Community Eats

Sprouts seeks volunteers for January - March 2010

2010-01-02T10:54:00.000-08:00

Interested in volunteering in Sprouts' cafe/grocery store or helping to whip up delicious organic soup and baked goods in Sprouts' kitchen? We are looking for some committed students to help round out our volunteer team next semester.

Sprouts would simply not exist without all the hard work put in by our volunteers, and in return for their commitment, all active volunteers receive a two year Sprouts membership, free lunch on shift, as well as 15% off of all in-store purchases (that means you get to buy everything at cost!). Sprouts volunteers develop transferable job skills and have the opportunity to take part in a group of dynamic and engaging students at UBC who are dedicated to improving food security and making healthy, delicious, organic food available to the entire campus community.

The following weekly shifts are still available in store. Please email volunteer coordinator James at sprouts.hr@gmail.com if you are interested and available for one of these shifts. Include some information about yourself such as interests, work experience, and why you would like to volunteer with us.

Monday:
9am – 12pm
10:30am – 1:30pm
11am – 2pm
1:30pm – 4:30pm

Tuesday:
9am - 12pm
12pm - 3pm
12pm – 2pm

Wednesday
9am – 12pm
11am – 2pm
12pm – 3pm
1:30pm – 4:30pm
2pm – 4:30pm

Thursday
9am – 12pm
10:30am – 1:30pm
12pm – 3pm

The following weekly shifts are still available in the kitchen. Please email kitchen coordinator Jess at ubcsprouts.kitchen@gmail.com if you are interested and available for one of these shifts. Include some information about yourself such as interests, cooking experience (it's fine if you don't have any!), and why you would like to volunteer with us.

Sundays:
1pm – 5pm (or part thereof)

Tuesdays:
3pm – 7pm (or part thereof)

We look forward to hearing from you!

2009-11-20T11:56:00.000-08:00

Hi beautiful folks!

This week's recipes were inspired by our one and only Renee Wild, who is currently studying the one and only Shakespeare.

Hence - Taming of the Stew.

Yes, it tasted as epic as it sounds. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
Oil
Onions
Beans
Chipotle peppers
Salt
Pepper
Corriander
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Turnips
Broccoli

Instructions:
Cook vegetables. Spice to taste. Sit back with a bowl and read some William Shakes.

Then we really went Wild (get it?) with our quinoa salad, creating....RAINBOW! REINVENTED!

...it too was amazing.

Ingeredients:
Quinoa
Salt
Pepper
Lemon/lime juice
Cilantro
Yellow Peppers
Tomatoes
Onions

Instructions:
Cut the vegetables. Season to taste. Sit back with a bowl and think of how awesome rainbows are.

Check back in a bit for pictures, you might be in them;).

We'll be back in a couple weeks, and we hope to see your beautiful faces and reusable containers then!

xoxo-
Community Eats

Local Food...Local Resources

2009-11-08T21:37:00.000-08:00

If attending Community Eats lunches has given you not only a taste for vegan soups and stews, but also a desire to learn more about food and food system issues, check out one of these local organizations and events for more information, resources and food-related events:

Slow Food Vancouver "Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world." (Slow Food Vancouver website) Check out the upcoming event in December to celebrate Terra Madre Day.

The Tyee - An independent online newspaper, from BC and for BC, the Tyee promotes media democracy and often has interesting articles on a variety of different topics. Right now, you can read about local food history in a series called "Eat Your History". Find out why a certain variety of potato was "outlawed" in BC and lots of other tasty tidbits of info on local food. The series is edited by the author of 100-Mile Diet, James MacKinnon.

Farm Folk City Folk - "FarmFolk/CityFolk Society is a non-profit society that works with farm & city to cultivate a local, sustainable food system. We develop and operate projects that provide access to & protection of foodlands; that support local, small scale growers and producers; and that educate, communicate and celebrate with local food communities." (Farm Folk City Folk website) Find out more in this informative video, Food Democracy, produced locally by Thomas Donovan.

Food Connections Symposium - On November 25, Metro Vancouver is hosting an all-day symposium in Coquitlam; you can still register online to attend and have a say in the priorities being set for a Regional Food System Strategy.

If you belong to or know of other local organizations who educate and advocate for food systems issues in BC and the Vancouver area, please feel free to comment and share!

- Patty Hambler, ADED 501 Practicum Student

2009-11-08T16:29:00.000-08:00

Hello lovely Community Eaters!

In honour of the clocks going back an hour, giving more time for studying, cramming, stressing, and all the other good stuff that comes with school on the weekdays and more time for dancing, drinking (hot chocolate) and various other shenanigans that come with the weekend, your devoted Community Eats cooks decided to create a dish inspired by this change, "Fall Back Lentils". An extra hour of life?!...Hellz yeah.

Fall Back Lentils

Ingredients:

Lentils
Onions
Eggplant
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Mushrooms
Oil
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
Thyme
Basil
Rosemary
Curry Powder
Cinamon
Clove
Nutmeg
Fennel Seed

Directions:
Cook the vegetables, add spice appropriately; serve hot and revel in the joy of your extra hour.

Community Eats: So Much More than a Free Lunch

2009-11-03T14:00:00.000-08:00

If you are already a regular Community Eats participant, you know how tasty the vegan lunches are and how busy this regular event has become on campus. Every second week, the lineups in the basement of the SUB attest to the success of this innovative initiative.

Tasty food aside, you may not be aware of some of the food systems issues that Community Eats wants to get you thinking and talking about...

Food waste and food security are two of the top reasons that Community Eats was started. Every day, restaurants and grocery stores across Canada throw out literally tonnes of decent food. There are some great programs, like Quest Food Exchange, that try to address this food waste issue. Community Eats wants to do its part, so volunteers collect food from grocery suppliers that would normally get thrown out, helping to reduce the greenhouse gases (namely methane) that get released when food ends up in landfills.

Community Eats also wants you to think about another type of food waste: disposable containers that get used at fast food outlets. Styrofoam and plastic are two of the most common and contribute to the substantial amount of waste that comes from the food industry. Be sure to remember your reusable container when you come to a Community Eats lunch... you could even go a step further by bringing one to other food outlets on campus as most are happy to fill up your container instead of using a disposable one.

To find out more about food waste and sustainability initiatives on campus, check out: http://climateaction.ubc.ca or www.sustain.ubc.ca.

