Saturday's/Sunday's Bread KE Guidelines
(Updated 11/24/08)
 
Following is an outline of the basic procedures for Saturday's/Sunday's Bread.  Please take a moment to read through it.  Some of it may be very familiar stuff for you;  some of it will be new.  Call or e-mail Mark Metzger with any questions or corrections.
 
In addition to what's here, the KE's final responsibility is to send a brief e-mail to Eliot Kaplan, Mark Metzger and Richard Wheeler (trolleytax@verizon.net, mmetzger@metzgerco.com, ricwheel@aol.com) and the rest of the Saturday and Sunday KEs each week after you serve with a brief report on

This is very important for managing inventory, identifying problems, sharing learned wisdom, etc.
 
Menu -  You will receive the menu by e-mail the middle of the week before you are scheduled to serve.  Please print and bring this with you to St John's.  There may be additional instructions, as well.  Sunday KEs should expect to move some supplies from the freezer to the refrigerator for the next weekend.
 
Bring a cell phone - There is a phone in the dining hall, but bring a cell phone and leave it on.  You should have one handy in case of any emergency.
 
Arrival - Plan to arrive no later than noon.  You should be the first one there to welcome and orient volunteers.
 
Keys - Bring the keys you received and keep them in a pants pocket (not a jacket pocket).  It can be a major-league problem if you don't bring your keys or if you lock them in the chapel.
 
One key opens the front door.  One key opens the Epiphany Chapel to the food storage (see below).  The other opens the kitchen (which is usually open) and most other doors in the basement that have a spherical handle:  the broom closet is just to the right of the guest door;  the door to the rear of the sanctuary (and to the wet mop closet) is off the back hall on the left.  The fourth key opens the SSB pantry.
 
Saturday access  - There is no regularly scheduled church or NAI activity in the dining hall Saturdays before or after Saturday's Bread.  If the sexton is on duty, he may let you in.  Please plan to be there by noon to make sure you arrive when he is still on duty.  If for any reason you cannot gain access to the building call Mark Metzger (781-648-2564H, 781-254-4186C) or Rich Wheeler (617-872-0096C). 
 
Sunday access  - Sunday's Bread has the space immediately before Dignity/Boston, which has a hospitality/meal there in connection with the service held in the sanctuary.  The building may be open when you arrive.  Lock the door behind you.  Please work cooperatively with our fellow programs to coordinate smoothly from one use to another.
 
Schedule - The doors open at 2:30 sharp, so keep an eye on the clock.  Everything should be all set to go by 2:15, when you do the prayer circle and assignments.
 
 
First Things
 
Pantry - You have a key to the Epiphany Chapel.  Lights for the first space, behind the chapel, are on the pillar at the chapel entrance and fairly high up on the wall immediately to the left of the door (behind it as you open it) when you enter.  The refrigerator here is SSB's.  Guests can leave coats, purses, etc. in the chapel.
 
You should also have a key to the pantry (or lower sacristy).  An extra set is  kept in the chapel on a hook behind a wooden fixture in the corner to the left of and behind the altar.  The pantry light switch is on the wall on the right as you enter.  The freezer and any food or supplies in this pantry (except for the closet at the very back of the room) are SSB's. 
 
Sign-in Book - Get the sign-in book, cashboxes and name badges so people can sign in and get started.  These are on the bookshelf in the pantry.
 
Dishwasher - Begin the start-up process as soon as you get there so it will be ready to run when you need it.  Instructions are on a laminated sheet usually found on the shelf just to the right of the dishwasher.  Additional laminated sheets are in the bookcase in the pantry and additional copies are in the KE Guidebook.
 
Coffee - Start the coffee right away.  Use the large pot on the shelf next to the dishwasher (one is missing the inside parts and can only be used for keeping coffee or water hot).  Fill it to about 1/4-inch from the top with water and fill the strainer about to the top with coffee.  Better too strong than too weak.
 
Turkey - If you are serving turkey, you need to start it right away or it won't be done by 2:30.  Instructions are in the KE Guidebook on the bookshelf in the pantry.
 
Table setup - Use all 12 tables, arranged with three under the windows (leaving room for operation of the lift), a lane from the chapel ramp to the guest entrance, and the other nine shoehorned into the rest of the space.  Make sure there's room at every chair for guests to get in and out.  Store the empty table rack in the chapel area.
 
