Community outreach calendar

Franciscan Outreach Soup Kitchen

The following Saturdays in 2012 are available for volunteers at the The Marquard Center Franciscan Outreach soup kitchen:

• January 28
• February 25
• March 31
• April 28
• May 26

Location: 1645 W LeMoyne St, Chicago, IL 60622 (corner of LeMoyne & Paulina)

Dinner hours are between the hours of 4:45pm-7:00pm.  Please arrive promptly at 4:45 (5pm at the latest!) Stay until 7:00 to help clean up.  A 5-10 minute orientation will begin the night.

Attire:  Please dress in casual, comfortable clothing (jeans, t-shirts, sneakers, etc). Please do not wear low tops, tight or revealing clothes; no open-toed shoes or sandals are permitted.  Please do not wear bulky jewelry.  Pull back long hair from face. Aprons and serving gloves will be provided.  Please confirm attendance with Carmel Medard, volunteer coordinator.

Volunteer Court Monitor Training

Train with the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women's Network Court Watch Project to monitor domestic violence-related court cases and report significant data and observations, which will be used to track important trends in the court's response to domestic violence. Make a difference in the community by holding the justice system accountable for its treatment of victims of DV, learn more about the justice system, and dynamics of domestic violence.

Volunteers are required to participate in at least 4 hours (or one court call) per month. Volunteers must be able to sit in a courtroom and focus for extended periods of time (up to four hours at a time) and they must be able to fill out court reporting forms with legible handwriting and a high degree of accuracy.

Location: Centralized Domestic Violence Court, 555 W. Harrison

Time: 10am-4pm

Dates: TBA

Fill out an online application or e-mail Margaret Konieczny or Cora Palmer for mail-in applications.

Chicago Books to Women in Prison

Chicago Books to Women in Prison is a volunteer collective working since 2003 to distribute books free of charge to incarcerated women nationwide.

CBWP always needs people to help open letters, match up requests, package books, and pick up donations. They meet on Sundays from 2-5pm at Beyondmedia Education, 4001 N. Ravenswood #204B. (Drop-ins are welcome, and you don't have to stay the whole time.) Parking is ample, and the building is within walking distance of the Irving Park Brown Line.

E-mail Margaret Konieczny, Community Outreach Coordinator, if interested in attending a book packing session, or just drop by on any Sunday afternoon. This is a great family activity (13 and up, please).