Thanksgiving Thank You

To ensure the safety of our volunteers, staff and clients on Thanksgiving Day, we will implement COVID-related protocols for everyone to observe.

• PPE (masks, gloves, hand sanitizer) will be available at all Thanksgiving Center locations
• We will enforce social distancing protocols at each Center – some will feature curbside pick-up, others will strictly limit the number of individuals who can come indoors with a combination of a socially-distanced outdoor/ indoor line and staggered arrival times for volunteers.
• We will ask all volunteers to refrain from volunteering on Thanksgiving Day if they or a member of their household:
  • Have a temperature exceeding 100 degrees;
  • Traveled internationally or domestically other than to Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania or Vermont within the 14 days preceding Thanksgiving;
• Tested positive for COVID-19 and/or have experienced any of the below symptoms within the 14 days preceding Thanksgiving
  • Fever or chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headache
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Diarrhea

If you need to cancel your Thanksgiving Day volunteering registration with us due to your compliance with our COVID protocols or for any reason, please contact the Volunteer Department by emailing volunteer@glwd.org

Volunteer arrival times at all distribution centers will be staggered to allow for social distancing.  Some distribution centers will have curbside pickup, some will have indoor food pick-up with socially-distanced outdoor/indoor lines, in others, we plan to bring meals out to peoples’ cars. All meal deliveries will be contactless, and all volunteer activities will be socially distanced.

The volunteer will call each client five minutes prior to arrival, to give the client a heads-up. At the client’s door, they will knock, and leave the meal at the doorway. The volunteer will then step back 6 or more feet and wait for the client to open the door and retrieve the meal. The volunteer and client (while masked, of course), will exchange a smile, Thanksgiving greeting, and a wave, and then the volunteer will head out to make their next deliveries.

If you need to cancel your Thanksgiving Day volunteering registration with us due to your compliance with our COVID protocols or for any reason, please contact the Volunteer Department by emailing volunteer@glwd.org.

Families are welcome to deliver together, but this year we do encourage people to bring along only one adult “co-pilot” to assist in delivering meals to help us reduce the number of individuals entering a facility and to ensure social distancing.

The holidays are a special time at God’s Love. Our community comes together to help us cook, pack, and home-deliver more than 9,000 holiday meals in Thanksgiving and December. On Thanksgiving, our clients receive a basket filled with treats for their household, in addition to their traditional Thanksgiving feasts (along with an extra meal for a loved one or guest). In December, we deliver gifts to our clients and their children, adding an extra special touch to the holiday season (and let’s not forget their delicious Winter Feast meal for them and a guest, too!)

Yes! We have volunteer opportunities year-round! View all of our opportunities here.

We have many volunteer opportunities including delivering meals, meal prep, and more. Learn more about our opportunities here.

We are closed on Christmas Day and do not have any volunteer opportunities available.

Please email us at volunteer@glwd.org.