Volunteering at My Friend's House has various arms, from house projects to cooking to simple home repairs and even shopping. Many of these opportunities are year-round and others are as-needed. The Chef for the Night program and Amazon Wish List shopping are a couple of year-round, ongoing opportunities, while home improvement/repair projects are as-needed.
CHEF FOR THE NIGHT PROGRAM
One of our most popular year-round volunteer activities is called Chef for the Night, where individuals or groups sign up to bring a meal or cook a meal with residents. You can order a meal for 10 from a restaurant, pre-cook a meal at home or bring ingredients and cook in our beautiful, spacious kitchen. This is a great time to spend at My Friend’s House getting to know our residents and learning more about life at the house, and volunteers provide positive adult interactions for our youth and are an important component of our program.
To provide a meal, please select your date in on one of the SignUp Genius calendars below:
If you are a first time chef or just need additional information on our Chef for the Night Program, please click the button below or contact Melinda Duncan at melinda.duncan@myfriendshousetn.org or 615-790-8553 ext 3 with any questions.
Privacy statements will be required when volunteering and background checks may be required.
HOUSE PROJECTS
If you are interested in assisting with projects around the house, please contact Tanassa Pillow at 615-790-8553 ext 5.
VOLUNTEER GUIDELINES
We ask volunteers to follow the guidelines below to follow DCS policies, ensure everyone’s safety, and to prevent any misunderstandings between you and a resident:
- Children under the age of 21 are not allowed on campus. If you have young children that would like to participate, please call 615-790-8553 ext. 5 to request permission.
- With the exception of the Chef for the Night program, all volunteer projects are BEST conducted while the residents are at school during the week. They are required to be away from campus while house projects are taking place unless it is deemed part of our programming. Saturday projects MAY be coordinated but require special permission and planning to get the boys away from the house.
- When you are visiting MFH, or with a resident outside of MFH, please refrain from vaping, using tobacco, alcohol or drugs.
- Residents are not permitted to use social media. Therefore, please do not give a resident access to your cell phone, computer or other device with Wi-Fi capabilities nor give them our Wi-Fi password.
- Please do not allow a resident to use your cell phone to make personal phone calls.
- Residents will often ask a volunteer to bring them something such as a food or drink item, cash, or phone charger. We encourage you to give residents your time and attention rather than personal gifts. All items must be approved by staff before anything is given to a resident.
- Before hugging or touching a resident, please ask their permission. Some of our residents have been sexually abused and are very sensitive to affection by other adults.
- Please do not give a resident your personal information such as phone number, email, or address. It is best to communicate through staff to a resident.
- We know that taking photos is a fun way to document your visit. However, it is against DCS and MFH policy that photos of our residents be taken by any volunteer or be stored on a volunteer’s phone, computer, laptop, tablet, or any electronic device. Hard copies are also not permitted. Only MFH staff are permitted to take photos of the boys during visits and events. We are happy to share photos with you upon approval from the Executive Program Administrator, but please understand that the boys’ faces will be blurred out to retain anonymity.
- Many of our boys come to us with behavioral issues related to the trauma they have experienced. Due to this, they could potentially become agitated when you are at the house. Although rare, in some instances it is necessary to call law enforcement for their, your, and our staff’s safety. In the event law enforcement must be called, we respectfully ask that you gather your belongings as quickly as possible and vacate the premises. In addition, if any staff member asks you to vacate because they feel a resident is becoming overly unruly, agitated, and cannot be consoled, please do so. Again, this is for the safety of everyone involved.
The residents at My Friend’s House (MFH) are male youths between the ages of 12-17 that are currently in the custody of the Department of Children’s Services (DCS). We abide by the regulations set forth by DCS to protect the safety and welfare of children in our care. These at-risk youths have often been neglected and/or abused, and this facility is considered a safe place for them and, as such, we follow regulations put forth by DCS and our providers.
The boys attend Williamson County schools and FSSD middle school and follow their calendars. However, in the event of inclement weather or other school closures on a day that a volunteer project is scheduled, priority goes to the boys' safety and the project may have to be rescheduled.
We appreciate your understanding.