Most of the items for the table setups are in the cabinet in the dining hall.  Extra supplies are in the pantry.  Each table gets eight settings of placemat, knife, fork, spoon, napkin and cold cup.  Each table gets salt and pepper, sugar and Sweet 'N' Low, hot sauce, and other condiments (mustard, ketchup, relish, tartar sauce) as dictated by the menu.
 
The tables should be set from the large boxes of items in the pantry. There is a box set up for spares to use during the meal and for table resets.  It should be on the table in the far right corner of the pantry.
 
Each table also gets a vase full of (artificial) flowers.  These are kept together in a box in the cabinet and should be returned there.
 
Salad - Salad prep is very time-consuming.  Assign a team of two or three do the salad: wash and chop, toss it with dressing, plate it and put it on the tables.
 
The produce will be either on the long table in the dining hall (Saturday) or in the refrigerator (Sunday).  There is a very large, orange salad spinner in the pantry for drying the washed salad greens.  Chopping usually is done on cutting boards (next to stove) on the long table.  Everything must be chopped very small.
 
Make enough salad to fill one of the large, square 3' x  2' metal pans and one of the smaller metal pans (about 12" x 24").  They are on the shelves by the stove.
 
For salad dressing, check the refrigerator for an open container.  Dressing is stored just inside the pantry to the left of the bookcase.  Be generous with the salad dressing;  the guests like a lot of dressing.  Put the salad dressing on just the salad in the large pan to start, using the smaller pan as needed.  Leftover salad without dressing will keep to the next day;  salad with dressing won't.
 
Salad should be put on small plates and set out on tables before the guests arrive.  This encourages them to eat it and avoids taking up space on the dinner plate or sending a cart around to the tables to serve.
 
Signs - There are signs that say "Hot meal today at 2:30" on the shelf in the bookcase.  Place one on the outside of the guest door.  Tape is on the shelf.
 
 
Food amounts
 
In general, we are using the target of 100 meals a day.  The meat or fish in the refrigerator for your meal is about 100 portions.  A table of rule-of-thumb portion amounts for various types of food (and the corresponding amounts for 100 meals) is in the KE Guidebook.  These tend to run high, but can give you a starting point for figuring out how many cans of vegetables, boxes of rice, etc. to use.
 
 
Basic activities
 
Kitchen - We have full use of the facility, but NONE of the food in the kitchen is SSB's.  All of our food - including spices - is kept in the pantry and the refrigerator, although it's okay to use some of the kitchen spices in a pinch.
 
The one shortcoming of the kitchen is the limited counter space.  You need to manage the counter space for most efficient use.  After the vegetables have been washed, salad can be prepared on the long table.  You will need the center counter fully cleared  for plating.  Any stray containers of food (not ours), plates, bowls, etc. can be placed on the shelf over the counter.
 
Refrigerators/Freezers - This equipment is not SSB property and should not be used for anything but temporary storage during the 12:30 - 4:30 time we are in the space.
 
Range - At the back.  Gas fired, 12 burners with pilots, two ovens, and a grill on the far right that can be used for quickly finishing burgers, turkey, etc., or - just on pilot - a warming tray.  The large aluminum trays fit into the side slots in the oven, so you don-t need to place them on racks.  
 
            Range fan - This is the one part of the kitchen layout that is, as yet, pretty inconvenient.  The switch is on the right side of the stove/fan enclosure.  The shelving blocks access to it.  To turn the fan on, use a long-handled spoon to reach alongside the enclosure and trip the switch.  It-s about six to 12 inches from the bottom.  Please be sure to turn it off before you leave.
 
            Range sprinklers - Mounted over the stove and should come on automatically in case of a grease fire.  An emergency activation switch is on the wall to the right of the door by the stove.
 
Dishwashing - Use the dishwasher as much as you can.  A few things won't fit and anything that has been burned on has to be scrubbed with steel wool, but plates, utensils, pitchers, smaller pots, etc. all can go through it.  It takes about a minute to cycle.
 
Rinse off any solids in the sink to the left of the dishwasher.  This sink has a disposal.  But do not put grease down this drain.  Load items into a plastic rack (fine mesh racks for smaller items).  Slide the rack into the dishwasher and close the door to run it.  When it's done, slide the tray out onto the counter to the right to dry.
 
