Teen Feed is amazing!!! Thanks to Teen Feed, youth living on the streets know that they can get a hot, healthy dinner 365 days of the year--that Teen Feed will always be there for them. But youth come to Teen Feed for so much more than the food. Teen Feed is a safe, cozy welcoming place--free from any judgment or drama--where youth can hang out with friends. Equally important, it is a place where teens can talk with caring adults: volunteer advocates and Teen Feed Case Managers-- who can connect these teens to the services they need to move off the streets. Every night, Teen Feed also offers teens countless hygiene items and clothing. Teen Feed understands how to run an effective youth program. Teen Feed has very specific rules for the teen guests; rules that are strictly enforced to assure that Teen Feed remains a safe place for everyone. The coolest part is: Teen Feed is very upfront with the rules--explaining them to every new guest. And because guests know that Teen Feed is their ally, they consistently respect the rules. Youth love Teen Feed. Also impressive is the financial picture. Teen Feed meals are prepared and served by volunteer meal teams. The meal teams also do the shopping and donate the food to the program. The adult "advocates" who sit and eat with the guests are all volunteers; so are the "allies" who pass out hygiene items. Even the dining room spaces are donated. Teen Feed volunteers stay with the organization for years because they know they are doing awesome work, and because they know they are appreciated. Teen Feed thanks its volunteers every single day. It feels good to volunteer there. Teen Feed also employs amazing people who are so dedicated to working with youth living on the streets. Teen Feed professionals are an incredibly knowledgeable, skilled, hard-working group passionate about making a difference in the lives of youth. Lastly, Teen Feed services go beyond the meal experience. Teen Feed does street outreach to find those kids who may not be aware of the services available. Teen Feed also offers daytime case management. In short, Teen Feed begins with a meal but its ultimate mission is providing youth with the opportunities they need to be personally and professionally successful in life off the streets.
I have been a weekly volunteer at Teed Feed since 2018. The selfless and positive staff, incredible guests and lively atmosphere have made me a better person and improved my outlook on life.
I've worked with a number of nonprofits over the years and I can safely say that Teed Feed has the most dedicated and committed staff. To say that the people who manage the organization "go above and beyond" is insufficient. They are completely dedicated to their mission with laser-like focus.
Teen feed is a low barrier resource that feeds dinner to the youth community 365 days a year! The community is a safe, welcoming place for youth ages 13-26 to gather and nourish themselves with food and community. I have been volunteering for over a year with teen feed and its always a highlight of my week because of the relationships I’ve built and the positive growth I’ve seen in many guests. I have also been able to bring my own tween daughter to volunteer and pass down this great community to the next generation. Teen feed was started by ER nurses from UW and has been around for years. Its an amazing and unique resource in the heart of the University district of Seattle. It has changed so many lives for the better, including mine.
I have volunteered with Teen Feed Seattle for over one year, and I have enjoyed it so much! I first started volunteering as a sophomore, despite being engrossed in school: securing internships, calculus, and my friends, were the only things occupying my mind. When my research on opportunities around me led to Teen Feed, I applied and thankfully became a volunteer in the following weeks. Every day I spent volunteering, was eventful and I was constantly meeting new people, learning new things, and eating good food. I have heard tons of stories ranging from how people were kicked out of their homes, to students being the first in their family to graduate. These and many more stories have taught me to always be kind because you never know what someone else is going through, and that the world is bigger than just our bubble. Now, as a senior currently planning the rest of my life, I am taking the mindset and skills I learnt from Teen Feed to share the power of eating a meal together.
I’ve volunteered at several nonprofits over the past 20 years and Teen Feed is exceptional. They keep constant focus on what’s best for the people they serve, and the energy brought by the staff and volunteers is amazing. The time spent in the kitchen is always upbeat, and the conversations with the guests over dinner makes it clear that the meal, the enthusiasm, and the support, is all very appreciated. An inspirational experience to be involved in for all involved, thank you for what you do for our community, and how that supports me as well.