Food security is a complex issue that has many layers. Community Eats, along with other great initiatives on campus, such as the Sprouts, UBC Farm and Agora Eats Cafe, are working on addressing food system and food security issues at UBC. If you are new to the food security discussion, check out this resource http://www.ryerson.ca/foodsecurity/. If you are more advanced, feel free to comment on this blog: Why are initiatives like Community Eats an important part of our food system?

Stay tuned for more blog posts from Patty Hambler, ADED 501 student and guest blogger.

2009-10-23T14:37:00.000-07:00

Bonjour blog-readers!

Today was yet another Community Eats success, serving Chilly Chile Chili (get it!?), roasted carrots/peppers, steamed green beans, rice, bread, apples and grapes. ...amazing?
I think so.

Even more amazing? -

a)That the recipe for the kick-ass chili is below and

b)That Community Eats is happening again in just two weeks! Whilst on the topic...

We're currently looking into making CE a weekly event, and the only thing stopping us is finding someone who'll take on the responsibility of being the head of it (ie. coming up with recipes, taking the lead in the kitchen, etc). The fantastic Renee Wild is currently in charge, but sadly she can't do it every week.
...interested?
I KNOW you are;)...email communityeats@gmail.com.

CHILLY CHILE CHILI

Black turtle beans
Red onions
Carrots
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Yellow/orange/red peppers
Rosemary
Oil
Cumin
Jalapeno peppers
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
Tumeric
Thyme

Directions:

Sautee oil, onions and jalapeno peppers until tender.
Add salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, rosemary, tumric and thyme.
ADD TOMATOES.
MIX. (and let simmer).
Add beans, potatoes and carrots. Add a lil' water.
COOK.
Add peppers + spices to taste.
COOK. (till done).

EEEEEEENJJJJJJJJOOOOOOOYYYYYYYY.

xoxo Community Eats

Harvest Dahl

2009-10-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

Helllo friends,
Hopefully you all made it out today. The recipee for today is a jumble of veggies and spices, hope liked it.
Here it is: Harvest Dahl
Ingredients:
onions
eggplants
tomatoes
carrots
potatoes
yellow/red/orange peppers
curry paste
tomato paste
salt
pepper
ginger
curry powder
cumin
coriander
tumeric
paprica
garam masala
oil
thyme
lentils

Directions:
Heat opl. Fry onions until tender. Add spices, tomato paste and curry paste. Add eggplant and tomatoes. Cook for a bit. Add lentils and some water, cook. after about 20 minutes add carrosts, peppers and potatoes. Cook. Serve and enjoy.

Have a happy Thanksgiving! Love,
Community Eats

Community Eats round 2

2009-10-06T18:02:00.000-07:00

Hello all,
Just a reminder that Community Eats will be happening again this Friday (October 9th) starting at 11:30am. Hope to see you all there.
Enjoy the sun while it last,
Community Eats

2009-09-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,
Hopefully you all had the chance to stop by this school year's first Community Eats feast. Thanks to all those who came out, it was amazing to see so many happy people eating. Remember to mark Friday, October 9th on your calendar as the next Community Eats.

Here are the recipes from yesterday:

Rumble in the Jungle Ratatouille:

Tomatoes
Eggplant
Yellow peppers
Onions
Garlic powder
Tomato paste
Vegetable stock
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne
Thyme
Canola oil

Heat oil. Add cut up onions and brown. Add cut up eggplants and yellow peppers. Let simmer. After about 15 minutes, or when everything is getting nice and soft, add tomatoes. Throw in garlic powder, salt, pepper, thyme and cayenne. Stir. Add in water, tomato paste and veggie stock. Let it cook until you can't wait any longer. Enjoy.

Parsnip fries (formerly known as Torpedo Turnips...)

Parsnips
Oil
Salt
Pepper
Thyme
Cayenne

Cut parsnips into fries. In a large bowl mix with oil(enough to coat), salt, pepper, cayenne and thyme. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Can't wait to feed you all again!

Community Eats Returns!

2009-09-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

Hello all-
Welcome back to another glorious September. Good news- Community Eats returns to Sprouts this Friday (September 25th) ready for another year of delicious and highly nutritious lunches. Like last year, a vegan lunch will be served starting at 11:30am (and going until the food runs out) for anyone and everyone. Just bring a reusable container (this means no styrofoam or borrowed plates from any of the SUB’s food outlets) to the beautiful Sprouts café and receive your scrumptious by donation lunch. Hope to see you all there!
In other news Sprouts has a new website at http://ubcsprouts.ca/-check it out.

Sprouts AGM and Invitation to "South of the Table" Events

2009-04-01T00:46:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

1.A message from Jeremy, Store Coordinator at Sprouts:

Hello Friends,
This is just a reminder about tomorrow's AGM at 6:30 in the store. We'll look back at our past year, look to the future, vote on some constitutional amendments, and confirm next year's board - all while enjoying some refreshments provided by Sprouts. Come even if you haven't volunteered.

Our end of year liquidation is still going strong. In addition of what's in the bulk bins, you can buy our baking ingredients at cost. Over the next couple of days, these things will be showing-up in pre-weighed bags. Drop me a line if you want to learn more about what we have kicking around.

Cheers
Jeremy.

2. As mentioned last week, Community Eats has been working with the class of Geography 495 to create awareness about translocal food sovereignty. Here are some more events that are being organized collaboratively under the name "South of the Table"...

"Geography 495 is a community service learning course at UBC focusing on the promotion of local, ethical community food production in Vancouver and Oaxaca, Mexico. The seminar is taught by Juanita Sundberg in collaboration with the Women's Cooperative Margarita Magón from Oaxaca, CIPO-RFM, CIPO-VAN, the Wilderness Committee, and Sprouts at UBC.

Wednesday April 1st, 7pm: South of the Table Beer Night at The Gallery LoungeAvoid the line-up at “The Pit” and come share a drink with us!
The Gallery Lounge in the SUB,
7pm until last call!
Film showing of "Un Poquito de Tanta Verdad", music and maybe even dancing.

Thursday April 2nd, 7pm: South of the Table Coffe House at Rhizome CafeRhizome Cafe, 317 East Broadway (at Scotia St.)
7pm - 9:30pm
Join us for live music, great discussion, and a jam session to wrap everything up!
$5-10 suggested donation (no one turned away)

Stay tuned for our final food sovereignty awareness event to be held on Saturday, April 25, more details to come.

For more info send us an email at geo495foodfight@gmail.com."

That's it for now, stay tuned for a year-end wrap up and the announcing of our new Community Eats Director for 2009/2010.

Happy April!

