Minister Resources

Driving and Transportation Activities

Volunteer drivers must complete the Defensive Driving curriculum on CMG Connect. A Motor Vehicle Record check (MVR) is recommended.

Volunteers using their own vehicle should maintain minimum liability coverage on their vehicle of $100,000/$300,000. The volunteer should be informed in advance that their insurance would be primary if an accident occurred.

All volunteer drivers must comply with the Diocesan Vehicle Safety or Fleet Safety policy.

No volunteer driver will be allowed to provide transportation on behalf of any Diocesan entity who has had any of the following citations or convictions in the past three years:

1. Operating a vehicle during a period of license suspension, revocation, or forfeiture
2. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
3. Hit and run accident
4. Failure to report an accident
5. Negligent homicide arising out of the use of a motor vehicle
6. Using a motor vehicle for the commission of a felony
7. Operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s authority
8. Permitting an unlicensed person to drive
9. Reckless driving
10. A combined total of three or more accidents and/or moving violations

Contracting with a bus company is recommended when transporting large groups. Absolutely no 11 or more (including the driver) passenger vans are allowed to be used. For private passenger vehicles or when available on other vehicles, everyone must wear a seatbelt. Car seats and booster seats should be used to meet your state law requirements.

Maximum driving duration is 8 hours with regular breaks being taken.  Always be aware of the risk of fatigue.

Volunteers driving on behalf of the parish/school need to be safe and courteous drivers. Cell phones and other handheld electronic devices are not permitted to be used while driving. Except during an emergency, these devices should only be used when the driver has pulled off the road and is safely parked.

Volunteers should only be allowed to drive for tasks specifically targeted toward their volunteer activity.

Festival Activities

Volunteers are not allowed to bring in any homemade grills or barbeque equipment. Only trained employees should light pilot lights for kitchen stoves and ovens. Always keep temporary external cooking equipment a safe distance from buildings. Volunteers should be instructed to monitor floors and walkways for spills or other debris.

Kitchen and Food Service Safety

Kitchen volunteers should be trained in safe procedures for using the stove and other kitchen equipment to help them prevent injuries from burns, cuts, and punctures. Water and other spills can make floors slippery and lead to an increased risk of slips and falls. Non-skid mats are especially important to help prevent the risk of injury in the kitchen. Encourage volunteers to clean-up spills immediately. Volunteers designated to prepare or serve food should follow proper food handling guidelines.

Other Indoor & Outdoor Safety Considerations

Slips, trips, and falls are a leading cause of injury for volunteers. Help volunteers avoid injury by maintaining your facilities and keeping them free from premises liability hazards. Examples include but are not limited to, ensuring walkways, parking lots and stairs are properly maintained, in inclement weather, maintain landscaping and trees, make sure flooring is smooth, and carpet lays flat and even, install safety mats in kitchens and rubber backed mats at entrances, recommend non-slip footwear, ensure your facility is well-lit inside and out, and provide ergonomic workstations, etc.

Fire safety is also important for the protection of volunteers. It is important to post evacuation plans in gathering rooms and other locations. Fire alarm systems and smoke detection devices should be maintained and operational. A minimum of two means of unobstructed egress should be provided.

Exit signage should be well lit. Our staff frequently checks with the local fire authority to ensure our facility is compliant with fire safety regulations.

For risk management guidelines or best practice recommendations not covered within this manual, additional resources can be found on CMG Connect or please contact the Parish Director.

Due to the illnesses and incidents which have occurred across the United States, there has been more media coverage and information concerning food poisoning. Recently, this has included newspaper articles and television news programs. All have reviewed illnesses which can and have occurred. What is your risk of exposure, and what safeguards should you practice to reduce the potential of a foodborne illness?

Handle food safely

Meat and poultry processors have begun providing additional labeling on packages to better educate and protect consumers. Government agencies, including the USDA, have been underway in establishing stricter testing and inspection requirements for food processors, as well as programs to assess food safety along the entire food distribution chain. It is important to understand that an improved inspection system can’t replace good sanitation and safe food handling by those food handlers responsible for the final storing, preparing, and serving of food. This would include restaurants, schools, parishes, and consumer households. As many schools and parishes routinely prepare and serve food, the following information is being provided to review safe storing, preparation, and serving of food.

