Before joining the E2F Meal Program, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Brooke Graham at bgraham@stjohnsgreenbay.org.

Individuals, religious groups and other organizations are invited to join our Empty to Full (E2F) Meal Program to provide nutritious meals to those experiencing homelessness or housing instability in our community. Through your culinary support, you will be helping St. John’s Ministries meet the challenge of providing breakfasts and dinners to guests utilizing shelters. Each meal serves between 40-100 people, so you’ll be making a much-needed, satisfying difference in the lives of hungry and homeless individuals.

Here is how it works

WHO: The Empty 2 Full Meal Program is designed to accommodate individual(s) or groups of any size interested in meeting a real need of breakfasts and dinners for shelter guests at St. John’s Ministries. This can be a family or friends; church, civic or social group; or business with a heart to serve.

WHAT: E2F volunteers will prepare breakfast items and/or dinner entrées for 40-100 individuals.

Our current greatest need is breakfast food.

Breakfast items must be able to be frozen and reheated, such as breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches, egg bakes, pancakes, waffles, French toast bakes, or other freezable breakfast casseroles.

Dinner entrées MUST be prepared in oven-safe containers, ideally in 21×13 or 13×9 aluminum foil trays with covers. The entrées would then be frozen, either at the home/facility of the volunteer(s) or dropped off at St. John’s Ministries Men’s or Women’s Shelter. The entrées would then be served in the evenings when there is not a meal being made/delivered.

WHEN: E2F volunteers can cook and freeze both breakfast items and dinner entrées whenever they wish. The meals would be stored in a freezer and used in the mornings or evenings when a meal is not made/delivered. KEEP STORAGE IN MIND WHEN COOKING & FREEZING ENTREES OR BREAKFAST ITEMS.

WHERE: E2F volunteers would have to use the kitchens at their home(s) or facilities to prepare the breakfast items or dinner entrées. Once the entrée or breakfast item is finished the group could freeze them overnight or until needed. If necessary, the E2F volunteers have the option of delivering the frozen meals to St. John’s Ministries to freeze on-site until needed.

HOW: Depending on the group, if there are several individuals or households participating, they could all split the meal evenly and prepare the breakfast items or dinner entrées in their home to freeze and deliver later.

For example: A social justice group would commit to preparing two E2F meals each month. The group, consisting of six members (households), would ONLY be responsible for preparing their share of the items. If the group is preparing six entrée dishes or breakfast pans, then subsequently each household would be responsible for one pan of the group’s selected item. The E2F meals would then be frozen for a later date and delivered to St. John’s Ministries or delivered to St. John’s Ministries to be frozen for a later date.

WHY: This meal team method alleviates the cost of one person/household providing and cooking an entire meal, while also providing a service opportunity for families, children, and individuals unable to come in person to volunteer at St. John’s Ministries. Not to mention this is going to meet a very real need for guests in shelter at St. John’s Ministries by knowing they will have a warm breakfast and dinner each day.

ENTRÉE EXAMPLES: Lasagnas, casseroles, chicken dishes, pasta/noodle dishes, and anything that can be frozen and reheated at a later date. Whatever the E2F volunteers decide.

BREAKFAST EXAMPLES: Breakfast burritos, egg bakes, breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, waffles, french toast bake, or anything that can be frozen and reheated at a later date. Whatever the E2F volunteers decide.