Disposal of Liquids - Most liquids and any greasy fluids should be poured down the sink drain on the right on the kitchen (as you enter).  It has a grease trap.
 
Solids and non-greasy fluids can be run through the disposal in the sink immediately to the left as you enter.  Do not put greasy fluids down this drain;  they clog the disposal.
 
Garbage disposal - In the sink on the left as you enter.  Controls are under the sink.  Caution:  the disposal does not have a safety cover for operation.  Use it carefully and be sure no one is near the switch if you need to reach into the drain.  The water comes on automatically when you turn on the disposal.
 
Can opener - An electric can opener is on the counter on the right as you enter.  To operate, turn the toggle switch on the back to the left (looking form the top) for slow or to the right for fast.  Center is off.  Cans as large as No. 10 (the largest we usually use) will fit into the can opener.  Place the can flat on the counter, slide it under the opener blade and p ress the control lever on the top towards the back to start the opener.  The trick is to push the lever back quickly; if you do it slowly, the can will pop out.  Manual can openers are in the utensil drawer opposite the dishwasher. Turn the can opener off when you leave.
 
Pitchers - Plastic ones for juice and water, metal ones for coffee service.  Both on the shelves by the stove.
 
KE Guidebook - This book is in the bookcase in the pantry.  It has a variety of information you may find useful, including operating instructions, portion sizes, the turkey preparation instructions, contact numbers for SSB people and St. John's people, schedules, etc.  If you have a question about something, this is the place to check.
 
Bread and sweets - Assign a team of two to do the bread, sweets and butter.  Bread is in the refrigerator.  Cookies are in the pantry in boxes opposite the freezer; brownies and muffins are in the refrigerator or the freezer.  Butter is in the refrigerator, with additional supplies in the freezer.
 
Make up 15 plates of bread (10-12 slices each) and 15 plates of butter (10-12 pats each).  These go on the tables, with the bread covered with a napkin.  Three extra plates of each are for reserve.  Keep them on a table behind the long table.
 
Make up 15 plates of sweets (10-12 pieces each).  Cut the muffins and brownies in half.  The brownies come pre-sliced into 24 per tray; cut each of these in two, for 48 per tray.  Cover the plates with napkins and keep them ready to serve after the guests have finished the meal.
 
Juice and water - Every table gets a pitcher of juice and a pitcher of water. 

            Making juice from concentrate:  Get five boxes of concentrate from the pantry and set up 15 pitchers on the tray table bear the hand-washing sink.  Open a box of concentrate and pour it so roughly equal portions go into three pitchers - about to the bottom of the handle.  Fill the pitchers with water.  If the juice is done early, you often can keep the full pitchers cold in the refrigerator by the stove.
 
Milk - A pitcher of milk should be made for the coffee service.  You can bring a gallon of milk with you.  If you don't, you need to make it from dry milk.  An open bag of dry milk may be in the refrigerator.  Additional bags are in the pantry, usually opposite the bulletin board.  Make it strong.  Please put opened bags in the SSB refrigerator.
 
Giveaways - There often is a box (or two) of oranges or other fruit for guests to take along.  Place the box in the vestibule; the door person can offer them to guests as they leave.
 
Paper towels and toilet paper - Boxes of these are in the storeroom behind the pantry or in the corner of the pantry by the door to that storeroom.
 
Prayer Circle/Assignments
 
At 2:15 gather the group for a meeting, job assignments and a brief prayer.  At this point, the food should be essentially ready and all tables should be fully set with salads, juice, water, bread and butter.
 
Before you do this, put the sign-in book and cashboxes back in the pantry on the bookshelf and write down the names of the volunteer organizations working that day.  Get the counter from the cashbox.
 
Welcome the crew, identify the organizations and thank everyone for helping.  Give an overview of how the meal service works.  Tell them to put any personal belongings in the chapel and get anything they might want in the next hour, since the chapel door will be locked.  In colder months, the door person should get a jacket to wear.
 
Assignments:
 
Kitchen - Two to four to plate the meals (and finish the cooking if need be).
 
Coffee - One or two people to serve coffee once the initial group of guests has been served.  They will serve at first.
 
Servers - Two to four to serve the meal, following the instructions of the maitre d'.
 
Door person - One person to greet and count guests.  If there are no seats left, the maitre d' will tell the door person, who asks the guests to wait (in the vestibule) until there is seating.
 
