Meals for 20

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zanza
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Meals for 20

Post by zanza »

dear Hive Mind,
Thanks again for the generosity of information sharing here. :D

Our community (local town govt) has just opened a temporary-for-the-winter emergency shelter and is asking the community for individually wrapped meals in batches of 20.

Thinking a nonprofit org could come in and do this more efficiently (and safer? :shock: ) than individuals, but .....this is where we are.

We (my SO and I) are going to do this once a week (for 20) for a couple months as part of our annual giving.

There is no kitchen in the shelter, but there is a microwave. Meals will be delivered and eaten as people come in, so no way they can arrive hot and be eaten hot necessarily. Possibilities I have seen: hearty sandwiches in lunch bags, 3 item meals in styrofoam or biodegradable countainers. Best price for containers I have found is https://www.amazon.com/Compostable-Cont ... 1575067400. Maybe there is a listserv/reddit group where people discuss this kind of topic?

We are new Costco members so don't yet know all the ins and outs of possibilities there.

Reading online I see recommendations to stay away from hard foods (e.g. apples) due to dental issues.

Looking for suggestions for nutritious meals for with best value for :dollar spent (e.g. not butter sandwiches - like the ones we had in elementary school - loved them :) ).

Thanks in advance.
Z

UPDATE 12.21.21:
Thank you for the ideas, pictures, recipes, warnings, cautions....

Turns out no crockpots allowed; all meals have to be individually wrapped. So middle ground is....meatloaf sandwich (meatloaf prepared day before & assembled cold but could be heated there) with Costco bulk supplies....nutrigrain bar (sodium: 125mg blueberry-140mg strawberry), applesauce (no sodium-11 g sugar), chips (requested :shock: - sodium: 150mg Lays Barbecue - 250mg Cheetos) ...and home made dessert (brownies, gingerbread) delivered within the allotted 30 minute window. When I arrive people are waiting to enter; staff say meals are eaten quickly, but I have no data for that. Both staff & shelterees do have refrigerators. If number of shelterees exceed number of donated meals there are frozen ones as backup. I assume the local town govt has approval from the local public health for this plan..... but we know what happens when one assumes things.

Again thank you - the posts definitely informed my actions. :D
Last edited by zanza on Tue Dec 21, 2021 8:25 am, edited 2 times in total.
MAKsdad
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by MAKsdad »

What about buying a ton of Hungry-man frozen dinners that can be microwaved? They're less than $4 a piece and I think it's unwise to underestimate the value of a hot meal in this situation.
jaqueisse
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by jaqueisse »

Pizza is the obvious choice for maximum convenience and minimum cost

Add salad and soup cauldron and you have a full meal. Nutritious is probably less of a concern for 1/week deal. Once you smell pizza you tend to forget your priorities in life. As long as participants avoid pizza for the next 6 days, they'll be ready to eat pizza on the 7th!!!
dukeblue219
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by dukeblue219 »

Individual portions of spaghetti and meatballs are easy to prepare in bulk and reheat as needed. Is there a freezer?
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by Soon2BXProgrammer »

zephyr2114 wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:23 am Looking for suggestions for nutritious meals for with best value for :dollar spent (e.g. not butter sandwiches - like the ones we had in elementary school - loved them :) ).

For family events we make individually wrapped burritos in foil then use a electric roasting pan to heat and hold above food safety temp for a couple of hours. (something like: https://www.amazon.com/Oster-CKSTRS23-S ... 00CQLJESK/ ) Need a rack in the bottom to keep off of direct contact with bottom.

if the pan is hot, one can easily transport it in a car with a blanket over it without too much temperature loss.
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zanza
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by zanza »

dukeblue219 wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:37 am Individual portions of spaghetti and meatballs are easy to prepare in bulk and reheat as needed. Is there a freezer?
No freezer, but maybe we could get one donated....
Colorado14
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by Colorado14 »

When I have done this in the past, we've made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or just jelly sandwiches for those with nut sensitivity. Our source for bread was the day-old bread rack at the grocery store. We included apples and cookies but I can understand why that may not be ideal.
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by bloom2708 »

Make a batch of brown rice. Add some cooked black and pinto beans. Add some cooked vegetables of your choice, corn, broccoli, spinach, kale.

Add a Kung Pao or Teriyaki or some Korean type sauce on top. You don't need a lot to give the bowl flavor.

Put each serving in a throw away/microwaveable plastic container. Microwave for 2 minutes (based on microwave power) as they are needed.

Hungry man is a quick idea, but there is enough sodium in a serving to choke a horse. :D :wink:

You did say "healthy", so just an idea. Skip the broccoli and you can add taco sauce to the top and make a "taco bowl". Or a Sweet and sour bowl. Or a Thai Peanut bowl.
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cheese_breath
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by cheese_breath »

I don't know what other places do, but I'd consider posting a sign indicating people with food allergies eat at their own risks, but maybe a little more tactfully than that. :happy
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sailaway
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by sailaway »

Beans, rice and a veg or dessert in a microwaveable container. Can be made Cajun, Mexican, southeast Asian...

Individual containers of soup to be microwaved and handed out with sandwiches or a hearty bread and cheese.
Big Heart
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by Big Heart »

Burritos.

Baked potatoes, with fixings.

Camping pouches: in a skillet, cook cubed butternut squash, red onions, salt, with any seasonings to your taste (I like nutmeg cinnamon turmeric and red pepper flakes; thyme is also nice). Crumble in some feta. Pile this on top of quinoa or rice. Very nutritious, tasty, one-dish meal. You can replicate this with different vegetables as the main -- like zucchini, potatoes and seasonings; or mushrooms, potatoes and seasonings; add leeks sometimes; etc. (this is the basic one-dish meal I always use when camping, I cook it all up and then just reheat on the campfire).