Heather

Special (and Last) Community Eats Lunch Tomorrow!

2009-03-26T22:46:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Tomorrow will be our last Community Eats of the school year! This lunch is a special collaboration with the class of Geography 495, CIPO-Van and our special guest cook Doña Vicky.

Some of you may remember the Community Eats/Geography 495/BC CASA collaboration last year with the film about Canadian mining companies in Guatemala. This year's theme for this unique class is "Trans-local Approaches to Food Sovereignty & Social Justice: connecting communities in Mexico & B.C. through Community Service Learning." Doña Vicky is the coordinator of a woman's co-operative in Oaxaca who is visiting Vancouver to share and trade knowledge with us in our collaboration. We are very thankful to Doña Vicky for her collaboration and expertise on this special meal.

The special Mexican menu will be Caldo de papa con Arroz Rojo y Frijoles / Potato Soup with Mexican Rice and Beans.
Friday March 27, 11:30am - 1:30pm (or until the food runs out) in Sprouts, SUB basement.
This lunch will be a fundraiser for our collaboration with CIPO-Van and we will be asking for a donation (minimum $2) to cover our costs and raise some funds for this project.

Members of the Geography 495 class will be at the lunch tomorrow, as well as Doña Vicky, and we hope that you will come and enjoy the food that we have prepared for you.
Bring a container, a fork and a friend.

Thanks so much for your continued support this year, until next semester!

Heather

P.s. If you are interested in getting involved in CE next year, please send me an email at communityeats@gmail.com.

Shepherd's Pie Recipe and Discussion Group

2009-03-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,

Here is Adrick's recipe for the Shepherd's Pie that we all enjoyed at Community Eats today. Also, below is an announcement about a discussion group that some friends of Community Eats are holding at Sprouts on Monday.

Have a good weekend,

Heather and CE

1. Vegan Shepherd's Pie Recipe

Mashed Potatoes:

four large potatoes
three medium sized yams
knob of butter (or) tbsp olive oil
splash of soy milk
salt and pepper

Cut yams/potato into chunks, boil until soft, adding the yams a little bit later than the potatoes, as they cook faster. Drain. Mash with oil/butter and soy milk, add salt and pepper to taste. Spread half of mash on a pie plate or deep dish baking pan. Reserve second half for the crust.

Filling:

2 cups dry lentils, cooked
tomato, uncooked

Garlic
Onion
Pepper (any colour, maybe not green)
Eggplant
Zucchini
Mushroom
Oil

Spread cooked lentils on the mashed potato base, toss in diced fresh tomato.

Spread the diced vegetables on a baking sheet. Toss with oil, salt, pepper, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. Bake 20 minutes at 350F, until crispy and soft on the inside.

Spread the roasted veg on top of the lentil/tomato layer. Press down with a spatula. Add the remaining mash, spread on top as a sandwich layer. Bake at 350F for 40 - 50 minutes, until the filling is heated through and the crust is golden!

Enjoy with wine, beer, cider and good company on a winter's eve!

2. The Pleasure in Eating Discussion Group

Come share your thoughts and ideas about what it means to "eat with pleasure" in a discussion group facilitated by two fellow UBC students.

In a safe and comfortable environment, we will be exploring how to rediscover food's purpose in our lives amidst the confusing messages we often encounter in our society.

When: Monday, March 16th, 5:30-7:00pm
Where: Sprouts (SUB basement, room 66)

Light snack and tea to follow.

Spots are limited. Please RSVP by Friday, March 13th to:
thepleasureineating@gmail.com

We hope to see you there!

Sprouts is out of debt and in need of new leaders

2009-03-06T09:46:00.000-08:00

Hi CE peoples,

Below is some exciting news from Sprouts, and a call out to find dedicated and involved people to run the show next year.
But first, some exciting news for CE - we are having a Community Eats Strategic Planning Meeting. If you are interested in helping out more with Community Eats next year or if you just have some good ideas for where our organization should go, please send me (Heather) an email at communityeats@gmail.com. What comes out of the meeting on Monday will be posted here to keep you all up to date.

Stay tuned for an in-depth email about positions that need filling for Community Eats next year...there are lots! Also, head to Sprouts today to get some free Terra Bread, courtesy of Community Eats' dedicated volunteers!

Heather Russell
Community Eats Director
communityeats@gmail.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello friends of Sprouts,
Today, Martin and Sophie (the president and treasurer) were going over our budget for last moth and we can now announce that we are officially out of debt!!!

For those of you who don't know, when Sprouts reopened as a café in January 2008, we had $48,000 of debt. With the help of the AMS and the UBC community, we were able to eliminate our debt in just over a year. (In fact, we were only open for 9 months of that year.) This debt has been a bit of an albatross for us, so with this debt out of the way, Sprouts can only continue to grow.

We are going to continue to re-invest our profit into developing educational initiatives on campus, such as our workshops, but if you have any suggestions for us about what to do with this profit, e-mail us at ubcsprouts@gmail.com.

Also, keep your ears (or your facebook) peeled for info on the upcoming party we're going to have to celebrate this milestone. It will most likely happen by the end of the month so that our Katimakid can be there.

On a more important note, we need people to staff next year's executive board - the people who organize everything Sprouts-related. Go to http://www.ams.ubc.ca/clubs/nfc/help.html and have a look at the positions; they're a bit different from this years'. Applications are due March 15th, so get cracking! If you have any questions, doubts or concerns about any of the positions, don't hesitate to contact us.

Cheers
Jeremy, Sprouts Store Coordinator

hey all you UBC foodies...

2009-03-02T17:14:00.000-08:00

Check out some other UBC food-related initiatives:

UBC Dollar Project Recipe Contest:
http://ubcdollarproject.blogspot.com/search/label/Announcements

Student Kitchen Project:
http://studentkitchenproject.blogspot.com/

Recipe for Winter Eggplant Dahl

2009-02-27T14:47:00.000-08:00

Adrick has shared his recipe for the meal that we all enjoyed today - an eggplant dahl.

Ingedients:
2 onions, diced
3 medium tomateos, diced
1 large eggplant, chopped
2 cups dry lentils, pre-cooked
4 potatoes, cubed and par-boiled
oil
spices (cumin, curry, cardamom, ginger, chili, paprika, pepper and salt.

How:
Start with oil - add cumin, ginger and chili until oil heats up and becomes aromatic.
Add onions - cook until translucent. Add tomato and remaining spices, cook until it becomes like a paste. Add eggplant, cook until softened/browned. Add pre-cooked lentils and potatoes, simmer until tender and perfect (add extra spice/salt if needed).

