Welcome: Melissa Newkirk

Dear CHiPS Volunteers,

This past April, CHiPS welcomed me, Melissa, as the new Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator. I’m so happy to be part of the team and to launch the volunteer section of our monthly newsletter!

I’ve met many of you at the Soup Kitchen for your regular shifts, but I know there are many more long-time volunteers who have been forced to take a hiatus during the pandemic. I’m eager to meet you all, hear your CHiPS stories, and welcome you back to volunteer. If you’d like to rejoin the team, please reach out to me at Volunteer@chipsonline.org

As we approach August and our annual closure, now is an ideal time to reflect on our operations and assess how we can improve our volunteers’ experiences. The time and energy you devote to CHiPS is invaluable and deeply appreciated, and we’d like to hear from you so we can better understand and improve upon your experience at CHiPS. Please take a few moments to share your feedback with us via
this brief survey.

Appreciate all of you and look forward to seeing you soon. Remember, CHiPS works because we all Chip in!

Best,
Melissa

New Volunteer Opportunity
Food Rescue in the Park Slope Neighborhood

• Collect extra food from local establishments to donate to CHiPS

As inflation continues to drive up the cost of food, CHiPS is experiencing financial pressure just like many of those that we serve. We are hoping to launch a new project, led by volunteers in the community, which will allow us to connect with restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores to rescue their leftover or close-to-expiration food. There exists much abundance in our neighborhood and in our city, and it only takes some coordination and effort to capture those resources and redistribute them to those in need.

If you are interested, please reach out to volunteer@chipsonline.org and share your availability and volunteering preferences. We need volunteers to:
⦁ Help plan the project;
⦁ Reach out to local businesses;
⦁ Pickup food and dropoff at CHiPS – (larger donations by car and smaller donations by walking)