The Children's Bereavement Center of South Texas

Potluck Partners

Sign up to Sponsor and Serve Dinner to Our Families

What does sponsoring dinner do for the families of the Center?

Sponsoring and serving dinner will be a special experience. Food joins the masses and brings people together during difficult times. You and your group will have the opportunity to unite and comfort grieving families while serving a meal.

We ask that you limit your “team” to six to eight individuals. Any more tends to crowd the kitchen area. Please do not bring children under the age of six. Children who accompany you should be helping to serve meals and must be monitored at all times. Children cannot play outside unless supervised by a parent.

What is my time commitment?

It only takes a little over an hour to make a difference. From 5:30pm – 7:30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays and from 12:30pm - 2:15pm on Sundays. Please note, the above times are an approximation. On Monday thru Thursday evenings, families eat from 6:30pm-7:30pm (please arrive no later than 6:00pm). On Sundays, families eat from 1:30pm-2:00pm (please arrive no later than 1:00pm). Arrival time may vary depending on how much preparation is needed.

What will I have to do?

A Potluck Partner sponsors, serves and oversees potluck dinners which precede the support group program each night by carrying out the following tasks:

Set up the kitchen before 6:30pm with food, plates, napkins, silverware, cups and drinks
Greet the families and serve dinner (families eat from 6:30pm-7:00pm)
Clean the kitchen and dining room (sweep floors and wipe down tables and counters with Clorox wipes) after the meal & start only one of the dishwashers (staff will start the second dishwasher the following morning).
Dispose of trash in the outside dumpster and close the dumpster lid.

What should I serve?

Many of our families seldom if at all have a set “family mealtime”. We would like to invite the potluck partners to think of this as a time of, and an opportunity for, providing “nourishment” to our families. Our families enjoy comfort foods with a nice hearty green salads, and we do suggest fruit in place of chips or cookies. Please limit pizza (it’s great once in a while!). Please do not serve anything with peanuts or peanut butter due to allergies. Just remember your dinner will serve children (ages 6-17) and adults.

Favorite meals according to our clients: Taco/Chalupa Bar, Pasta Bar (pasta with different toppings and sauces), Brisket Tacos, Baked Potato Bar, Chicken Strips from Cane's with two sides, Enchiladas and Rice/Beans from Panchito's (just down the street and with a to-go entrance!), and Chicken, Mac and Cheese and Green Beans from Luby's.

How many families should I plan to serve?

With each group night the number of families varies, but most potluck partners plan to serve 50 - 60 people. Please note, for some groups, we plan to serve 35-40 people. Our staff will let you know in advance if we expect fewer than 50 people.

The Center provides the following items:

Cups, plates, napkins and utensils
Coffee, lemonade & tea mix, water and pitchers
Oven and microwave

Thank you!

Created by:

Julia Anderson

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