Enjoy!

Sign up for our mailing list!

2009-02-12T11:31:00.000-08:00

Subscribe to Community Eats Mailing List

Email:

Visit this group

Exciting Updates!

2009-02-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

The blog has a new fun layout, and a form on the right hand side where you can now subscribe to our mailing list.

We have been a little lacking in the email communication this semester, but hopefully this new google group mailing list will make it much easier.

Here's h0w to subscribe to our new list:
1. type your email address in the form
2. click on the link that will be sent to your email
and voila you will soon receive emails to keep you up to date

We are hoping to have a big meeting and work party some time soon, to create some new promotional materials. Everyone is invited and we would love to see lots of people come out to help! More details to come...

Another pressing issue these days is the future of Community Eats. Many of our collective members will not be around next semester, so we are looking to find some dedicated individuals who want to take more initiative in the future.
Send Heather an email at communityeats@gmail.com if you are interested in becoming more involved in the fall or if you have any exciting ideas or things that you would like to see happen.

Also, Terra Breads are back every Friday at Sprouts, courtesy of Community Eats volunteers!

See you all for lunch next week!

CE Lunch Today

2009-01-30T08:07:00.000-08:00

It's been two weeks, so we're back again. Hope to see you for lunch, same details as always!

Friday January 30; 11:30 - 1:30 (or until the food runs out!)
In Sprouts, SUB room 66
Bring your own container and utensils
Pay-what-you-can, suggested donation of $1

Community Eats is back!

2009-01-15T21:41:00.001-08:00

Our first lunch of the semester will be served tomorrow, details are below. On the menu is a delicious roasted veggie shepherds pie, bagels, and fresh fruit. Hope to see you there!

Friday January 16; 11:30 - 1:30 (or until the food runs out!)
In Sprouts, SUB room 66
Bring your own container and utensils
Pay-what-you-can, suggested donation of $1

We really need more people to help us out with food collection. We'd love to meet you! For more details about how to get involved, email our fearless Volunteer Coordinator communityeats.volunteers@gmail.com or check out:

http://communityeats.blogspot.com/2008/02/get-involved-volunteering-with.html

LAST LUNCH OF THE SEMESTER!

2008-11-20T20:16:00.000-08:00

Hello friends,

Please bring your containers and utensils to Sprouts tomorrow (Friday Nov. 21) sometime between 11:30am and 1:30pm for some free/by donation delicious eats!

As with our last lunch, this lunch will have a suggested donation of $1 which will be put towards our costs for staples such as rice and beans.

This will be our last lunch of the semester, we'll see you again in January!

BUT, Sprouts will continue to be open M-F 11am-5pm until Friday Nov. 28th! Come on down for some homemade soup and baked goods!

See you all tomorrow,
Community Eats & Sprouts

Fruits, Bagels, and Veggies for a Twist

2008-10-24T15:17:00.001-07:00

The CE Lunch, served at Sprouts from 11:30am-1:30pm today, was a great success thanks to our dedicated volunteers and the food lovers who showed up to support us once again!

Like always, the meal was hearty yet healthy - which translated into a menu that is filling, tasty, packed with plenty of good stuff:

Today's Menu
Long Grain Brown Rice
Roasted Vegetables (stunningly colorful peppers and carrots with rosemary)
Lentil Curry featuring corn, cauliflower, broccoli, and other vegetables
Benny's Bagels
Fruit platter of a variety of fruits ranging from grapes, apple slices, pears, cantaloupes, persimmons, watermelon, and lots of bananas

We have been working diligently to overcoming the challenging of finding consistent sources of donations from local grocers, and we would appreciate any input or suggestions! If you are interested in volunteering, whether it be for the exciting pick-up shifts (added bonus: great workout!), the chopping and cooking (excellent way to get the tips of cooking healthy food), or the serving shifts (wonderful opportunity to meeting fellow food lovers), please contact Emma, our lovely volunteering coordinator at communityeats.volunteers@gmail.com
Hope you all enjoyed your lunches today, and we want to see you again, with your containers, at the NEXT CE LUNCH: Friday, Nov. 7th' 2008!

Exciting News: Next CE Lunch on Friday, Oct. 24th!

2008-10-22T21:36:00.001-07:00

Hello all food lovers!

We will be back this Friday with the Community Eats lunch, featuring delicious, hot, healthy, vegetarian, dishes as usual!

It is FREE, or by donation, but remember:

BRING YOUR OWN CONTAINERS & UTENSILS!

Give your friends a shout, come out to Sprouts on Friday Oct. 24th, from 11:30am-1:30pm for a nice lunch at the end of the week!!

SCHEDULE CHANGE!!!!

2008-10-08T17:19:00.000-07:00

please note:
this week October 10th the lunch will not be happening.
we will, however be offering free bagels given by donation from Benny's Bagels.

we are really sorry about this. Due to the nature of the lunches, we don't always receive enough food or volunteers...
Our one main distributor fell through, so we will have to postpone the glorious lunch until the next one on October 23rd.

if anyone is interested in volunteering for the next lunch, please email Emma the volunteer coordinator at communityeats.volunteers@gmail.com or if you have any hook-ups to potential donations please email Meagan the distributions coordinator at communityeats.collections@gmail.com

thanks! and sorry about the reduced food this week.

It is almost Thanksgiving!

2008-10-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

October is probably a very busy time for most of us: midterms, school projects, papers, and labs. But it is also time for some holiday spirit! So Come on out for the next CE lunch, a special Thanksgiving themed Meal on

FRIDAY, OCT. 10th, 2008
11:30-1:30pm
at Sprouts

Remember to bring your own containers and utensils!

Recipe: Roasted Spiced Potatoes & Garbanzos

2008-10-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

So, here's how we made our roasted potatoes and garbanzos. This meal stands alone as it's a complete protein, however, most would find it unsatisfying without something more substantial (like our Lentil Eggplant Curry!) or at least a salad. Nevertheless this dish can be put together easily as a perfect side dish, a quick lunch for someone with a smaller appetite, and the leftover can be turned into another creative meal. Imagine all the spices you could drizzle or sprinkle on them and all the different kinds of vegetables that can be used according to season.

Last but not least, nothing is better than simple yet flavorful, aromatic, and luxurious roasted vegetables that are both pretty in presentation and extremely delicious.

