. Professional skills not required but always appreciated. All kitchen positions require ongoing standing, lifting, good coordination, and vision.
Dining Room Volunteers - CURRENTLY SUSPENDED
WCFR serves dignity with its nutritious meals. Hostesses, servers, busers and others make this happen with friendly smiles and a welcoming attitude. We have three incredible “front of the house” teams on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Regular and on-call shifts available. Join us and let your people skills shine in the dining room!
Pick Up & Delivery Drivers - IN-PERSON
We have opportunities for drivers to pick up donated food or deliver nutritious meals to our partner agencies in the community. If you’re ready to get behind the wheel of the WCFR van and have good people skills, please let us know! This job requires an excellent driving record and lifting.
Are you ready for the next step? Go to https://www.wcfrspokane.org/volunteer-openings or contact our wonderful Volunteer Services Manager, Jessica Gebhardt at (509) 324-1995, ext. 300.
