Food Not Bombs January 13th Meeting

OK it's 3:30pm. Folks who are available right now give a 👍 to this post.

[Start January 12th Food Not Bombs Meeting]

1. December 24th Xmas Supper (Vancouver Free Market) Recap

2. December 30th Meal Service Recap

3. Food Stocks

4. Karl said to get Joanne's number for bread donations.

5. Vi's Tub of Cutlery and Plates Count

6. Next Meal Service

7. New Members Signed Up

8. Next Meeting?

[End January 12th Food Not Bombs Meeting]

December 24th Xmas Supper (Vancouver Free Market) Recap

Our first December meal service (December 24th):

* Beatrice arrived first, then Dave, then Vi.
* Beatrice brought a pot full of potatoes and carrot soup, twenty potatoes, and thirty buns of brioche bread.
** A bagful of carrots and potatoes.
* Vi brought metal tubs, takeout containers, and utensils.

Our last meal service (December 30th):

* Two boxes of clothes were brought in for the coming cold temperatures, people were appreciative of them and the staff assisted in helping us give them out appropriately to each claimer.
* Beatrice brought two boxes of clothes, a half bag of uncooked rice, two metal trays, one with vegan mashed potatoes, another with stir-fried vegan carrot slices, and an Instant Pot.
* Vi brought a large pot of spanish rice with corn torilla chips, two loaves of bread, a bagful of take-out containers, and tomato sauce for thickening.
** Her roommate, Hannah, also contributed to the kitchen this shift.
* Dave brought the Food Not Bombs sign, and a bowlful of bolognese sauce (puréed squash + tomato base with minced carrots and Field Roast meat) for serving alongside rice and pasta.
* There was a slight delay of food being served until 12:30pm. We finished serving food, finishing with the last of our cooked rice and some on-site prepared pasta, around 2:30pm.
* At 12:30pm, we started serving Vi's spanish rice in separate takeout containers, along with corn torilla chips inside, serving them out in metal trays, switching out empty ones whenever for optimal warm serving temperatures.
* Alongside that, we served steamed rice from the brought Instant Pot (fourteen cups in total) and the mashed potatoes and stir-fried carrot slices.
** Beatrice kept the half-bag of rice for a later Food Not Bombs serving date.
* We began serving the bolognese sauce soon after, around 12:45pm.
** The people enjoyed the spanish rice, plenty of people eagerly taking them, really enjoyed the mashed potatoes, and they unanimously enjoyed the rice. The bolognese sauce was not quite as popular.
* Food amount and diversity were absolutely not issues, we had an abundance and varied diet of food for the people over there, bringing out food at a steady pace, and finishing at a decent time, not too late.
** Staff was less of an issue this time, given four hands were enough to keep up a good flow.
** We could even prepare some oiled pasta on-site and steam more rice for any late/second-comers.
* We brought literature, around thirty flyers and the sign-up sheet from before, less people took the flyers this time. Wind and rain were consideration we need to consider for protecting our literature. No new names signed up for Food Not Bombs.
* Our areas of improvement, from my vantage point:
** More even distribution of labor between the front and desk, one person out front means communication to the kitchen happens less without the front person neglecting the front table and the people to serve and less hands to serve the people.
** Having food visibly ready AND finding a way to keep our food warm outside, given people didn't come over until the metal tubs full of food and first servings came out. was lack of food this time.

# 2023/12/10 MEETING NOTES

## **MEETING AGENDA**