Roasted Spiced Potatoes & Garbanzos

Ingredients
3- 4 potatoes (diced, par-boiled)
1 turnip (diced, par-boiled)
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 green pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzos (or) one can chickpeas
olive oil
salt
pepper
ginger
cayenne
cumin

Steps

Preheat oven to 350 C
Par-boil potatoes and turnips (otherwise they will not cook soft until after the chickpeas have burnt!). On a big sheet pan, mix diced peppers, potatoes, turnip, and garbanzos with your hands. Douse with oil, enough to lather everything lightly.
Add spice and salt at your own discretion. Bake for 20 minutes, or until everything is golden brown and the peppers are soft. Be cautious of baking for too long as the chickpeas will dry out!

Ta-da!! Bon appetit!

Recipe: Lentil Eggplant Curry

2008-10-02T19:20:00.001-07:00

Here is the recipe of the Lentil Eggplant Curry we made for CE dinner on Sept. 27'2008.

This curry, served with rice, pita, and other grains, makes for a wonderfully filling and nutritious meal. It was a great feeling of excitement (or accomplishment) when the dish turned out so delicious. Better yet it is fun to prepare this dish, and easy too.

* a disclaimer: because these recipes are made for two hundred people these measurements are estimations and loose suggestions only (sorry!)

Ingredients
2 to 3 tbsp oil
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large red onion
3-4 tomatoes
2 potatoes (diced and par-boiled)
1 turnip (diced and par-boiled with potato)
1 cup cauliflower (diced)
1 large eggplant
3 cups whole red lentils (precooked)
3 cups water (maybe more)
salt
spices

Steps

Start with oil in a big saucepan, cook it up hot, add your cumin seeds or powder, cook for a few minutes until you can smell the aromas (we also added standard "curry" powder).
Add the diced onion into the oil and cook until translucent, adding garlic a few minutes after the onion (as it burns if too hot).
Add the diced tomato and bring the heat up. Add ginger spice, turmeric, and chili flakes, along with the first dose of salt (you are creating your curry paste base).
Add the par-boiled potatoes and turnip, the cauliflower and eggplant. Cook for four - five minutes so the veg absorbs all those good juices.
After this, add the precooked lentils with the extra water and consider adding a little extra water. (It works like this: split red lentils DO NOT need to be precooked, and can be cooked in the curry with a little more water and a few more minutes on the stovetop.)
Let all this cook away -- the longer you cook it (on LOW) the more mature the taste.
Add more salt, maybe additional cumin or chili flakes. You want the lentils and the eggplant very soft and brown!

Enjoy!

How Do CE Lunches Happen?

2008-10-02T18:37:00.000-07:00

The Community Eats dinner at the Food is Fundamental Conference was a success, and we hope that everyone, from the lovely volunteers to those who joined us for dinner, had a wonderful time!

Now we are very excited to be planning the next lunch, a very special Thanks-giving edition on Friday, Oct. 10th, at Sprouts, from 11:30am- 1:30pm! But before that I feel ever so inclined to write about the whole experience to brining a CE lunch together. So here we go:

The first step is getting around to local grocers to pick up some fresh and beautiful produce donations they have kindly set aside for us and purchasing any extra stuff we may need (grain, oil, spices, etc). We get a variety of different fruits and veggies each time, which makes these trips lots of fun, interesting, and adventurous! [Boxes full of bags of assorted veggies: peppers, zucchinis, eggplants, and more!]
We then gather all the goodies to the AMS catering kitchen in the SUB for storage. Then we are reading to prep.

The prepping tasks are simple: we wash the produce, chop, chop, chop, chop, and basically get the fruits add veggies nice and ready for cooking. There is music in the background at the kitchen, and the volunteers are just there having a good time, chopping the hours away! The cooking involves stir frying, baking, etc depending on the menu. There is always a great variety of veggies, fruits, grains, and legumes.
[Our Kitchen Coordinator Adrick working hard]
We discuss the day's menu for a healthy, balanced, and nutritious meal. But we are always open to suggestions and fresh ideas. If you have this fantastic recipe you are eager to share, drop by and let us know! Or if you are a beginner and want to learn more about food, this is a great way to get some tips! Then comes the Set-Up shift. We set up the serving space, warm up the food, make ingredient signs, set up donation jar, e-mail list, and put out the fliers. The serving crew is the one who puts the yummy food in your re-usable containers! Now enjoy the delicious dinner put on by Community Eats!Once again, Community Eats is its volunteers. Special Thanks go to all the dedicated and committed volunteers who helped us make yet another successful meal! Feel free to let us know if you have any comments, concerns, suggestions, questions, ANYTHING. If you are interested in volunteering, you can find more information here

Comunity Eats Dinner at Food is Fundamental Conference

2008-10-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

Dinner last Saturday night went really well, we served about 125 people in the basement of Macmillan building. The SEC conference was also a success, with a sunny Saturday morning at the UBC Farm with bread and jam making workshops, the farmer's market and some awesome speakers.

For dinner we served two dishes: a red lentil curry and a spicy baked chick peas and vegetables with organic brown rice and bagels from Benny's. We were also lucky to have dessert which included plums from Laura's friend's tree in Ladner and slices of cantaloupe. Recipes are hopefully on their way.

Many people forgot to bring their own containers, so there was a definite variety of eating surfaces from pieces of cardboard boxes, to dumpster-dived yogurt containers, to bagels and even a tennis racket with some paper towel on top of it. Lots of creativity.

The meal itself also needed some creativity as our distributor did not have a lot of food to donate to us this week (which is good for them, bad for us)...so we needed to supplement our collection. We were able to collect potatoes, tomatoes, cantaloupe, onions and eggplant from our distributor. We managed to find some bountiful discount produce dollar bags at dollar grocers on commercial drive and we also purchased 8 lbs of potatoes, 15 lbs of rice, 8 lbs of chick peas and 16 lbs of lentils from Sprouts in order to make enough food to feed the 200 people who registered for the dinner.
However, as expected, 200 did not show up, which meant that we were left with some food to take home, but its better to have too much than too little in these situations.

Next lunch will be October 10th, 11:30-1:30ish in Sprouts, with a Thanksgiving theme.

More to come soon, stay tuned!

First Lunch A Success!

2008-09-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to our first lunch of the semester yesterday, it was a great success! We ended up serving organic quinoa and black bean stew to over 150 people! Recipe hopefully coming soon.

We now have a core group of people working to organize these lunches biweekly, which is very exciting and we are coming up with ideas to make this a wonderful year for Community Eats.

