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Dining/Hosting Assistant

All MCC workers must have a personal Christian faith, be active members of a Christian church, and be committed to nonviolent biblical peacemaking.

Candidates of a gender or ethnic group typically underrepresented in this type of MCC assignment are encouraged to apply.

Dining/Hosting Assistant in Akron, PA

Term: 
2 years
Date Opened: 
January 4, 2010
Date Required: 
July 6, 2010
Full Time Equivalent: 
1.0

 

Synopsis: 

The MCC Dining/Hosting Assistant cooks and assists with meals in the MCC Dining Hall, and does a variety of tasks to welcome MCC's visitors from around the world. This position is a full-time, volunteer service worker assignment. The Dining/Hosting Assistant is a member of the Akron Connection Service Unit, a 16-member group who live in MCC housing in Akron, and work at assignments in MCC Akron or Ephrata offices.

 

Qualifications: 
  • Enjoy meeting and assisting guests, including international visitors. Has interpersonal skills needed to create a welcoming environment for the MCC guests and staff who come to the Welcoming Place and Dining Hall.
  • General experience in cooking and baking.
  • Has willingness and confidence to sometimes work alone in Dining Hall after period of training, including directing volunteers and on-call staff for assigned meals.
  • Willingness to complete training to keep up-to-date Serv-Safe Certification, a food-safety certification (training available locally).
  • Flexibility a must - tasks and schedule will vary from week to week, and sometimes include evening and weekend hours and split shifts.
  • Basic computer skills useful.
  • Physically able to lift 30 pounds and complete housecleaning tasks.
  • Previous MCC experience a plus.
  • Good general organizational skills.
  • Good verbal communication skills.
  • Reading/writing skills adequate to understand complicated recipes and make notes related to recipe revisions.

 

Assignment Description: 

Administrative Services is a support department of MCC, which provides housing, reception, maintenance, recordkeeping, meal services, printing and mailing services, and general office support. Staff include both Service Program workers and salaried workers.

Within Administrative Services, there is a Hosting group, which includes Housekeeping, Dining Hall, Receptionist, drivers, and guest-relations staff. This group meets needs of guests who come to the MCC Welcoming Place (2001), an innovative lodging, retreat and meeting facility used for MCC orientations and meetings, and also by MCC constituent groups.

 

Duties: 
  • DINING HALL DUTIES - 60%

1. Prepares food, cooks and bakes, following a menu set by the Head Cook.

2. Monitors food to keep it safely hot/cold.

3. Organizes food set-up for each meal.

4. Following each meal, properly stores left-over food in refrigerator/freezer.

5. Serves food and interacts with people as they come through the food line, often answering general hosting-related questions from guests.

6. Provides special menu items, as much as possible, to meet needs of those with special dietary needs or preferences.

7. Keeps records of number of persons at each meal.

8. Assists with food shopping and shelving supplies.

Cleanup:

9. Uses industrial dishwasher to clean dishes; includes sorting dishes, loading and unloading dishwasher.

10. Assists in cleaning tables and sweeping floors after each meal.

11. Assists in cleaning kitchen daily, including mopping kitchen floor.

Teas:

12. Responsible for providing teas for various events including Board meetings, orientee welcome teas, staff farewell teas, and others as requested. Includes food purchase, set-up and clean-up as needed.

  • HOSTING - 30%

1. Along with others in Hosting Team, is available anytime to welcome guests and meet their needs.

2. Needs to be familiar with the Meeting Place facility to answer any questions of the guests, i.e. door security code, heating system, lighting, etc.

3. Takes a turn with other Hosting staff carrying the MCC on-call phone, and following up on any after-hours transportation problems.

4. Occasionally may prepare and serve evening or weekend meals to visitors, when Dining Hall is closed..

5. Stocks supplies in Welcoming Place guest houses (coffee, teas, condiments, etc.).

6. Periodically reviews kitchen equipment in guest houses, to make sure there is still a balanced number of silverware, plates, mugs, cooking equipment, etc. in each house.

7. Stocks Meeting Place kitchen, including cleaning out both refrigerators, organizing table cloths and dish cloths, etc.

8. Stocks Mojo supplies and removes when situation warrants (in consultation with rest of Hosting team).

9. Stocks and organizes supplies needed for teas.

10. Keeps informal inventory of furniture and furnishings for MCC's rental apartments, and makes sure all appropriate furnishings are in order when there are rental transitions.

11. Is in charge of keys for rental apartments and guesthouses.

12. Meets weekly with Hosting team.

  • HOUSEKEEPING. OTHER - 10%

1. Assists housekeeping staff when they are short-staffed and during peak guest seasons.

2. Works with housekeeping staff on annual "housecleaning" in MCC Welcoming Place.

3. When time allows, assists with cleaning apartments during rental transitions.

4. Any tasks as requested by Director of Administrative Services when work in the Dining Hall is slow.

 

Location Description: 

Akron is a small town in a rural area with a population of approximately 3,500. Akron is located about 10 miles from Lancaster city (pop. 55,000), which is more ethnically diverse and urban in character. Approximately 100 MCC and MCC U.S. staff work in Akron.