Such a kind, accepting environment that really cares about the kids they’re helping. They offer so many resources but never force anything on anyone. I love volunteering for a team that truly cares about protecting the people they serve!!
Teen Feed is a great organization, I work as a volunteer cooking food for them. They are organized and dedicated about their work. They are very supportive of the volunteers as well as the community they serve! Thank you for bringing everyone together and serving the community !
Awesome Seattle organization providing on the ground youth services 365 days a year. Organized staff made finding volunteer opportunities around my work schedule easy.
Volunteering with Teen Feed has been such a positive experience for my husband and I. We look forward to it every month. It is well-organized. We have found that the staff and other volunteers are very pleasant people to work around.
Teen Feed's work in our community is critical -- none of our youth should be seeking safety outside. The nightly meals and street outreach enable Teen Feed advocates to foster relationships with homeless teens, and help these teens begin building a path toward more stable lives. Volunteering is easy, with the support of amazing staff that truly love their work! And, by volunteering, you'll have a small window into the challenges of our unhoused neighbors. Gather a group of your friends, neighbors or co-workers to form a meal team...it is so easy!
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University Unitarian Church (UUC) has partnered with Teen Feed for nearly 20 years. Our UUC Meal Team prepares and serves 1-2 meals every month, with an intergenerational team of volunteers ranging in age from 14 to 70. Teen Feed's work begins with their advocates building rapport and trust around shared meals. Teen Feed makes it so easy for groups from churches, synagogues, work teams and neighborhoods to prepare meals that create the space for them to connect with unhoused teens and help them establish goals. We continue to be involved after nearly 20 years because it’s a fun and meaningful way to engage in our larger community!
Great organization that rallies volunteer teams to provide dinner every night of the year for unhoused young adults. The small staff is very warm and responsive, making it easy to do good.
I first got involved with Teen Feed over 20 years ago. My employer's corporate offices were located in the heart of Seattle's University District, sharing the neighborhood with a large swath of the city's unhoused young people. It was a dichotomy to be sure - but a gap we thought we could bridge through forming a Teen Feed meal team made up of employees, their friends, and families. The rest is history: more than 20 years later, our meal team still cooks on the 4th Monday of each month.
Teen Feed has been an incredible asset to our community. Over those years, they've expanded from providing meals 5 days a week to all 7 days, as well as serving in neighborhoods beyond the U-District. Serving dinner each night is just where Teen Feed's services begin; they also provide outreach in order to get young people the services they need whether it be clothing and supplies, connection to employment, or transition into housing.
Through it all, the staff of Teen Feed have fostered a warm, welcoming environment for both volunteers and clients, ultimately building a nurturing, strong community among their staff, volunteers, and the young people they serve.
My involvement with Teen Feed (TF) began in 2002 and I've been a member of the 4th Monday of the month meal team since. When our team started, TF was serving dinner 5 nights a week; now TF teams serve dinner every night. There are so many things I love about this nonprofit organization:
** the dinner meal is just a start of what they provide to young people who are food insecure; there are also volunteer advocates at each table. They are trained to be safe adults for the youth who come to eat. they don't lecture or question but listen and provide assistance where needed.
** many of our team members (including myself) have had our children participate in planning, preparing, serving and cleaning up -- great learning experience AND great opportunity to practice serving their community.
** I love how TF has grown and changed over the years -- connecting with food sources to help teams fund their meals; changing upper age limit from 21 to 25 to allow youth who aged out of the foster care system but were left food insecure to participate in the program
** TF continued to serve youth during the Covid-19 pandemic; the staff was super creative in finding ways for teams to SAFELY keep making meals -- and the options evolved as the pandemic waned and surged over the past few years.
** Our team provides meals AND we are aware that TF also has donated clothing, personal care products; TF advocates and staff also help youth to navigate medical, social, educational and employment processes.
** Besides the meals, served in donated church spaces; TF meal teams also provide meals to the local youth shelter every night. TF also has teams that "hit the streets" at night (very LATE) with food and hot drinks (and new socks!)
