Should I leave my job over this?

I am confused over why you arrived at 12noon and were asking for food, when you have said that you get a meal when you have worked for 4 hours. I don't expect a breakfast break as soon as I get to work. However, rudeness is not acceptable, but I wonder if you are regularly expecting food as soon as you get in. Whether you should resign is your choice. It depends on how much you 'enjoy' the job, but I don't think you do.

Honestly, what a storm in a teacup!

For heaven's sake, woman, eat a meal before leaving home for a 5 hour shift, that it what people usually do!

If you feel your colleagues whether volunteers or paid workers are habitually rude, then find somewhere else to use your energy and your time.

She wasn't asking for food or a break as soon as she arrived! In a 4or 5 hour shift you expect a break - especially if a volunteer. (And more than 10 minutes).

Blencathra Yes, 10 minutes is barely enough time to wolf down a potato and rush back to work. I would think 30 minutes in a 4 or 5 hour shift would be the least you would expect.

Especially if you are getting on in years Jaycee5

Irrespective of the lunch issue, I don’t think I would want to spend time in what sounds a rather grim atmosphere. Not allowed to talk, and “looking busy” to avoid being told off, it sounds positively Dickensian. As you say you really enjoy your other volunteering post, I would look for a similar role if you felt you wanted more.

I agree with everyone else, you should have eaten before you went in. I will even go further, if its voluntary work, is it fair
that profits should be eaten into by free meals, surely any spare money should go toward the cause, not feeding the volunteers, or any other staff for that matter.
You should have a break though, if you are in for five hours
fifteen minutes between two thirty and three say.
My grand son is a student aged twenty two, he works at a well known Pizza place on min wage, between five and midnight and gets break if they aren't busy.

Once again I ask "Is there such a thing as true altruism"?

No there isn't. The OP said she wished to meet people in her locality and that was her main motive. She decided to combine this with some voluntary work.

I don't think as a 65 year old adult she needs to be told to eat before she goes or if she doesn't like it there's the door.

If you know when you are likely to get your break say 2.30 ish you should have a snack before you start to keep you going. 10 mins to each a small lunch type meal wouldn't do my constitution any good, 15 mins would be more reasonable. All said no one paid or not should be spoken to as you were. Perhaps though with all the activity in the kitchen they wrongly interpreted what you were asking - food to be kept for you rather than you were demanding to be fed there and then. You sound kind of frustrated with the organisation and what is expected of you. Think about whether this is the right place for you to volunteer in, sure there will be plenty others in need of your time and energy. Don't stop volunteering, its good for your health.

Volunteer or not, the atmosphere there sounds very oppressive. If it's like that all the time, then personally I would walk away and find something else to do with my valuable time.

I agree oldbatty, take this scenario, I have a hospital appointment at 10.40am, have to be at my afternoon job at 12.15?. I think oh, I'll be able to keep my appointment, grab a quick bite in the hospital cafeteria and then set off to arrive in good time for my job (paid or not) Hospital keeps you waiting, you start to run late, best laid plans and all that. No one knows what Susan had to deal with that morning, it's unfair to judge and very patronising to tell her she should have eaten before she went to work, crikey is it a crime to ask someone to put you a snack on one side!

Thank you to everyone for your posts. I had a word with the manager of the cafe at work today who said I need to understand that catering is very stressful and people frequently get very uptight. We discussed the incident, she apologised to me and I apologised to her. I am still a bit shell shocked, but that is maybe because I didnt get much sleep. We have agreed I will work my designated shifts for the next week and then I will make a decision about whether to leave. My feeling at the moment is that I will leave, not over the baked spud incident specifically, but because the job is not really helping me meet people and I think its probably the wrong work environment. I am quite a gentle soul and I get on very well volunteering at the hospital being nice to patients and helping them at a tough time in their lives. I think I probably need another role where I can do something similar, however, as one person said on this thread, its not good to make hasty emotional decisions and after several more shifts at the cafe next week I may feel differently. Either way I have at least flagged up the possibility that I will be handing in my notice so they have time to find a replacement and I wont leave them in the lurch.