Our next meal will be dinner at the SEC "Food is Fundamental" Conference (see below for more info). The conference and the dinner are free of charge, however registration is required, please visit http://foodisfundamental.com to register. Dinner will be Saturday September 27th, 5:45-6:45pm.

The next lunch served in Sprouts will be Friday October 10th, 11:30-1:30 and will be a special Thanksgiving themed meal.

Thanks for your support and see you all soon!

Food is FUNdaMENTAL Conference

2008-09-13T15:44:00.000-07:00

The Student Environment Centre (SEC) and Friends of the UBC Farm (FotF) are putting on a conference called "Food is Fundamental" September 23-27th, 2008. The conference will address food issues that concern people, the environment and the economy in both local and global contexts.

The conference is FREE, for more information and to register please visit http://foodisfundamental.com.

Positions Availabe for First Semester!

2008-08-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

Hi free food enthusiasts!

Community Eats is back! Our first lunch of the semester will be Friday September 12th, 11:30am - 1:30pm. The lunches will continue to be served biweekly in Sprouts. However, in order to make the lunches happen we need a strong base of volunteers and a dedicated group of guiding members. If you feel that you have time to commit to this project this year please take a look at the Volunteer Positions (1) and Guiding Member Positions (2). If you are interested in any position please email Heather (Community Eats Director) at communityeats@gmail.com. Please pass this email on to anyone who would be interested. Enjoy the last week of summer!

1. Volunteer Positions

Volunteers make up the base of our organization and they are integral to Community Eats' success. There are a few different volunteer positions available. Descriptions and times are below, please email Heather at communityeats@gmail.com to sign up for a biweekly volunteer shift.

Food Collection - Wednesday/Thursday

visit distributors and stores to pick-up food donations, and bringing this food to campus via bus, bicycle, or personal vehicle.
food collection generally takes place on Wednesdays or in the morning on Thursday before cooking begins.

Cooking - Thursday

previous cooking experience not necessary, only a willingness to learn is needed.
can help out with either or both of the shifts: Thursday afternoon food preparation (cleaning and chopping of vegetables, and menu planning), or Thursday evening cooking.
some volunteers may also be needed in the morning before the lunch is served, when the food is re-heated.

Serving - Friday

set up the serving space in Sprouts,
serve the meal, and
clean up the serving space and kitchens after the meal.

2. Community Eats Guiding Member Positions

Volunteer Coordinator

Approximate Time Commitment: five hours per week.

Responsibilities:

With the Publicity Coordinator, organizes and manages a volunteer recruitment campaign at the beginning of term, through and ongoing throughout the semester through clubs days, Community Eats lunches or other avenues.
Serves as a liaison between new volunteers and the Community Eats members.
Keeps track of volunteer contact information gathered through recruitment.
Informs interested individuals of the various roles that can be filled within Community Eats and informs volunteers about the basic mandate of Community Eats as outlined in the Volunteer Coordination Resources in this document
Communicates regularly with returning/past volunteers about upcoming volunteer opportunities and needs.
Attends regular meetings with the other Community Eats Guiding Members.

Food Collection Coordinator

Approximate Time Commitment: ten hours per week

Responsibilities:

Coordinates the efforts of food collection volunteers to ensure duties are fulfilled.
Communicates regularly with existing food donors to maintain a positive relationship and ensure their ongoing contribution to Community Eats.
Seeks out new food donations from other businesses (as needed).
Arranges food pickups and ensures all food is delivered to campus at the time specified by the Head Chef.
Ensures that food is stored on campus according to the food safety plan outlined in the kitchen manual.
Communicates regularly with the Head Chef about what type of food donations are anticipated or have been received, to ensure the Head Chef can plan an appropriate menu.
Attends regular meetings with the other Community Eats Guiding Members.

Serving Coordinator

Approximate Time Commitment: seven hours per week

Qualifications:

Is Food Safe certified, or will be certified within 1 month of taking on the position.
Is familiar with the regular operation of Sprouts café, or will become familiar with its operation.
Must be available for the duration of the time during which Community Eats lunches are served, as well as shortly before and after (Fridays from 10 or 10:30am until 2:30 or 3:00pm).

Responsibilities:

Coordinates the efforts of serving volunteers to ensure duties are fulfilled, including those volunteers who would usually be working a Sprouts storefront shift.
Oversees set up of the serving area before lunch begins, ensuring that all items on the Set-Up Checklist have been covered.
Oversees serving through the duration of the lunch.
Familiarizes volunteers with food-safe practices and the Food Safety Plan for Serving, and ensures that serving is conducted according to it.
Oversees clean-up of serving space, kitchen, and dishes when the lunch is over. Ensures that all items on the Clean-Up Checklist have been covered.
Keeps a record of the number of people served at each lunch.
Collects donations during the lunch and ensures that the Administration/Finance Coordinator receives them to be deposited.
Communicates regularly with Sprouts' Volunteer Coordinator to ensure volunteer needs are met on the serving day.
Communicates regularly with the Community Eats Director and Sprouts Board members to maintain a positive relationship and ensure Community Eats ongoing use of Sprouts' café as a space in which to serve the lunches.
Attends regular meetings with the other Community Eats Guiding Members.

Administration and Finance Coordinator

Approximate Time Commitment: five hours per week

Responsibilities:

Organizes and serves as the Secretary at regular meetings of the Community Eats Guiding Members.
Distributes meeting minutes to other Guiding Members after each meeting.
Obtains, records, and organizes all the records of financial transactions in an Excel file, including donations, funding, and expenditures.
Deposits and records donations received at lunches.
In coordination with the NFC Treasurer, handles reimbursement of volunteers or Guiding Members for purchases authorized collectively by the Guiding Members.
Manages existing funding and seeks out other sources of additional funding as it is needed.
With the Community Eats Director, pursues increased campus community and institutional support for Community Eats in the form of funding, permanent kitchen or serving space, or other resources.
Manages membership of the Community Eats Guiding Members Google Group (online discussion board).

Publicity Coordinator

Approximate Time Commitment: five hours per week

Responsibilities:

Coordinates the efforts of promotion volunteers.
Maintains and updates the Community Eats blog.
Works with the Communications and Marketing manager of the NFC to ensure Community Eats' page on Sprouts' website is up-to-date.
Works with other execs/volunteers to develop strategies for promoting Community Eats' initiatives to the UBC community,
Creates promotional materials to be placed in Sprouts and elsewhere on campus that convey the vision and mission of Community Eats.
Attends regular meetings with the other Community Eats Guiding Members.

