Christmas at the Crossroads is Shelter KC’s annual celebration of Christmas serving adults experiencing homelessness. Last year, 70% of the people in attendance had not previously used our services. This premier holiday event offers fun, food, and fellowship with carnival-style booths, a traditional holiday meal, care package giveaways, and more.
Volunteers are the heart of Christmas at the Crossroads, bringing the spirit of Christmas to life. From serving a traditional holiday meal to hosting carnival-style booths, distributing care packages, and connecting with our guests, your time, prayers, and support ensure that each person feels valued, cared for, and uplifted.
Description of Available Volunteer Opportunities:
SERVING LINE VOLUNTEER: Adults 18+ are welcome to assist on the serving line, distributing hot food to our guests. Volunteers must be open to wearing hair nets and gloves and may also assist in cleaning up the dining room after the meal. This role is perfect for individuals who enjoy providing direct service with a friendly attitude.
Location: Men's Center Dining Room
DINING ROOM WAITER/WAITRESS: Open to children ages 8+ and their families, this role involves setting up the dining room, serving our guests full plates of food, and resetting tables after guests have finished their meals. Volunteers will help create a welcoming, family-friendly dining experience while maintaining a clean and orderly space.
Location: Men's Center Dining Room
USHER: The Usher helps manage the "flow of traffic" during meal service. Responsibilities include greeting and welcoming guests, checking meal passes, guiding guests to their seats, supporting waiters/waitresses as needed, and keeping an accurate count of guests served. This role ensures a smooth and organized dining experience for everyone involved.
Location: Men's Center Dining Room
GREETER: An opportunity for adults, the Greeter is the first point of contact for our guests. This role involves welcoming guests, collecting and securely storing their belongings, and creating passes that grant them access to the event. Some work may take place outdoors, so dressing warmly is advised. This is a crucial position, as it ensures that our guests’ possessions—often their most valued items—are cared for with respect and security.
Location: The Truman KC
CLEANUP CREW: An opportunity for ages teens and up, this role is essential to keeping our Christmas at the Crossroads event clean, welcoming, and enjoyable for all guests and volunteers. Responsibilities include: Regularly walking through event space to collect trash from designated bins and any litter found in common areas, emptying full trash bags and replacing them with new ones, taking collected trash to the appropriate disposal area or dumpster, alerting staff if additional cleaning supplies or assistance is needed. This role is active and on-the-go, perfect for someone who likes to stay busy and ensure things run smoothly behind the scenes!
Location: The Truman KC
COAT BOOTH: This opportunity is open to teens and older, with adult supervision being mandatory. Volunteers will help guests find coats that fit well while contributing to a festive and welcoming atmosphere. Your involvement will bring comfort and warmth this Christmas season—don’t miss the chance to make an impact!
Location: The Truman KC
Join our waitlist! We always need extra help for all areas and flexible support.
Location: The Truman KC and/or Men's Center Dining Room
Sign up below for an opportunity that fits your age, interest and schedule, and join us in making Christmas special for those we serve!
Need to know
Volunteers MUST sign Shelter KC's liability form and Policies & Code of Conduct form PRIOR to being approved to serve. Please click on the links below to sign.
After signing the required forms, please continue scrolling to the bottom of this page to select the day/time that you would like to volunteer. Once a volunteer time is selected and secured, you will be notified of the approval and be confirmed via email.
Please note: You will not be approved/added to our volunteer schedule until you receive an email confirmation or contacted by our Volunteer Coordinator directly.
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Christmas at the Crossroads is Shelter KC’s annual celebration of Christmas serving adults experiencing homelessness. Last year, 70% of the people in attendance had not previously used our services. This premier holiday event offers fun, food, and fellowship with carnival-style booths, a traditional holiday meal, care package giveaways, and more.
Volunteers are the heart of Christmas at the Crossroads, bringing the spirit of Christmas to life. From serving a traditional holiday meal to hosting carnival-style booths, distributing care packages, and connecting with our guests, your time, prayers, and support ensure that each person feels valued, cared for, and uplifted.
Description of Available Volunteer Opportunities:
SERVING LINE VOLUNTEER: Adults 18+ are welcome to assist on the serving line, distributing hot food to our guests. Volunteers must be open to wearing hair nets and gloves and may also assist in cleaning up the dining room after the meal. This role is perfect for individuals who enjoy providing direct service with a friendly attitude.
Location: Men's Center Dining Room
DINING ROOM WAITER/WAITRESS: Open to children ages 8+ and their families, this role involves setting up the dining room, serving our guests full plates of food, and resetting tables after guests have finished their meals. Volunteers will help create a welcoming, family-friendly dining experience while maintaining a clean and orderly space.
Location: Men's Center Dining Room
USHER: The Usher helps manage the "flow of traffic" during meal service. Responsibilities include greeting and welcoming guests, checking meal passes, guiding guests to their seats, supporting waiters/waitresses as needed, and keeping an accurate count of guests served. This role ensures a smooth and organized dining experience for everyone involved.
Location: Men's Center Dining Room
GREETER: An opportunity for adults, the Greeter is the first point of contact for our guests. This role involves welcoming guests, collecting and securely storing their belongings, and creating passes that grant them access to the event. Some work may take place outdoors, so dressing warmly is advised. This is a crucial position, as it ensures that our guests’ possessions—often their most valued items—are cared for with respect and security.
Location: The Truman KC
CLEANUP CREW: An opportunity for ages teens and up, this role is essential to keeping our Christmas at the Crossroads event clean, welcoming, and enjoyable for all guests and volunteers. Responsibilities include: Regularly walking through event space to collect trash from designated bins and any litter found in common areas, emptying full trash bags and replacing them with new ones, taking collected trash to the appropriate disposal area or dumpster, alerting staff if additional cleaning supplies or assistance is needed. This role is active and on-the-go, perfect for someone who likes to stay busy and ensure things run smoothly behind the scenes!
Location: The Truman KC
COAT BOOTH: This opportunity is open to teens and older, with adult supervision being mandatory. Volunteers will help guests find coats that fit well while contributing to a festive and welcoming atmosphere. Your involvement will bring comfort and warmth this Christmas season—don’t miss the chance to make an impact!
Location: The Truman KC
Join our waitlist! We always need extra help for all areas and flexible support.
Location: The Truman KC and/or Men's Center Dining Room
Sign up below for an opportunity that fits your age, interest and schedule, and join us in making Christmas special for those we serve!
Need to know
Volunteers MUST sign Shelter KC's liability form and Policies & Code of Conduct form PRIOR to being approved to serve. Please click on the links below to sign.
After signing the required forms, please continue scrolling to the bottom of this page to select the day/time that you would like to volunteer. Once a volunteer time is selected and secured, you will be notified of the approval and be confirmed via email.
Please note: You will not be approved/added to our volunteer schedule until you receive an email confirmation or contacted by our Volunteer Coordinator directly.
