Andre House Tikkun Olam

Thank you for your interest in Andre House. We hope this letter will help you understand more about Andre House and this very special Tikkun Olam opportunity.

Andre House started in 1984. Two Catholic priests began by serving soup near the railroad tracks in downtown Phoenix to anyone in need. The culture remains the same. Andre House considers itself a house of hospitality; all are welcome no matter what race, religion, sexuality or issues.

Today, Andre House serves dinner every night of the week except Friday to somewhere between 550-650 people that would otherwise not have dinner. In addition, Andre House provides many resources during the day. The people they serve are considered “guests.” The majority are living and sleeping on the streets in Phoenix or spending the night in a shelter if there is space available. All are treated with respect. The guests know there are rules at Andre House and respect the rules as they want to be able to access their services.

Goal

To establish a core group of 15 TKA volunteers committed to serving dinner one evening per month at Andre House. If we get more that would truly be a mitzvah. It takes 30 volunteers to make dinner each and every night!

Dates and Times

TKA has committed to the 4th Tuesday of each month.

The evening meal volunteer shift is 3pm to 7pm. This can be made shorter.

Obviously the optimal situation for Andre House is to have volunteers sign up for the entire time frame. They are also very sensitive to people working etc. and will be happy to welcome volunteers for a shorter time frame. If you are unable to work the whole time frame you will be able to work a 3pm-5pm shift or a 5pm to 7pm shift.

If you commit to the entire shift you will be helping to prepare a homemade meal (yep, every night is homemade) from 3:00 to about 5:00. Then there is a break with a meeting where everyone is assigned a task for serving. The doors open for dinner for the guests at 5:30 and close promptly at 6:30. Then clean up happens and you are on your way home very close to 7:15.

Driving and Parking

The address for Andre House is 213 South 11th Avenue. That is misleading. The best way to get there is to go to 7th Avenue and Washington. Head west on Washington to 9th Avenue. It is a regular street not a large street. Turn left on 9th Avenue. Cross Jefferson, then Madison, and come to a stop at Jackson. Turn right on Jackson and drive about 300 feet. You can’t miss Andre House. Turn in the gate and park. There is no code and the gate will be unlocked. The parking is surrounded by a fence and could not be any closer to the building. When you get out of your car go in the entrance on the left hand side. Laura Ziff will be looking for you.

Car Pool

If you would like to volunteer but prefer not to drive please contact Susan Guzman or Laura Ziff and they will figure out a carpool for you.

Dress and other stuff

Dress is casual. Blue jeans and tennis shoes are just fine. Andre house will supply an apron. If you have a purse, you can either lock it in your car or bring it inside and there is a place to put it.

Who can participate?

Anyone age 14-100. They have volunteers who have been there 30 years. One celebrated her 90th birthday this year! This is a great activity to bring a partner, spouse and or friend too. Just sign them up below also.

How to sign up

Click on the link below if you want to volunteer for the complete shift of 3pm to 7pm:

http://templekoiami.andrehouse.volunteerhub.com/

If you want to volunteer for a shorter shift please contact Susan Guzman or Laura Ziff and we will register you offline.

After signing up please just send Susan a quick email to let her know you have signed up.

If you have further questions prior to signing up, please feel free to contact:

Susan Guzman at 480-998-1054 sutyguz@gmail.com

Laura Ziff at 602-677-7429 laurasziff@gmail.com