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Samaritan Ministries is welcoming guests back in the dining room beginning Aug. 1, after serving to-go meals throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This has created an increased need for volunteers at Samaritan. The ministry has served meals without interruption since the early days of COVID-19 and will provide both in-person dining and to-go meals going forward.

Samaritan Ministries needs volunteers to help with lunch and dinner seven days a week 365 days a year. The lunch shift for volunteers is from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. The dinner shift is from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. every night.

Volunteers must agree to a liability waiver and adhere to strict sanitation guidelines that include wearing a​n N95 mask, frequent hand washing and appropriate distancing as recommended by health officials. Students who are 13 years of age and older can volunteer in the soup kitchen with an adult. Samaritan asks that higher-risk persons consult their medical provider about volunteering.

“Volunteers are truly the heartbeat of our ministry in the fulfillment of our mission to provide food, shelter and hope through Christian love,” Samaritan Ministries Executive Director Jan Kelly said. “Hunger hasn’t stopped for COVID-19, and we have remained fully committed to serving our guests throughout the pandemic. We are happy that we can return to serving our soup kitchen guests lunch in our dining room, but it means we will need more volunteers to help us serve them. If you haven’t volunteered in a while, please reconnect and if you haven’t volunteered before we welcome your assistance.”

For more information about Samaritan Ministries and to sign up to volunteer, go to samaritanforsyth.org. Samaritan Ministries is located at 414 East Northwest Boulevard near downtown Winston-Salem.