Food Workgroup (and other needs?)

[roylemons]

At last night at the general assembly we formed a work group to talk about feeding the occupation however it forms. we had a little meeting this afternoon (monday 10/10) at the furnace on grand st. to discuss further and decided to expand our discussion into coordinating other supplies that occupiers might need (blankets, first aid, etc.) and we decided to call it the Occupy Albany Human Resources Dept.
it was brought to our attention that there was no official proposal for a work group to handle supplies and comfort issues so we will be making that proposal at the next meeting. we just wanted to make sure someone was thinking about it and getting the ball rolling...sorry if that broke process.

i will post some notes from out meeting in a separate topic below this.

[roylemons]

notes from our meeting this afternoon:

- Much of what we discussed depends largely on how the occupation develops (is it a 24/7 occupation? outside or inside? where is it? etc.) We framed our discussion assuming we would be making at least 2 meals a day for a 24/7 occupation in an open public space.

- We came up with a lengthy list of possible sources of free and cheap food and sympathetic organizations an businesses that may donate to us. HR members divided the list and will be contacting these places

- We decided that The Furnace at 84 Grand St. will serve as the primary drop off point for food and supplies. Some HR members also offered their homes as satellite locations for cooking and drop-offs.

- Food Not Bombs folks will be packaging, freezing and storing our excess produce to use when supplies are thin.

- We made a tentative schedule of volunteers to be adjusted as we get more volunteers to help with food prep and cooking, pick-ups and drop-offs, serving and cleaning.- We discussed other needs such as medical/first-aid supplies, blankets and warm clothes, laundry service, sanitation, trash and recycling removal, on-site medics, etc.

- a starter list of supplies we will need or want:
large pots and pans
hotel pans for serving
a griddle
plates, bowls, cups, mugs, utensils
percolators
large hot and cold beverage containers for coffee, tea, water etc
food processor
take-out containers
serving tables
cleaning supplies

- We'll need a core group of volunteers who can dedicate themselves to working at specific times and other volunteers can filter in and out as they are available. So if anyone wants to help, get in touch with us.

[casey]

I work at a local farm, and I could probably get lots of seconds produce to donate. I would also be happy to help get the word out to other farms that Occupy Albany would love their un-salable food.

I am hoping to have a discussion about OA with my co-workers tomorrow to get a temperature check and see if they are interested in getting involved. . .If so, I expect there will be some more folks interested in food gathering, preservation/freezing, preparation, etc.

Are you looking for electric or stove-top percolators? I may have both that I could donate. I can also scan my church's rummage room for the other needed items.

[roylemons]

any food sources are great, thank you!
but we're not starting to collect too much until (hopefully) after the next general assembly when we know how the occupation will go down, then we can adjust our needs and preparations accordingly.

as for your percolator, i think an electric would be preferable to keep the stove top clear for food cooking.
thanks

[matthew]

Gotta Food Working Group subforum now!:
occupyalbany.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=food