See you in September!

2008-04-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

Community Eats has wrapped up for this semester. Thanks so much to everyone who came out to the lunches and especially to the many many wonderful volunteers who helped us out to prepare them. We had a ton of fun this year, and we're looking forward to starting up again next school year.

Check back to the blog for updates serving times and dates in September, or look for signs up in Sprouts. We'll also be looking for volunteers at that point, so send us an email if you're interested in helping out.

Enjoy the summer, see you in the fall!

Last Lunch of the Semester - Friday, March 28th

2008-03-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

The last Community Eats lunch of the semester is taking place this Friday. Many, many thanks to all the friends and volunteers who have helped to make this such a fantastic first year for Community Eats. What began last fall as just a dream has become an anticipated, regular campus event.

We really want to keep this going in September, and we're still looking for more people to join our food-loving ranks! There are lots of ways to get involved - we're looking for casual volunteers, as well as anyone interested in taking on coordinator positions such as head chef, volunteer coordinator, food collection coordinator, and more. We'd love to talk to you about it, so introduce yourself to us at the lunch, or send an email with any questions you have.

Community Eats Lunch - last one this year!
Free or by donation
Friday, March 28th, in Sprouts (SUB 66)
11:30 - 1:30 (or when the food runs out)
Bring your own container

Volunteers needed on March 26th and 27th

2008-03-18T11:17:00.001-07:00

The term is quickly drawing to a close, and the last Community Eats lunch of this year (how sad!) has been planned for next Friday. To make it happen, we need help on Wednesday March 26th and Thursday March 27th with food collection and cooking. Drop by Sprouts so that you can meet us, sign up for where you'd like to help out, and get any details you might need.

Community Eats Volunteers Meeting
Thursday, March 20th
Drop by anytime between 12:00 - 1:00
Outside Sprouts (SUB 66)

Hope to see you then!

Next Lunch: Friday March 14th

2008-03-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

Community Eats is serving up another tasty lunch this Friday in Sprouts - drop in for some good food and good company!

Also, we wanted to throw it out there that this will be our second last lunch of the year. Since things are wrapping up, we're starting to look for people who are interested in getting involved to keep Community Eats afloat next year. There will be more information available tomorrow about the various positions that need to be filled, and how you can join us. We'd love to talk to you about what's involved, or to answer any questions you may have, so feel free to chat us up about it tomorrow or send us an email anytime!

Community Eats lunch - free or by donation
Friday March 14th, in Sprouts (SUB 66)
11:30 - 1:30 (or when the food runs out)
Bring your own container

Big thanks to all the wonderful volunteers who helped us out this week, we couldn't have done it without you! Hope to see you tomorrow!

We need some help!

2008-03-05T23:01:00.000-08:00

Our next lunch is coming up on Friday, March 14th, and we're looking for some help getting it ready.

Specifically, we need help on Wednesday and Thursday, for food collection and cooking. If you have some time (even an hour is helpful!), and want to see what goes on behind the scenes, we'd love to meet you!

Drop by Sprouts (SUB basement, 66) on Friday (March 7th) between 11:30 - 12:30 or Monday (March 10th) between 11:00 - 12:00. We'll be hanging out in the hallway just outside the store, so that you can meet us, sign up for where you'd like to help out, and get any details you might need. If you can't make it to either meeting, but are still interested in lending a hand, send us an email to communityeats@gmail.com

Hope to see you soon!

Recipe from February 29th Lunch

2008-03-01T21:59:00.000-08:00

Our February 29th lunch was another success. Thanks so much to all the volunteers who came to help us out, we hope to see you again! Here is a recipe for what we cooked up...

Roasted Veggies with Adzuki Beans and Rice

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, 1 zucchini, 1 red bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper, 1/2 acorn squash, 1 large carrot, 4Tbsp cumin, 4Tbsp coriander, 3Tbsp Hungarian (hot) paprika, 2Tbsp cracked black pepper, 1c Adzuki beans**, 3c water, 1tsp salt, 2c brown rice, 3c vegetable stock, 4 large tomatoes, pureed in the blender (or 3c canned tomatoes, crushed), 1 diced onion, 3 cloves garlic, diced

Method:

- Prepare the veggies: cut the eggplant in half and slice into 1/2" pieces. Prepare zucchini in the same manner. Seed the bell peppers, cut in half, and slice into fat strips. Peel and seed the acorn squash, and cut into bite sized cubes. Slice carrot into 1/4" rounds.

- Roast the veggies: spread the eggplant, carrots, and squash onto a baking tray. Sprinkle with olive oil and half of the spices. Spread the zucchini and peppers onto a separate tray. Sprinkle with olive oil and the remaining spices. Bake both at 350f for about 45 minutes or until very tender (eggplant/squash/carrot tray will take longer). While the veggies are roasting, begin preparing the beans and rice.

- Cook the beans: Combine Adzuki beans, water, and salt in a small pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer until beans are very tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly.

- Cook the rice: Combine brown rice, vegetable stock, tomatoes, onion and garlic in a small pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the rice is fully cooked (add more water as necessary so that it does not dry out).

- Prepare the beans and rice: once fully cooked, mix beans and rice together in a casserole dish. Place in the oven while the veggies are finishing roasting, and allow top to crisp and brown. Salt the veggies to taste. Serve with a chili sauce (we made ours by blending jalapeños, some tiny hot chilis, 1/2 a tomato, and a pinch of salt in the blender until it was smooth).

Enjoy!

**If you think you can't find Adzuki beans, you haven't looked hard enough - you can buy them in bulk at Sprouts! Alternatively, black beans or pinto beans will work just as well, but may require a little longer to cook.

Next Lunch: Friday February 29th

2008-02-15T23:56:00.000-08:00

Our next lunch will be held on Friday February 29th. Please note that we're going to start (and finish) serving a bit earlier than we have been in the past.

Community Eats lunch

Friday February 29th; 11:30 - 1:30
In Sprouts, SUB room 66
Bring your own container

We really need more people to help us out with food collection and cooking. We'd love to meet you! For more details about how to get involved, check out:

http://communityeats.blogspot.com/2008/02/get-involved-volunteering-with.html

Vegan Shepherd's Pie Recipe

2008-02-07T00:12:00.000-08:00

Here's the recipe for the lunch we served on February 1st.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:
6-8 large potatoes, 2 red/yellow bell peppers, 1/2 large zucchini, 1 onion, 1-2 heads of garlic (depending how garlicy you like things!), a hand full of field mushrooms, 2 large carrots, dried herbs (such as basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano), dry coriander, 1c (dry) green lentils

Method:
- Prepare the garlic to roast: Without removing any of the skin or separating the cloves, slice the very top of the head off of the garlic. Drizzle olive oil over the head and into the cracks that have opened up between the individual cloves. Roast at 350f, covered with a "tent" of tinfoil, about 20 minutes or until the cloves are very soft and beginning to caramelize. Remove from the oven and let cool. Once cooled, pop the cloves out of the skin (this should be really easy if it's been roasted long enough!). Mince the roasted cloves and set aside.