** ALL youth are welcome at TF meals, regardless of race, religious affiliation, gender, sexual orientation, addiction(s); the only thing that has a youth sent away is unacceptable behavior -- verbally or physically abusing other participants, volunteers or staff. Our team (EVERY 4th Monday since October 2002) has only had two incidents, where a participant had to leave; both times, the TF staff made sure all participants, volunteers and staff were safe and sought to aid the person acting out.
** TF staff are dedicated, creative and caring.
I have been volunteering with Teen Feed for over 3 years now, two of them as a Kitchen Lead, and I have had a great experience. The staff is passionate about the cause and the work that Teen Feed does is truly effective. As a volunteer, I have seen firsthand the positive impact that this organization has on the community. The dedication and commitment of the staff and volunteers is inspiring, and I am proud to be a part of such a wonderful organization. I recommend Teen Feed to anyone looking to make a difference in the lives of young people in need.
Teen Feed is an excellent place to volunteer with. I use my commercial kitchen experience to help prepare and serve dinner to Teen Feed's guests, which is always a rewarding experience. The kitchen leads who manage the dinner service are not only knowledgable and efficient, they are kind and create a fun atmosphere for volunteers and guests alike. Teen Feed goes beyond dinner service to support its community. It provides job opportunities for its guests; it partners with mobile healthcare services to bring healthcare to the guests; it builds relationships with guests during dinner, at local events, and meets them where they are outside of dinner. Not to mention it provides basics like socks, sweaters, deodorant, snacks, and more. Teen Feed partners with other local organizations to provide holistic support for its guests in an inclusive, non-judgmental environment. I am proud to be a TF volunteer.
For my family, volunteering at Teen Feed was supposed to be a one-time service project for my preteens and their classmates. However, that first foray has evolved into over six years of service alongside our family, friends, and friends of friends. We have built a support team spanning 5 states and multiple cities. Whether they're sponsoring food from afar or performing hands-on food prep and service, each of our meal team members is wholly invested in Teen Feed's mission to help teens and young adults forge their future off the streets.
As a former board member of multiple nonprofits and a nonprofit founder, I know all-too-well there is no shortage of worthy causes competing for volunteers' hours and efforts. We have witnessed firsthand how Teen Feed is an exceptionally worthy endeavor, which is why their important work keeps us engaged year after year.
Every month we plan, prep, and serve dozens of meals, often employing fun dinner themes to make the food feel more special for our guests. We love how Teen Feed meal teams endeavor to make the diners feel warm, welcome, and valued, as if they were guests invited to dinner in their own homes.
Whether it's a one time donation of funds or food, putting together care packages, picking up donations, or prepping meals for years and years, Teen Feed makes it easy for volunteers of all types to plug in, which is a sign of a great nonprofit, in my humble opinion. Additionally, I respect how the organization is a valiant steward of donated resources, carefully tracking donations of food, funds, and more to ensure they are optimally used.
Teen Feed staff and volunteers are dedicated, discreet, effective, and engaging. They break down barriers and meet the teens "where they're at," making connections and helping teens in need navigate toward a better future. What warms our hearts most is seeing people who were once Teen Feed 'customers' finding stability and then coming back and serving as allies for others in need.
In summary, we are proud to be a part of the Teen Feed team.
I have been volunteering with Teen Feed since May of 2022 as an advocate volunteer. It is a fantastic organization that really supports its volunteers and takes pride in the work it does to help homeless youth. I have loved helping out here and seeing the difference we make in the lives of the guests who come in. The positive atmosphere and inclusive environment are some of the best things about the space. My favorite part of the experience is hearing that a guest got housing or employment because of the resources we help connect them with.
This was my first time participating with teen-feed. It was an incredibly gratifying experience that allowed me to witness my contribution to community in an immediate way. Seeing the teens with full bellies and smiles on their faces brought me great joy. The interactions reminded me of my youth. I am profoundly honored to be a part of University Sunrise Rotary Club. I love that our group is always looking for opportunities to be servant leaders in the community. I will definitely be volunteering again.
