Volunteer Season Is Approaching. Will You Be Part of It?

Christmas is only eight weeks away. It's time for chefs to create new catering menus, for managers to begin promoting special events, and for restaurant owners to consider volunteering to help the needy.

Each year for the past decade Kranston and I have vowed to volunteer at a senior center, soup kitchen, or homeless shelter on Christmas Day. However, vowing to do so and actually doing it always seemed years apart.

Last year my wife nudged me enough that we took steps to spend Christmas with a group of seniors at the Sonoma Senior Center.  We assisted in preparing a Christmas dinner for 300 people.

It wasn't difficult duty, and the gig only lasted three hours as more volunteers showed up than were needed. Peeling potatoes, making abundant amounts of roux, and stirring gravy somehow seemed redeeming when performed in an under-equipped kitchen hosting seniors.

In July I received a call asking me if I would like to volunteer again this year, and I agreed.  Then the big question came – would I be interested in running the entire kitchen for the Christmas event, since the regular chef had opted to move on?

It was July, months away from December. Of course I agreed without hesitation. Oops.

Currently I am assembling a team of restaurant owners to assist with the project. The criteria are simple -- volunteers need to forget about California fusion food and French sauces and help me in a kitchen with two ovens, two stoves, a stock pot burner, and a few refrigerators.

No, I am not flying people to Northern California wine country for the Christmas holidays to play Sous Chef and prep turkey, mashed potatoes, and dressing.

But during the process of mashing potatoes, cleaning pots and pans, and stirring gravy I realized the benefits of volunteering, especially for the business owner and his or her employees. I know from personal experience just how good it makes you feel -- especially during these tumultuous times, when it's so easy to get frustrated and angry.

It's also a substantial community contribution that attracts a fair amount of publicity for the volunteers and the businesses they own. You get community credit. People recognize you at Starbucks, and it might prompt a neighbor or two to spring for a Venti Latte. Plus, it may help to build a larger customer base. And of course it also lends itself to securing a position for Christmas Days to come.

So this year, if nobody is gifting you with a seven-day cruise, or if your condominium in Aspen happens to be rented, or if you're feeling the stress of running a restaurant in an economy that feels like a ride at Disneyland, think about volunteering to feed the needy, the helpless, the hungry, or those who simply have nowhere else to go.

It may be one of the best holidays you've celebrated in a while.