• Refrigerators should be kept at 40 degrees or Freezers should be kept at 0 degrees. Raw meat and poultry should be refrigerated as soon as possible after purchasing or receiving. At the grocery store or deli, keep raw meats and poultry separated from other perishables. Never thaw frozen meat and poultry on the kitchen counter. Thaw them in the refrigerator. If in a hurry, thaw in a bag under cold running water. If a microwave is used for thawing, the food should be immediately cooked. Always refrigerate when marinating food.
• Canned goods should be stored in a cool, dry area and should be free of cracks, dents, and
• Cooked or prepared food requiring refrigeration should never be left unrefrigerated for more than two In a warm environment, food should sit out no longer than one hour. Refrigerate or freeze cooked/prepared foods in shallow containers rather than deep containers.
• Refrigeration and freezing does not kill bacteria on food which sat out too long and has started to When in doubt, throw it out.

Two of the more common types of food poisoning are caused from salmonella and E.coli bacteria. At least 40,000 salmonella infections are reported annually. Experts estimate 500,000 to 4 million infections actually occur.

Any raw food of animal origin (i.e. meat, poultry, eggs, raw milk, fish, and shellfish) may carry salmonella. Food can be contaminated with E.coli when a food handler or cook does not follow good sanitary procedures. Critical to this is washing hands after using a bathroom.

Don’t let bacteria spread or grow

The key to preventing an exposure is to not allow any contamination while preparing food and to effectively destroy bacteria during the cooking process. The following steps will greatly reduce the likelihood of a food related illness.

• Inspect the food to see if there are any signs of contamination or Fish,

poultry, fruits, and vegetables should be thoroughly washed/rinsed.

• Always wash your hands with soap prior to handling and preparing You should also rewash your hands prior to preparing another type of food or when using a new knife/utensil.
• Raw meats, fish, and poultry should be cut on an acrylic cutting board, not

Use a wood cutting board for fruits and vegetables only.

• Never serve food on a plate or platter which raw meat, fish, or poultry was cut or prepared
• Never let raw meat, fish, and poultry or their juices come in contact with other
• If the work area was cleaned with a dishcloth, always immediately switch to a clean one or use disposable paper
• After cleaning utensils and work areas, an additional measure is to This can be done using 2 to 3 teaspoons of household bleach in one quart of water, then thoroughly rinsing with cold water.
• Always cook food Only thorough cooking destroys bacteria.

Thermometers are recommended to determine if the internal temperature of the food you are cooking has reached a safe temperature. Internal temperatures should reach 160 degrees. If the food includes poultry, the temperature should reach 185 degrees.

• If serving food for an extended period, hot foods should be kept above 140 degrees

and cold foods below 40 degrees.

More information

Additional information is available on the Internet from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service Home Page at https://www.usda.gov/fsis, or by calling the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555. Another source is your local government Health Department.

1. Keep Messages Relevant

• Only send messages that are related to the group’s purpose (e.g., scheduling, prayer requests, event details).
• Avoid off-topic content, jokes, or personal conversations in the group text.

2. Respect Timing

• Limit messages to appropriate hours (e.g., between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM).
• If it’s not urgent, consider waiting until morning or using email instead.

3. Use Clear and Concise Language

• Be brief and to the point.
• Start messages with a keyword like "Reminder," "Urgent," or "FYI" for clarity.

4. Avoid Message Overload

• Try to group information into one message instead of sending several short ones.
• If multiple replies are expected, ask people to reply privately when appropriate.

5. Use “Reply All” Carefully

• Only use “Reply All” if your response is relevant to the entire group.
• For personal messages or confirmations, reply only to the sender.

6. Maintain Confidentiality

• Do not share sensitive or personal information in group texts.
• Get permission before sharing someone else’s contact or personal prayer need.

7. Be Kind and Uplifting

• Speak with grace and encouragement.
• Avoid sarcasm, criticism, or anything that might be misunderstood.

8. Stay Organized

• Designate one or two people as the group’s main communicators.
• For larger groups, consider using a messaging app or platform (like GroupMe, WhatsApp, or a church app) for better management.

9. Opt-In, Opt-Out

• Make sure everyone in the group wants to be included.
• If someone asks to be removed, do so promptly and kindly.

10. Review Before Sending

• Double-check messages for clarity and tone.
• Make sure any names, dates, and times are accurate.