Teen Feed is a great nonprofit that serves Seattle. I joined Teen Feed as a volunteer on a whim that the program has phenomenal impact on the local community. While there I quickly saw how they serve not only the priority population of housing-unstable youth but also Seattle as a whole through building meaningful connections. While there I engaged in dialogue with youth about their dreams and how they are working to make it obtainable through short and long term goals. The nightly dinners served is a catalyst for action that makes the aforementioned dreams materialize through providing a safe and reliable space. I strongly support the work that this organization does and hope that there will be a day when youth do not have to worry about where they will get their next meal or if they will be accepted.
I've been a volunteer kitechen lead with TF for 2 years. I work in the kitchen with volunteer meal teams to deliver the meal. I love meeting new people and helping meal teams have a successful dinner. It’s a lot of on-the-spot problem solving, but we always deliver the meal and have a bit of fun too. I'm impressed by Teen Feed's network of volunteer meal teams and their dedication to providing thoughtfully planned and lovingly prepared meals 365 days a year.
Outside the kitchen is a welcoming space for guests to enjoy a meal and mingle with caring Teen Feed staff and volunteer advocates. I've seen guests coming through each week and then disappearing, only to learn that they started a job, or got housing. Seeing the impact and knowing that everyone's efforts are making a difference is what keeps me motivated to stay involved.
Teen Feed offers a wide variety of volunteer roles and is works with individuals to provide training and to help make sure the role is a good fit.
Being a volunteer for the organization Teen Feed has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life because the work that the organization does shows a real impact in the community we are trying to help. Beyond meals, clothing, and personal care items, the case management work that the organization does changes the lives of these young people in dramatic ways in helping them find safe housing, employment, and other much needed resources, and the professionalism and level of genuine caring and compassion that everyone in the organization has for one another from the administrative level to high school volunteers creates an environment where weekly dinners I serve on are more like opportunities to see friends and make new ones and never an obligation. I feel strongly in saying that Teen Feed is a model example of excellence in culture and commitment to its mission as a community service and outreach organization.
I've volunteered with Teen Feed for over 3 years. I'm in constant amazement at what they do! They provide healthy, delicious meals 365 days a year for teenagers and young adults who need a meal! I always have mixed feelings when I volunteer...it makes me sad to see so many people who need food assistance, but it also makes me really happy that they have a place to get food assistance. In addition, Teen Feed also provides miscellaneous items to the youth like toothbrushes, warm blankets, etc. They have outreach volunteers who check on the guests. I think it's just a GREAT service organization that fills a vital hole in the community!
I volunteered with Teen Feed for a year and a half during COVID. Teen Feed took its mission of serving the needy 365 days a year very seriously. I remember coming in to serve on an extremely wintry evening in 2021 thinking that I might be one of a few volunteers who showed, but I was wrong; many came in to help particularly because there would be more teens depending on our support and hot meals that night.
Teen Feed is full of passionate individuals eager to make a difference, organized in an efficient way, and with a potential to make a great impact on the life of even more young people.
Teen Feed is an incredible organization that I feel honored to serve as both a volunteer and a board member. My family has volunteered for Teen Feed for nine years and can't say enough great things about the people and guests they serve. For us, however, what really sets Teen Feed apart is the way in which volunteers are able to be involved. Every time we go, we bring people along, who then thank us again and again for introducing them to such an incredible experience. I highly recommend giving it a shot!!
I started working with Teen Feed when I was a Youth Counselor for AYR. I have seen many kids come and get fed a great meal with love and respect. It's a time for the kiddos to come together and have fun with out all the strictness. Don't get me wrong teen feed has its rules also. Teen Feed is a Nonprofit organization that really cares about the young people and want to help them. I have enjoyed myself working with Teen Feed. I am on a cooking team for the Children's Home Society. We have the same agenda and mindset as Alexis and Joe is to help young people. This is a great organization to come and volunteer your time and skills, cooking for children who really appreciate the effort that is being put forth.
The CHS team will be coming back soon. We were waiting for an opening.
Thanks Alexis and Joe and the whole Teen Feed team
Earlean