Bring-A-Meal (BAM)

Please note the changes to BAM for the health and safety of everyone involved during COVID-19

We need your help to supply food to our neighbors experiencing homelessness and hunger. Choose your own menu or use one our favorite recipes.

• Our most urgent need: hot meals

• We cannot allow volunteers to serve and/or use our onsite kitchens to prepare meals.

• Meals must be prepared in a donor kitchen. A donor kitchen is a publicly available kitchen in a faith-based organization, community center, or other site. The donor kitchen does not need to have a health permit, but must have basic facilities such as adequate handwashing, dishwashing, refrigeration, and cooking equipment. It must have a safe water supply, be protected from weather and animals, and be cleaned before food preparation starts.

Questions? Contact Lori, lschupbach@ugm.org or (206) 556-5912.

BAM Q+A

Q: How many meals does Seattle Union Gospel Mission serve per year?

A: The Mission currently serves 1,000,000 meals per year.

Q: Who gets these meals?

A: These meals serve our neighbors living on the streets, as well as our guests at Hope Place, KentHOPE the Downtown Men’s Shelter, and Riverton Place.

Q: Where are your shelters and how many people live in each one?

A: Hope Place houses our recovery program for women (as well as their children). The number of guests varies, but can house up to 80 people. Our Men’s Downtown Shelter is located in Pioneer Square. The number of guests changes often, but can house up to 90 people. Riverton Place houses our Men’s Recovery Program. The number of guests varies, but it but can house up to 50 people.

Q: What is the Outreach team?

A: The Outreach team works closely with city government and other area organizations to give care that is specific to each person in need, including, but not limited to, helping people move, delivering food and other essentials, and transporting people to shelters. The Outreach team works daytime hours and coordinates with, and follows up for, Search + Rescue.

Q: What is Search + Rescue?

A: Search + Rescue teams go out each night to hand out lifesaving supplies and care to men and women living without shelter. They hand out wool blankets, food, water, and other supplies, and invite people to come inside for a night of safe, and warm, shelter at the Mission.

Q: How can I provide a full hot meal to one of the shelters?

A: There are 3 ways to provide a full hot meal. You can: (A) order food from a local restaurant and have it delivered to one of our shelters; (B) cook a meal with your friends and/or family in a donor kitchen and deliver it to one of our shelters; or (C) order a complete menu online and deliver the ingredients to one of our shelters for the staff to prepare.

Q: If I choose Option (A), who should I order from?

A: You can order from any local restaurant. You’re welcome to order fast food, something fancy, or anything in between.

Q: If I choose Option (B), how do I know what to do?

A: If you have access to a donor kitchen (in a church, community center, or other), you can use one of our selected menus or you can choose your own menu. These meals should be delivered in disposable buffet style sheet pans.

Q: What classifies a kitchen as a donor kitchen?

A: A DONOR KITCHEN is a publicly available kitchen in a faith-based organization, community center, or other site. The DONOR KITCHEN does not need to have a health permit, but must have basic facilities such as adequate handwashing, dishwashing, refrigeration, and cooking equipment. It must have a safe water supply, be protected from weather and animals, and be cleaned before food preparation starts.

Q: If I choose Option (C), how will I know what to order?

A: We have selected menus on our website for you to choose from. There are instructions on what to order and a link to order online.

Q: Under Option (C), how much does it cost to feed 100 people?

A: The cost to provide enough food to feed 100 people from one of our selected menus is just under $200.00.

Q: Can I cook food in my home kitchen?

A: You can make baked goods such as breads, cookies, pastries, and pies in a home kitchen. Hot meals, sandwiches, and sack lunches must be prepared in a donor kitchen.

Q: How often do the Search + Rescue teams go out to bring food and other resources to our neighbors living in the streets?

A: The Search + Rescue teams go out 5 nights a week. They serve 800 sandwiches a day, 7 days a week. Any amount of support toward these efforts to provide lifesaving help to our neighbors is not only appreciated, but greatly needed.

Q: How can I support the Search + Rescue efforts that go out to our neighbors on the streets?

A: You can support Search + Rescue efforts by making PB&J sandwiches and/or sack lunches. You can also learn about volunteering to go out as part of one of our Search + Rescue teams by clicking here.

Q: How many sandwiches or sack lunches should we make?

A: Please prepare anywhere from 100 to 800 sandwiches and/or sack lunches.

Q: Do you have any tips on how to make such a large volume of sandwiches?

A: Please refer to our sandwich making details sheet, which gives the shopping list, as well as preparation, packing, and delivery instructions. NOTE: the details sheet explains how to make 400 sandwiches, but you can adjust the shopping list to make anywhere from 100 to 800 sandwiches.

Please contact Lori at lschupbach@ugm.org or (206) 556-5912 to plan your BAM!