SunnyS Hope all goes well with you, whatever you decide

Susie...very sensible I think this particular volunteering job is not for you. Not criticising, it wouldn't suit me either.

kooklafan: I don't know ANY jobs (paid or otherwise) that actually 'GIVE' any kind of food...do you?

Any place that does is surely a 'perk' rather than expectations?

I started at 12.15pm in my last job and worked till 8.15pm... in that time I was allowed a 32 min break (this is with the Government btw) We didn't get allocated breaks except to go to the toilet. All was recorded as time off computer etc.
We weren't given any food?

Similarly all other jobs I've had...nobody gave me food - even as a 'volunteer' which I have described below...I had to 'buy' my own food.

All I can say is if you volunteer - don't expect special treatments and if it isn't for you then don't do it! No good bleating on about rights/wrongs or what in an ideal world should be the case.

Right on Bluegal

I think you will find I gave the example of helping out at a supper club. All the helpers were given a meal which we ate with the customers.
The guy running it made a point of that. We were also able to take away some extra with us if we wished. The would seem to me basic manners, hospitality and just being a decent human being.

Nobody is expecting special treatment or bleating as far as I can see.

If you are a volunteer and you aren't getting paid, I wouldn't call it a 'job'. You are providing services and valuable time out of your own kindness (and pocket). Nobody should be treated rudely..... but you least of all.

Would I quit? Probably!

A long time ago, I finally realized that you need to be very selective about where you volunteer. Some people just don't seem to get that you are being charitable and they need to be appreciative!

So what was your transgression? You arrived hungry? ....a potato?....well, for goodness sake! They should have bent over backwards just to please you. Tell them to go take a hike and that you'll be volunteering your valuable time somewhere else. Nobody should have to put up with that sort of nonsense gratuitously!

Hmmm Oldbatty... maybe some people just don't get it!

Willa 45...really? let's all volunteer and get everyone falling over backwards then eh? To heck with anyone else...let's keep the volunteers happy shall we? Bahaha

Agree with your comments about being selective though.

SunnyS you sound much happier about things now, very sensible solution and I feel that doing your shifts next week before making a final decision is right for you and for the cafe.
I have been on both sides of this situation in the past, as a willing volunteer for a charity I whole heartedly supported, and as a paid employee working with and supervising volunteers.
Clear ground rules for both parties and mutual respect are vital.
Hope you find a volunteer placement you are more suited to in the near future.

No I wouldn't leave, but you don't need to be treated like this. I would approach whoever is in charge and tell them what happened. if you don't get a satisfactory result then I would leave and go where you're appreciated. Organisations are crying out for good volunteers.

Yellowmellow...what? What are you talking about exactly? What has the OP got to complain about exactly? All I can see is she was told she went to ask if she could have food saved for her (immaterial of what it was) the minute she arrived at her post! Who does that?

I think the OP now realises her mistake and that the post isn't for her but 'approaching' who is in charge? What are they going to say? Get real...... This is a business first and foremost. Staff (including volunteers) are not automatically entitled to food. It was said that working for 4 hours they COULD have food and I think this is quite generous BUT to put orders in? No I don't think so. So who would you suggest she approaches? and what exactly is her complaint? She was spoken to harshly? Probably..but its been explained numerous times below as to why she may have been spoken to harshly i.e. busy time, hot weather, pressure etc.

I volunteer (and have done in this place for 21 years) and in the time I have been doing it, my 'workplace' has changed from 10 mins away to an hour and a half away. It is becoming very onerous, and I'm beginning to struggle. When I mentioned it to the manager, she said 'well, you're only a volunteer. At least your mortgage doesn't depend on the job'. I think it's the lack of respect that bothers me. As with you, being treated as a paid worker, when they are badly treated, is a bit much. If you are unhappy, perhaps it would be better to go and do something different, where your skills are appreciated? I am about to do the same.

The poster didn't ask to eat there and then just asked for something to be kept for her to eat later, not unreasonable in my view as by the time she was allowed to eat most items on the menu would be gone. As for being spoken to in a rude way, no I wouldn't accept it.