April 13th Meeting Notes

March 24th Meal Service Recap

Food Stocks

New Members Signed Up

Next Meal Service

Next Meeting?

March 24th Meal Service Recap

Our last Oppenheimer Park meal service (**March 24th**):
* Two boxes of clothes were brought in for the community, people were appreciative of them and took whatever clothes they could, no oversight on amount taken per person.
* Beatrice brought two boxes of clothes, a sixth-full 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 in pasta noodles and sauce, and two ice cream scoopers, and a tubful of tupperware containers.
* Dave brought the Food Not Bombs sign, a tubful of breads, including sweet and savory ones.
There was a slight delay of food being served until 12:30pm, given our reduced numbers, compared to last month. We finished serving food, concluding with the bread to be taken that Dave brought over, around 2pm.
* At 12:30pm, we started serving steamed rice from the brought Instant Pot, the mashed potatoes, stir-fried carrot slices, and a trayful with bread with colorful paper served under them in takeout containers and plastic tupperwares.
* We had a large bowl filled with soapy warm water for putting down the reusable utensils and takeout containers.
* Beatrice kept the last batch of rice for a later Food Not Bombs serving date.
* Food amount wasn't an issue, we had an abundance of food, whereas diversity felt a bit thinner this time around, less of a varied diet of food for the people over there, though we had a steadier pace of bringing out food, given we staggered the pasta, then the loaves of bread, and finishing at a solid time of 2pm this service before washing up.
* Volunteer service quantity was more of an issue this time, compared to last meal service, given we had around three hands on deck, which did cause a bit of a strain, duties-wise, though it showed a little less with the food we had beyond the initial rush.
* We brought literature, the sign-up sheet from before, which one person signed up with, and literature on Food Not Bombs (Beatrice). Given the less hands, we had less energy and success with people taking them up.

Our areas of improvement, from my vantage point:
* Nothing that can be improved without more members, if I'm being honest.

Food Stocks

I have a last batch of rice, likely enough for maybe 10 cups of rice, and twenty pounds of potatoes and a crateful of parsnips in storage.

If you're new, you can feel free to edit in your name (preferably with the date you've currently have food with) in the [Person] cell of the spreadsheet and type down whatever food stores you have in the cells below here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AuezW3hPSWaqIx8xyjNqf-UkWdPuISvwQ-qNsHt1TQM/edit?usp=sharing

But we're mostly just here to assess what our current food stores look like in the moment of the meeting.

New Members Signed Up

So. Last meal service, we had a one new member sign up!! One member signed in, named Roan on the sheet. I would just like to wish them a big welcome, and let them know about our spreadsheet for food stores and places/organizations that we can pick up donations, separated by location of British Columbia in the Vancouver to Greater Vancouver areas: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AuezW3hPSWaqIx8xyjNqf-UkWdPuISvwQ-qNsHt1TQM/edit?usp=sharing

And that new members can print off this form to let groups or stores that if they donate food, they won't be legally held liable, thus giving them better cause to donate, if they are inclined to do food pick-ups from stores: https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/00_97008_01

Next Meal Service

So, it's looking like our usual time for a meal service will mark April 26th as our next date, I think there's a few key people who won't be coming, which would need to factor into how we arrange our next meal service. I know a potential person who might come in to make some food and bring it over for us for the next one, so it's possible for us to have a more lower-key meal service, so long as I come.

Next Meeting?

SO. For our next meeting, as we nowadays do the second Saturday of the month, would Saturday, May 11th work for everyone here at 12pm or 3:30pm? I just want to know how everyone's schedule could match up, depending on date.