St. Francis House, a shelter for those in need in St. Augustine, invites groups to come in to prepare a meal for the residents.  “Chef’s Night Out” gives their chef a much needed break and is a program in which Memorial participates.

  MPC member, Caitlyn Posey, played on the Flagler College Women’s Volleyball Team during her time there. 

After getting involved with Memorial’s Outreach Committee, Caitlyn expanded her service in the community to include the current women’s team.  Involving the team in Chef’s Night Out not only blessed the residents of St. Francis House with a homecooked meal, but it also blessed the members of the team.

Caitlyn shares her experience in her own words:

“Preseason is a time where college athletes head to campus early to train before the start of the athletic season. It is a time of connection on the court as teams work out lineups and early kinks, but also a time of connection for the players off the court. On report day for the 2021 Flagler College Women’s Volleyball season, the girls participated in their very first Chef’s Night Out at the St. Francis House. After moving new freshmen into the dorms, the team crossed St. George Street and headed over to the St. Francis House with bags of groceries and back to school goodies for the children. The 15 players cooked a delicious spaghetti meal with salad, fresh bread, and brownies for dessert. At 5:30pm, dinner was served and the girls worked for the next few hours to serve the residents and spend time with them. They delivered the back to school gifts to the children onsite which included Flagler Volleyball t-shirts and requested back to school items.

During the planning session for our 2022 Fall preseason, the girls unanimously asked that Chef’s Night Out be the kick-off event for the year as it was voted the favorite team bonding experience of 2021. The girls are already brainstorming what to make this year and who gets to go shopping for the children. The team has so enjoyed getting to know the broader St. Augustine community, especially folks who reside just down the road from where they practice every day. We are grateful for what seems to be the new preseason ritual as well as the Outreach Committee for connecting us to this wonderful opportunity.”