Welcome to the Foods Department!
We are pleased to have you and your Organization aboard! To assist you with information that is specific to this Department, please read this letter in its entirety and distribute it to all Volunteers who will serve in this Department.
Volunteer Dress Code
In addition the Standards outlined in your Volunteer Coordinator Manual, Volunteers are expected to follow these guidelines:
· Pants:
o Must be Black, Blue, or Khaki in color
o No Jeans, Capri, or Cargo pants
o Must not have rips, tears, or cargo pockets
· Shorts:
o Must be Black, Blue, or Khaki in color
o Cannot be more than two (2) inches above the knee
o Must not have rips, tears, or cargo pockets
· Shirt:
o Must be a white polo shirt with no logo, emblem, or message
o Can be an HE&R wardrobe issued uniform shirt
· Shoes:
o Sneakers that cover the whole foot are required by the Department of Agriculture
o Shoes cannot be high heels, clogs, or open-toed which violate Dept. of Agriculture policy
· Outerwear:
o See Volunteer Coordinator Manual
· Hair:
o If your hair touches your collar, it must be pulled back in a ponytail
o Hairnets will be provided to individual Volunteers as needed
o Volunteers may wear their own hats provided they are HE&R company hats or plain in color with no social or political messages or symbols
o Visors cannot be worn
· Jewelry:
o Rings: Due to Dept. of Agriculture policies only wedding bands are permitted
o Bracelets: No bracelets may be worn while working in an F&B Establishment in the state of PA
o Watches: May only be made of non-porous metal material like gold, silver, or sterling silver
o See Volunteer Coordinator Manual for additional standards
· Company Issued Items
o Aprons will be available as inventory allows at the start of block shift times
o Aprons must be returned by the volunteer at the end of their block shift
o Hershey Identification Tag
Shifts Announcements
Available upcoming shifts will be announced and/or posted via Website and Email.
In conjunction with updating the website, Volunteer Coordinators will receive emails with all the shifts scheduled for that month. Due to the ongoing business of Hersheypark and the GIANT Center, any updates or new shifts will be announced through follow up emails throughout the month as well as posted on the website. Calendars may be sent via postal mail upon request.
To access the website, please follow these steps:
Employees.hersheypa.com – This website is updated regularly with new block shifts, closed block shifts, and other additional information. Do not type ‘www’ in the address
In all messages (email or voicemail), please always include the following information:
· Group Name
· Date and Time of the block shift you are reserving
· Number of individual Volunteers for your Organization
Shifts are assigned on a first come first served basis. Once scheduled, the Volunteer Coordinator will receive confirmation via email or phone call from the Food, Beverage, and Ride Operations Scheduling Office.
If the shift is already full, the Volunteer Coordinator will be notified via email or phone call stating the Volunteer has not been scheduled because that shift is now full. The Volunteer Coordinator may also be given the option to place that Volunteer on the Waiting List should availability open up.
Cancelling Shifts
Please note – Cancellations can come from the F&B Department or from the Volunteer Coordinator.
F&B Department Cancellations - There may be times when the F&B Department must cancel volunteer block shifts due to inclement weather, low attendance, or a cancelled/re-scheduled event. If it is determined that a volunteer block shift must be cancelled, the Volunteer Coordinator will be contacted via phone as soon as the decision is made. We will try our best to provide ample notice in the case of a cancellation.
Organization Cancellations – If any of your confirmed scheduled Volunteers is no longer able to fill the shift as scheduled, you may replace that Volunteer with any of your other Organization’s Volunteers without contacting us. If you can’t find an internal replacement, please contact the Food, Beverage, and Ride Operations Scheduling Office with the cancellation information as soon as possible at 717-534-8900. Please refrain from emailing Volunteer cancellations as we might not view the email prior to the start of the shift.
A Volunteer Organization will not be penalized for cancellations; however, it must be brought to the attention of the Food, Beverage, and Ride Operations Scheduling Office as soon as possible.
No Shows – If a Volunteer Organization accumulates an abnormal number of no shows or does not actively call in individual Volunteer cancellations, the Organization can be banned for the duration of their 2015 Agreement.
Parking
When volunteering at Hersheypark, please park in the Hersheypark employee parking lot and report to the Coaster Café (Employee Café) thirty (30) minutes prior to the start of the shift.
