Provide Daystation Guests With Lunch

Our Greatest Ongoing Need: Daystation Lunch Volunteers We serve lunch every single day of the year—365 days, 7 days a week—and we rely on volunteers to make it happen. Volunteers provide the ingredients, prepare the meal, and, if over 18, serve lunch to our Daystation guests. Your support ensures that our community members experiencing homelessness have access to a nourishing meal each day.

Our largest ongoing need is for volunteers to provide lunch for our Daystation guests. We serve lunch 365 days a year, seven days a week. Volunteers provide ingredients, prep, and serve meals. To learn more about what you need to prepare or to sign up, view all the information below.

If you have any questions about volunteering, organizing a drive, or putting on your own event for COTS, email our Communication & Events Manager at romyt@cotsonline.org.

Lunch Calendar

Daily Lunch

Help us provide lunch to guests visiting the Daystation, COTS’s daytime drop-in shelter for adults, open 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The Daystation is located at 95 North Avenue in Burlington. You will see a gate that says welcome in different languages, enter through there.

This is a great service opportunity or team-building activity. There is staff on-site to help you navigate prepping and/or serving lunch.

It's nice to have a vegetarian option and a meat option.
Potluck style meals are welcome!

Lunch Examples

Pasta with vegetable sauce and meat sauce.
Chicken and vegetarian burrito bowls.
Variety of sandwiches (turkey, ham, veggie), lettuce, tomato, for guests to add to their sandwiches. No condiments please!
Marinated chicken thighs.
Vegetarian chili.
Meat and veggie lasagna.
Soup or stew.

Various sides, drinks, and desserts are always welcome, too!

Prepping and Serving

Volunteers must be 18 or older to serve lunch onsite.
Families or groups with children are welcome to prepare meals offsite and drop them off for our staff to serve.
Volunteers over 18 may use our kitchen to heat or assemble meals onsite. The Daystation opens at 9:00 AM.
Due to limited space, we recommend bringing no more than 6 people per group.
- If you're planning a cookout, we can accommodate larger groups!
You’re welcome to use our patio and grill for a cookout—just be sure to mention this when you sign up.

Thank you for supporting our community with a nourishing meal!

Treat the Daystation to Lunch

Fill out the Lunch Sign-Up Form to reserve your date and include any important details.
Order from your favorite local caterer or restaurant.
Send over pizzas from a local pizzeria.
Other easy, to-go meals like sandwiches, burritos, or pasta dishes work great too!

Lunch FAQs

The Daystation is a drop-in shelter that is open 365 days a year from 9 AM to 5 PM.

It offers a refuge from the streets and access to an array of services. This is where guests can meet with COTS staff, connect with local resources, receive mail and telephone calls, do laundry, and find support toward their self-sufficiency goals.

Staff members provide support, assistance, referrals, and educational and recreational opportunities.