Hosting events and gatherings is part of Quaker Center’s witness as a Friends’ institution. We’re grateful to practice hospitality and share our space with groups and organizations working towards a more just, sustainable and peaceful world. This is a wonderful place to hold a group retreat, conference, training or other activity. Many groups return here year after year and consider their time at Quaker Center to be an important part of their year and programming. We’re blessed to serve as a second home to a variety of organizations.
A brief overview is offered here. If you’re interested in bringing a group to Quaker Center, please get in touch with us for more information.
Quaker Center has two group facilities, the Orchard Lodge and the Redwood Lodge. These may be rented separately or together. Each lodge has overnight accommodations, a large commercial kitchen, outdoor meeting areas, and a large hall for meeting and dining. Both lodges have wireless internet.
The Orchard Lodge dining room
Groups at Quaker Center do their own cleaning. This ‘pay it forward’ model is a unique and important part of staying here. All our visitors are responsible for cleaning the facilities prior to departure and leaving them in as good or better condition as they were offered. Groups will arrive to a carefully and lovingly cleaned lodge, and be able to leave the same gift to the next group.
The cost of renting lodges at Quaker Center depends on which spaces are rented and for how long, how many people attend, and whether the reservation is on a weekend or weeknight. We would be glad to send you more information, and talk with you about the possibility and cost of bringing your group here.
Groups bring their own bed linens, towels, and toiletries. Quaker Center provides pillows and blankets, and basics like hand soap and toilet paper. We also offer bundles of sheets and towels for rent to those who are not able to bring them. There are no guest laundry facilities; there is a nearby laundromat in Ben Lomond.
The Redwood Lodge meeting and dining hall
Groups provide their own meals, using our kitchen, either by cooking for themselves or hiring a cook. Quaker Center is happy to recommend the services of Tod Nysether, who has cooked for Quaker Center groups and programs for over twenty years.
We encourage groups staying here to take additional Covid-19 safety precautions, as do those of us who live and work here. These may include taking Covid tests before leaving home, using masks indoors, holding more activities outdoors, increased ventilation indoors, social distancing, and asking participants to affirm that they are vaccinated. We are happy to talk more about these measures and our experience of hosting groups during this pandemic.
Please contact us to check availability of dates and to receive more information about bringing groups to Quaker Center. We can make group reservations up to 12 months in advance.