Maitre d' - One person to seat the guests as efficiently as possible for service and direct the serving.  If Buddy is there, this is Buddy.  If not, an experienced person.  Seating starts at the table in the far left corner, looking from the door.  The goal is to fill the tables one by one so guests aren't spread out too much, but the maitre d' has to be somewhat accommodating to the wishes of individual guests.  They often have strong opinions about whom they do or do not want to sit with and we should not be unnecessarily rigid.
 
            For the initial serving, the maitre d' will direct the order in which to serve tables. After the initial serving, servers should keep an eye on the maitre d' for signals on how many meals are needed and where the new guests are seated.
 
Table cleanup - One person should be ready to clean up tables for re-set.  This person should set up a bowl with hot water, bleach and a dishrag (cheesecloth wipes are  on top of the freezer opposite the stove).  We usually have needed to re-set only one or two tables at most.
 
 
Other prayer circle items:
 
Seconds - No seconds until the KE approves, and not before 3:15.  Guests should keep their plates for seconds (and servers should not clear them away).
 
Heimlich maneuver - Ask who can perform the Heimlich maneuver if a guest begins choking on a piece of food.  This should be a server or someone who will be on the floor during the meal service.
 
Access to the pantry  - Let everyone know you have keys to the chapel and that there is a list of the locations of specific food and supplies on the bulletin board in case they are sent in during the meal.
 
Cell phone - Lots of people have them, but it's good to know who does.
 
Tables - We leave six tables with chairs up.
 
Prayer - Close with a brief prayer.  If there is a clergy member present, he or she can do the prayer.
 
Lock the doors  - Make sure you have all the supplies you need and that everyone's personal belongings are in the chapel.  And make sure you have your keys.  Then lock the door.  Also lock the door at the top of the stairs by the lift and the door off the back hall to the sanctuary/mop closet.  Both can be opened with your kitchen key.
 
 
Serving the Meal
 
Start at 2:30 sharp.  Begin plating meals at that time or a few minutes before, loading the plates onto the large aluminum trays (generally around and on the tray cart by the back stairs).  Full trays can be placed on the long table, ready for serving.  Aim to have about 30-40 meals plated by 2:40.
 
Door policy  - There is a vestibule between the outer door to the dining hall and the dining floor itself.  This can be used to allow guests to wait in out of the rain or cold.
 
Door - The outside double door to the vestibule off the dining room is a little quirky.  The door on the right (facing from inside) is usually secured with a bolt at the top.  Unlock this before you try to open either door, but make sure you set it again when you leave.  You may need to move both doors together to get them open or closed.  Prop both doors open.
 
Initial seating - There usually are about 35 to 50 guests in the first seating.  They should be seated, but wait for the thanksgiving prayer.  They have salad, bread and butter and juice.
 
Welcome and thanksgiving prayer - The KE or maitre d' should give the welcome and a brief, non-denominational thanksgiving prayer when the first rush of guests has been seated.  The volunteer organizations working that day should be recognized in the welcome. 
 
Initial meal service - As soon as the prayer is ended, the guests should be served as quickly as possible.  EVERYONE joins in on the serving, taking direction from the maitre d'.  It is usually best for servers to work in pairs, one carrying the tray and the other handing the plates from the tray to the table.
 
Coffee  - After the initial meal service, the coffee server can begin going from table to table with coffee.
 
Desserts  - Ten minutes or so after the meal has been served at a table, the sweets can be served.
 
Handicapped access - This has rarely been an issue.  People in wheelchairs have to be let in the church office door, which is reached by the ramp next to the dining hall access.  Guests should be brought down the short hall and into the dining room through the door at the left at the end of the hall.  The lift is just inside this entrance to the hall.
 
If a guest is in a motorized wheelchair, check the weight of the chair and its occupant.  The lift says it is rated at 500 lbs., but probably shouldn't carry more than about 300.  A motorized wheelchair can weigh that much unoccupied.
 
To operate the lift, first make sure there is access to and from the lift on the dining room floor.  Move any tables or chairs if necessary.
 
Press the button on the lift to bring it to the upper level if it is not there.  Open the gate and get the guest securely on the lift, then close the gate securely.  The lift will not operate unless the gate is fully shut.  Press the button to lower the guest all the way to the floor.  A small ramp will descend from the lift as it nears the dining hall floor; if it doesn't, gently press it down before opening the gate.  Reverse this procedure to allow handicapped guests to leave.
 
