ASLAN

Best Practice Guide: The Tea Run

This guide is intended to standardise procedures across all teams so that each team is providing a similar service. It can be used as a checklist for team leaders.

Saturday Morning

Ensure that all team members are as quiet as possible outside, especially when arriving, loading the minibus and leaving at 5 a.m.

· Open up The Clubhouse and open the back gate (approximately 4 a.m.)

Tea & Coffee

Make one small urn of tea and one large urn of coffee.

· Switch the electric urns on and heat the water. Heat the water on the gas as necessary.

· Bring to the boil before making the tea and coffee

· Use 8 catering size tea bags or about 30 ordinary tea bags in the small urn

· Use 2 mugfuls of coffee in the large urn

· Add about 3 pints of milk to each urn

· Before adding the sugar fill one thermos flask with tea and one with coffee. Make sure that the flasks have been pre-heated with boiling water first.

· Add 3/4 bag of sugar to each urn

· Remove the tea bags from the urn and drain them in the sink before throwing away

Preparing the minibus

· Cover the floor at the back with plastic sheeting

· Put the tea and coffee urns, flasks and food trays in the back

· Put the clothes bags on the seats inside for distribution from the side door

· Put the small yellow table inside at the back

Also take:

· a large bin liner

· 200 cups

· first aid kit

· invitations to next week’s entertainments evening

· a few pens

· ASLAN list of shelters and agencies that can help

· Carrier bags

The Tea Run

Ensure that everything is switched off and locked up before leaving The Clubhouse

· Brief the team and pray before leaving

· Follow the agreed route and timings as closely as possible (see Tea Run Route & Times document)

· Make clients aware of the availability of clothes

· Hand out invitations discreetly. Keep a list of names of the people who have been invited

· Keep each stop tidy by clearing up as many use cups etc as possible

· Make sure that some food is held back for the last stop

· Take any food that can be used to The Passage

On return to The Clubhouse

· Remember to keep quiet. Make sure that the minibus does not beep when reversing by keeping the lights on. Reverse down the ramp and park on the right hand side close to the wall (opposite side to the doors)

· Enter the mileage in the minibus logbook

· Empty the excess tea and coffee and rinse out the urns and flasks

· Take both urns back to the loft and leave with the lids off

· Drain the electric urns in the kitchen and take them up to the loft

· Put the flasks in the pantry cupboard with the lids off

· Throw away any unused food that is no longer usable

· Mop up any spillages in the minibus

· Sweep out the minibus and leave in a cleaner state than it was found

· Empty the bins and put a new bag in

· Tidy the kitchen and put everything away

· Mop the floor

· Return any remaining clothes to the store

After the Tea Run

· Email the next Tea Run leader to let him/her know what food is available at The Clubhouse (e.g. level of margarine) and to discuss any issues arising from that morning's run. Pass on requests for clothing etc.

· Inform Philip Long if any stock is running low

· Pass on the list of names of people invited to Entertainment Events to the leader of that event

Last Revised: May 2004