Whether you talk to the HD or not, (and you should. Also ask about a basic food safety courses they offer as well as handouts you can bring back to the church kitchen.) the basics of food service sanitation are not complicated. I suspect most of the volunteers may already think they know them but for the sake of stating the obvious, here are some of the guidelines in no particular order.
1. Wash your hands frequently. Soap and water and vigorous scrubbing for twenty seconds.
2. When handling ready to eat foods, food handling gloves should be worn. Have S, M, L and XL sizes on hand to accommodate everyone. Ready to eat means nothing else will be done before it is eaten. So pastries, lettuce and salad veggies, cooked meats, rolls, etc. Cutting raw veg for soup is not "ready to eat". Making a salad or sandwich is ready to eat.
A couple of cutting gloves available will make the HD happy.
3. A sanitizer solution should be on hand with clean cloths to sanitize work surfaces after preparing food and in between preparing different foods.
4. Keep hot food hot and cold food cold. You should have a good working thermometer to temp the foods. The rule is generally 40 to 140 F. THis rule changes now and then by a degree or two but 40-140 is a good general range. So Cold food below 40 and hot food above 140.
5. Cool hot foods down quickly before refrigerating. A large pot of sauce, soup or chili should be put into smaller, shallow pans to allow for heat to escape. Cool enough to hold a hand against the exterior, about 70. Temp drop should happen within two hours.
Then get the temp to 41F or below within four hours. In short, nothing sits around all afternoon. Cool it asap and get it refrigerated.
6. Don't leave things sitting around on the counter, not even a box of crackers. Do something with it. If it is ready to eat, wrap it in plastic wrap or cover it, refrigerate it or put it back in storage. If it requires cooking, then cook it.
7 Raw chicken on the lowest shelf of the frig or walk in. Raw beef above that. Always place cooked food above raw. Always in a pan or container to catch any loose fluids. Label and date. You can use masking tape and a marker or pen.
8. Clean clothing. No one works in clothes they were doing yard work in. Aprons removed before using the bathroom.
9. Sharp knives. Not kind of sharp, or used to be sharp. Make sure the church kitchen has SHARP knives. ( This isn't a health department rule. You'll just be happier with Sharp knives, and they are less dangerous than dull ones. You don't have to force a sharp knife.)
10. Keep a broom and dustpan in use frequently.
11. Clean and convenient trash receptacles, emptied as needed.
12. Change cutting boards frequently. Cut the veggies, wash the board, cut the chicken-really wash the board, cut the bread, wash the board. Never use the same board for more than one thing without washing it. Clean and sanitize the area around the cutting board.
14. Have everything ready, chafing dishes, plates, etc. When it's cooked and hot, serve it.
15. No sneezing, coughing, or any other expulsion of bodily fluids around the food. Cover your mouth and nose, not with your hands. If using your hands, wash them immediately.
16 Anyone complaining of not feeling well or recently sick, should consider volunteering another time.
17 Use the thermometer to check the food is the right temp, generally 135 for veggies, beans grains to hot held for service, 145 for 4 minutes for roasts, 155 for 15 seconds for ground meats, 165 for 15 seconds for chicken and stuffings with meat or meat with stuffing.
18. Keep food work areas apart by distance or time as much as possible. The chicken gets prepped over here, the vegetables get prepped over there, not close to each other.
19. Keep cleaning the kitchen as you go. All dirty dishes, used utensils, etc. go to the dish area at once.
20 A three part washing sink system is necessary. Soapy wash, clean water rinse, sanitizer sink. A dishwasher, if available, should only be considered a source of heat sanitation. All items should be washed before being put in the dish machine.