- Prepare the veggies: dice the onion, peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms into small pieces. Spread onto a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with herbs (4Tbsp or more), coriander (2Tbsp or more), and salt. Add some dry chili flakes (1tsp) if you want it a bit spicy. Sprinkle with olive oil. Roast at 350f, about 30 minutes or until veggies are tender but not mushy.
Prepare the carrots in the same way, but roast them on a separate pan as will take longer to cook. They are nice if you leave them longer becuase they get especially caramelized and sweet.

- Cook the lentils: bring them to boil in 3c water (add 1tsp salt), then turn down the heat and simmer until they are tender (about 45 minutes). Drain thoroughly.

- Prepare the potatoes: cube and boil the potatoes (no need to peel unless you have a real aversion to the skins) until tender. Drain. Mash, adding salt to taste. You may need to add some water if they are too dry, or add some olive oil to make them more creamy. Stir in the minced roasted garlic, to taste. (If you have leftover roasted garlic, it is a wonderful addition to salad dressing, pasta sauce, or most anything really). If you have some fresh parsley, mince it up and stir that in too.

- Assemble the pie: start with a layer of 1/2 the mashed potatoes, smooth evenly in the pan (no need to grease the pan). Sprinkle the lentils over the potatoes, then layer the roasted mixed vegetables and roasted carrots over them. Finish with a final layer of the remaining potatoes. Smooth the top, and cover with tinfoil.
At this point you can throw it in the fridge if you want to cook it later on or the next day, or bake it right away to eat now!

- Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Check to make sure it is hot through. Remove the tinfoil and bake for a further 15 minutes, or until the top is beginning to brown and become crispy. Eat and enjoy!

Where and when are Community Eats lunches?

2008-02-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

Sprouts (the student-run food co-op and cafe in the basement of UBC's SUB) has generously offered their café as a space in which to hold these lunches.

You’ll find Community Eats serving in Sprouts, SUB room 66, every second Friday from 11:30 – 1:30. During this time, you won't be able to purchase the usual cafe fare available in Sprouts (soup, baked goods), but the grocery items such as drinks and bulk food will still be available.

Check back frequently for posts of the exact dates of upcoming lunches, or take a look at the calendar at the bottom of the main blog page.

Why Free? Why Donate?

2008-02-06T23:53:00.001-08:00

Since we don’t pay for the produce we use to cook Community Eats lunches, and volunteer our time to prepare it, we don’t want you to have to pay for it. However, it’s not often that we’re able to collect staple foods (such as rice and beans), from grocers, so these items are usually purchased from Sprouts. We’re happy to support this student run business, as well as to feature organic (and often local) food in our meals. We collect donations at Community Eats lunches to help cover the cost of these staple items.

I need my own plate?!

2008-02-06T23:52:00.000-08:00

Most other food establishments give away thousands of food take-out containers each day, all of which end up in the garbage. We ask that you bring your own dish and cutlery to Community Eats lunches, because eating from reusable containers is a really simple way to start making more sustainable food choices.

When we cook Community Eats lunches, we usually don’t leave the SUB until about 11:00 at night, when almost everyone else has gone home. We’re always shocked by the number of disposable containers littering the building, and we’re glad that our project isn’t contributing to that waste. Our hope is that people who come to Community Eats lunches will make a habit of bringing a reusable food container with them even when they eat elsewhere, so that they’ll never need to use a disposable one again.

Where does this food come from?

2008-02-06T23:51:00.001-08:00

In an effort to decrease the amount of edible food that goes to waste, Community Eats lunches are cooked with food that would otherwise be thrown out due to appearance (i.e. blemishes, bruises, etc), quality, or damage (i.e. broken or punctured packaging). During the week, volunteers collect all of this food from grocers and distributors and bring it to campus to be turned into a delicious meal.

Who is Community Eats?

2008-02-06T23:49:00.000-08:00

Community Eats is its volunteers! As you might imagine, it takes many, many hours to collect, prepare, and cook the food served at these lunches – all this time is donated by a team of dedicated volunteers.

We’re always seeking more eager people who are interested in helping out. If you have some time you’d like to spend with us, send us an email at communityeats@gmail.com or introduce yourself to us at one of the lunches to find out how you can join us.

Get Involved: Volunteering with Community Eats

2008-02-06T23:33:00.000-08:00

Community Eats lunches are only possible through the efforts of some wonderful volunteers, and we always need more folks to help us out.

Volunteers aren't required to make an ongoing commitment. We're happy to see new faces each week, so even if you only have a few hours to spare every now and then, we encourage you to get involved. Volunteering is a fun way to "pay" for your lunches - you'll find out what it takes to make the lunches happen every week, and have an opportunity to engage with both the food, and some of the other great people who've been eating it!

Food Collection
Takes place on the Wednesday and Thursday before each lunch. If you have a few hours to spare on either of these days, let us know. We will coordinate with your schedule to find a time that you can help us pick up food from the distributors who regularly supply us. All the pickups are done on the bus, so make sure you bring your U-pass.
If you're interested in helping to collect, email us with the times that you're available and we'll fill you in on all the details.

Cooking
It takes a lot of chopping to feed 200 people! Cooking takes place on the Thursday before each lunch, from 12:00 - 6:00. If you have any amount of time to spare, do come down to the kitchen to help us out - the more the merrier! Don't worry if you've got no cooking experience - one of our cooks will be overseeing it all. We have all the knives, aprons, and cutting boards that might be needed. Bring some music if you'd like.
Send us an email if you're interested in cooking, let us know what time you think you can stop by, and we'll fill you in on the details of where to find us.

Our email address is: communityeats@gmail.com

We look forward to meeting you!

Contact Us

2008-01-11T19:04:00.000-08:00

We would love to hear from you - any questions, etc can be sent to us via email to: communityeats@gmail.com

Alternatively, introduce yourself to us at one of the lunches and we can chat in person.