When volunteering at the Hersheypark Stadium, please park in the Hersheypark employee parking lot and report to the Coaster Café (Employee Café) thirty (30) minutes prior to the start of the shift.
When volunteering at the Hersheypark Arena, please park in the Hersheypark employee parking lot and report to the Coaster Café (Employee Café) thirty (30) minutes prior to the start of the shift.
When volunteering at the GIANT Center, please park in the GIANT Center employee parking lot and report to the F&B / Usher Room inside of entrance 6 thirty (30) minutes prior to the start of the shift.
When volunteering at the Hersheypark Camping Resort, please park at the campgrounds in the parking lot closest to the catering setup and report directly to the catering manager to sign in and receive his/her voucher.
If you are unaware of where these locations are, please ask security at parking lot entrances.
Checking In for Volunteer Shifts
Volunteers should arrive 30 minutes early and proceed to report to the locations listed above.
Once they arrive, they must sign in. If this is their first volunteer shift within our Department this season, they will also be required to complete a Volunteer Release and Waiver Agreement.
During the Check In process, each Volunteer should receive:
· One Temporary Pass
· One Hershey Identification Tag
· One Apron (available as inventory allows)
Job assignments will be given at this time. Assignments include but are not limited to:
· Patio Duty - Sweeping, changing trash cans, restocking/cleaning condiment areas, washing trays or other miscellaneous tasks
· Register - One-on-one contact with our Guests and handling a high volume of cash. ALL volunteers must be aware there is always a chance he/she will be assigned to a register
· Food Preparation - Cooking and preparing food items which may include working with large machinery
· Working at a cart location - These are small locations throughout Hersheypark which means the Volunteer may be alone or placed with another person when staffing permits
Check Out from Volunteer Shifts
At the close of each shift, Volunteers must report to the Check In counter in the HP Arena location and return:
· One Temporary Pass
· One Hershey Identification Tag
· One Apron (if received at Check In)
Directions to the Check In counter: Enter the Arena through Entrance 1, pass through the lobby into the arena area. Take the first ‘exit’ on the left. Volunteers must sign out before receiving a Hersheypark voucher.
After all company issued items are returned and the volunteer has signed out, each Volunteer will receive one (1) Hersheypark voucher.
GIANT Center / HP Camping Resort – If a Volunteer is fulfilling a block shift at one of these two locations, they will complete the sign in/sign out steps all at once unless told otherwise during the Check In process.
Double Shifts
If a Volunteer is working two back to back shifts, he/she must follow all the steps outlined under Check Out from Volunteer Shifts at the close of his/her first shift. He/she may take a break until the start of his/her second shift then report back to the Check In location and follow the steps outlined under Checking In for Volunteer Shifts for his/her second shift.
Volunteers may not consume or purchase any item of food within the Hersheypark gates, GIANT Center, or HP Stadium. Volunteers are required to break only in the designated employee areas.
Department Specific Rules
When volunteering within this department, we ask that your Organization adhere to the following rules/policies:
In the Food & Beverage department, we must maintain a safe and healthy work environment in compliance with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture as well as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We are responsible for providing the most thorough and up to date knowledge of how to safely handle food as well as maintaining safe establishments for employees, Volunteers, and Guests.
Hand Washing – The Volunteer must wash hands and change gloves every time he/she switches jobs.
· Roll down paper towels
· Turn on water as hot as you can stand it
· Pump soap into hand
· Scrub hands and forearms for no less than 20-30 seconds
· Dry hands with paper towels
· Turn off water using that paper towel and dispose
Gloves – All gloves in the F&B department are powered vinyl gloves. Concurrent to PA state law, gloves must be worn when handling all prepared and ready to eat foods.
Food Temperature Danger Zone – The zone is 41°F and 135°F which means cold foods need to be below 41°F and hot foods need to be above 135°F.
External Contaminants – There are three (3) main categories that contaminants fall into:
Biological Contaminants – E.g. Blood, Mucus, and Urine
Chemical Contaminants – E.g. Bleach, Cleaners, and Toxic Metals
Physical Contaminants – E.g. Hair, Glass, or Finger Nails
Chemicals – Please be aware that certain chemicals are used daily in the F&B Department locations.
If you have any questions, please contact frvolunteers@hersheypa.com at 717-534-8900.
Thank you for your participation in our Department’s Volunteer Program!
Sincerely,
The Food and Beverage Department