Saint Joachim Facility Use Policy and Procedures

Meeting Rooms  •  Class Rooms  •  Nevin Hall  •  Nevin Hall Kitchen

Facility use PERMISSION:

Ministries must be pre-approved – allow two weeks for this process.  Ministry must submit a “Facility Use Request” form which is available at the Parish Office.

Facility RESERVATIONS: 

Ministries must make reservations for a particular room at the Parish Office during the work week - Monday through Friday only - between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.  Weekend use must be made a minimum of TWO DAYS in advance.  Only an approved Ministry’s pre-assigned adult, or their pre-assigned adult assistant, may make reservations.

• Facilities may not be used on weekends if they have NOT been reserved during the above stated times.
• Reservations of the Nevin Hall KITCHEN do NOT allow use of, nor access to or through, Nevin Hall. They are two separate facilities.   If the Hall is to be used in conjunction with the Kitchen the Hall must be reserved at the time the Kitchen is reserved.

KEY AVAILABILITY:

Keys to all facilities may be checked out during working hours at the Parish office just prior to the use of the facility. Only a Ministry’s pre-assigned adult responsible person or their adult pre-assigned assistant may check out a key.  It is their sole responsibility to comply with all Policies and Procedures and to ensure that when they lock up, the facility is in order and ready for the next assigned use.

• NO ONE else may pick up keys
• Keys are NEVER to be loaned to another person or duplicated for ANY reason
• Keys MUST be returned immediately after the use of a facility that same day
• Keys returned after 6:00 p.m. MUST be dropped into the mail slot which is located 4 feet to the left of the Parish Office entry doors.
• DO NOT KEEP KEYS OVERNIGHT unless reservations have been made by your ministry for the following morning’s use of the facility

SECURITY REQUIREMENTS: ALL FACILITIES– A.M. & P.M.

All exterior doors – the Brick Building Classrooms, Nevin Hall and Kitchen, Annex A & B are to remain closed and locked at all times unless they, too, are continually monitored by a pre-assigned adult responsible person or their pre-assigned adult assistant while they are unlocked.

• NO PERMANENTLY LOCKED EXTERIOR DOOR MAY BE HELD OPEN BY ARTIFICIAL MEANS – such as wood wedges, folded and or bunched up rugs, etc.
• NO children are allowed to remain in any room, hallway, stairwell (first and/or second floor) or restroom without continuous adult supervision.
• The use of the Nevin Hall Kitchen requires that a pre-approved and TRAINED, adult responsible person be present at all times.
• NO children under the age of 14 are allowed in the Kitchen at any time.

ROOM USE:

• The following rules apply:
• All meetings must end promptly by 9:30 p.m. (with the exception of Nevin Hall on pre-approved special events)
• Meeting participants must quietly exit the parking lot by 10:00 p.m.
• No food or drinks allowed in rooms except in Nevin Hall and Kitchen.
• No candles, incense or incendiaries.
• No gum chewing allowed anywhere on Saint Joachim property.
• No tape, nails, pins, etc., used anywhere on or in buildings. (Small, temporary, directional, 8-1/2” X 11” signs may be taped to glass ONLY)
• Tables must be completely covered when used for art projects.
• Audio Visual systems are to be used only when a trained staff is present.
• Never remove the dark blue cover on the Smart Boards. Never turn the Smart Board power “On”.
• Please do not use white boards in school classrooms.
• Please do not move students’ desks or use teacher’s desk.
• Please return chairs you may have used.
• Clean counters, desks, floors, etc. ready for the rooms next use.
• Close the windows, turn off the lights, lock and close the doors.
• Please do not drag trash bags on floors or sidewalks.

HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEMS:

• Classrooms #1 and #2 only: Turn the systems “ON” AND “OFF” by the use of the START/STOP button.  DO NOT ADJUST IN ANY OTHER WAY!
• Nevin Hall: Adjust ONLY by the instructions listed in the thermostat cabinet.
• DO NOT TOUCH ANY OTHER THERMOSTATES IN ANY OTHER LOCATION – they are all preprogrammed. See Facilities Manager if questions.

DISCIPLINARY ACTION:

Any Ministry or individual who fails to properly use the facilities is subject to the following disciplinary actions:

• First Offense ~ Notice of non-compliance
• Second Offense ~ Suspension of use of facilities for thirty days
• Third Offense ~ Termination of use of facilities for one year