Rest rooms  - Handicapped-accessible rest rooms are off the hall to the left as you face the kitchen.  In the event a rest room is inadvertently locked, keys are on the wall to the left of the rear kitchen door, over the hand-washing sink.  Take great care in opening a locked bathroom;  someone may be in trouble or, possibly, using drugs inside.  The doors do, however, lock accidentally.
 
An additional rest room, which volunteers may want to use, is at the end of the hall at the church office entrance, across from the door to the dining hall.
 
Safety procedures  - During the pre-meal meeting/prayer circle, check to see who can perform the Heimlich maneuver and/or CPR.  All KEs must have training in this.  Do not ask anyone to perform the procedure unless they feel confident in doing so.  The same rule applies to KEs.
 
The first step, in any case, is to call 911, giving the church address (or, at least, Bowdoin Street; it's the only church on the block.)  MGH is just a few blocks away.
 
For minor injuries, a first aid kit is in the KE cabinet in the pantry.
 
Takehome - We do not allow any food to be taken from the premises, except the fruit in the vestibule.  NAI allows food to be removed in permanent containers (like Tupperware).  We have to be particularly vigilant about not generating trash on the nearby sidewalks and streets.
 
Wet mop - There is usually a wet mop in a bucket on casters in the hall off the kitchen.  If not, it is kept in a closet off that hall.  The door on the wall opposite the bathrooms can be unlocked by your kitchen key.  The mop is stored in the closet immediately to the left (which also opens with your kitchen key).
 
Clearing tables - No table should be cleared until all the guests have left it.  If you need to free up a table for re-set, you can ask the remaining guest or two if they would be willing to move to another table.
 
Seconds - Be careful in serving seconds.  Save at least a few full meals for very late arrivals.  We are open until 3:30, so someone who shows up at 3:29 deserves a full meal.
 
Closing - The kitchen closes at 3:30.  At this time, the door person should close one of the outer doors and tell any latecomers that the kitchen is closed.  If you still have servable food, by all means serve it, but guests arriving after 3:30 may not get a meal.  All guests leave by the guest entrance.
 
 
Cleanup/Closeup
 
The basic rule is to leave the place spic and span, just as nice as you would like it to be if you were coming in next.
 
Leftovers  - If you have a substantial amount of something left over on Saturday, you can consider leaving it for the Sunday meal. But use your judgment:  is there enough of it that you'd be able to use it if you were the cook the next day. 
 
Our basic deal with NAI is that they take all the leftover produce in our refrigerator and nothing else unless we leave a note.  So if you do leave anything from Saturday to Sunday, leave it in the SSB refrigerator.  If you leave it Sunday for NAI, leave it in the kitchen fridge on the right and LEAVE A NOTE for NAI (Dave).  Only leave stuff that you think could be fairly easily worked into one of their meals.  Don't leave small amounts of anything.
 
-     Clean all pots, pans, utensils, etc. and replace them to where you found them.
 
-     Clean all tables with hot cleaning solution of bleach and water.
 
-     Leave six tables with chairs (wiped clean) in place for the next group.
 
-     Store extra tables on the table rack, loaded top to top.
 
-     Bag all refuse and take it outside (door up the stairs just outside the back kitchen door).  Place it in a trash container on the St. JohnÕs side of the alleyway.  The ones on the other side belong to the restaurant The Grotto.  Let us know if we seem to be running out of trash receptacle space.
 
-     Flatten all cardboard boxes (in the kitchen and in the pantry). Tie them up with the twine found to the left of the stairs to the alley and leave them outside with the trash.
 
-     Broom-clean the dining hall and kitchen.  There usually are brooms and a dustpan in the dining hall or the back hall.  If not, extras are in the closet right next to the guest entrance to the hall.  The door opens with your kitchen key.
 
-     Do not mop the kitchen or dining hall unless there is a spill.  In that case, clean it up appropriately.
 
-     Leave the place as nice as you would want it if you were the next one in.
 
Recycling - This is done on a volunteer basis.  If someone is willing to take the flattened cans, empty juice jugs, etc. home, thatÕs great.  Otherwise, they go in the trash.
  
 
Final checklist
 
 
Thank you!
 
 
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