Another one dish meal is skillet potatoes + kale + bacon. Cook each separately and then toss them all together and give them another go in the pan. This can microwave up to reheat.

When serving a vegetarian main dish like above -- make sure to add large (large) dallops of olive oil at the end. Fat helps people stay warm. And makes it tastier and richer.

Make sure you have some variation in individually-wrapped (i.e. some of them dairy free, some of them veg, etc.). Label everything carefully. Someone eating at their own risk might not be able to eat at all - give them the information they need to take care of themselves.

Remember dal and rice.

I would have a huge thermos or urn of coffee or hot tea. Chai if you really want to give people a treat.

Nutrition is really important. I'm glad you're focusing on that. In response to the post above, I really have an issue with people feeding poor folks pizza all the time. One may think "once a week, what's the issue." But when everyone takes that easy route, then whoever depends on such food ends up always eating crap. Why not give people love along with their food and offer something that truly nourishes. And be responsive to the reality of medical issues, poor access to health care, and intense demands on the body . . and offer something that really uplifts.
MAKsdad
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by MAKsdad »

bloom2708 wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:42 am Hungry man is a quick idea, but there is enough sodium in a serving to choke a horse. :D :wink:
This is true, but 800 calories in a single sitting seems like a viable trade-off when you're talking about someone who needs a meal.
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JoeRetire
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by JoeRetire »

zephyr2114 wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:23 am Looking for suggestions for nutritious meals for with best value for :dollar spent (e.g. not butter sandwiches - like the ones we had in elementary school - loved them :) ).
Chili, soup, stew, pasta.
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Sandtrap
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by Sandtrap »

Ono Hawaii Island Delight

Spam Musbi with or without egg. :D :D

White rice or brown rice, cooked a tad longer so it is stick and stays together.
Seaweed wrap, regular or spiced/flavored.
Furikake seasoning on rice optional.
Substitute thin sliced the long way, hot dogs, fried crispy.

Recipes on "Google".

TIPS:
Wrap each one up tight in Saran Wrap.
Must fry da musubi crispy.
Keep seaweed dry not soggy
Squeeze da rice cubes firmly so it stays in shape
refrigerate so it all firms up
microwave before eating

Serving: 2 per person (it is very filling, keeps well, doesn't spoil)

Image

Image

j :D
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bottlecap
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by bottlecap »

If anyone in your group is good on the smoker, it sounds like a couple of pork butts would fit the bill. You can keep them hot for 4 hours or so in a cambro or wrapped up and placed in a cooler that has been previously filled with hot water.

Pulled pork is easy to microwave as well.

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Re: Meals for 20

Post by mkc »

zephyr2114 wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:42 am
dukeblue219 wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:37 am Individual portions of spaghetti and meatballs are easy to prepare in bulk and reheat as needed. Is there a freezer?
No freezer, but maybe we could get one donated....
Do you at least have means to keep food at a safe temperature (outside the 40-140F danger zone) if it needs to sit for very long?
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by HomeStretch »

Without refrigeration and a cooktop (or large crockpots/slow cookers) it will be very hard to feed people hot meals safely. Under those circumstances, the local health dept might have strict guidelines in the interest of food safety.

The way I have seen this safely done under these circumstances is for the organization to have a short list of acceptable foods and to set a small window of time for food drop off (say 4:30-4:45pm) immediately before food recipients come in during a small window of time (say 5-6:00pm). Otherwise the only food options are things like PB&J sandwiches which doesn’t seem very substantial for community dinners.
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by InMyDreams »

Costco does have things like individual-serving sized packages of sliced apples (dental safe for most people), bars (a quick dessert, or something to hold you over if other supplies aren't available, or saving for the next day), canned goods (e.g., canned soup/chili/stew that could fill a gap in supplies).

Does your local health department have any regulations about this? Also, the less the volunteers handle/prepare, the less opportunity for food contamination.
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by Broken Man 1999 »

I would whip up a couple of big batches of baked ziti, maybe one with meatballs, one without.

If you use aluminum trays and heat them up thoroughly before leaving home, the contents will stay warm for a good period of time.

You can get a multi-pack of aluminum trays at Costco, no worries about your own containers.

Add a simple salad, some sliced Cuban bread, you would be providing a hearty meal.

Maybe take some small portion containers for leftovers to give out.

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Mike Scott
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by Mike Scott »

Ask the shelter for a list of things that fit the local health code for food service and their (lack of) kitchen facilities. No refrigeration and no cooking/heating really limits the possibilities to room temp shelf stable items and perhaps something like sandwiches or pizza delivery on demand. The people organizing the shelter may need to rethink their plan in terms of food safety.
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by Turbo29 »

mkc wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 9:32 am
zephyr2114 wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:42 am
dukeblue219 wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:37 am Individual portions of spaghetti and meatballs are easy to prepare in bulk and reheat as needed. Is there a freezer?
No freezer, but maybe we could get one donated....
Do you at least have means to keep food at a safe temperature (outside the 40-140F danger zone) if it needs to sit for very long?
Not to mention that if it is prepared in bulk to be reheated later, it must be cooled properly. Improper cooling can result in serious foodborne illness. 135°F-->70°F in the first two hours and then to 41°F with the total time from 135°F to 41°F no more than six hours. Cooling a large amount of food in bulk is more difficult than you think. The center of a big pot of spaghetti can stay in the "danger zone" literally for days even if the pot itself seems cold at the periphery. Splitting the food into individual portions prior to cooling can be problematic too if you have domestic refrigerators which do not have the capacity to deal with that much heat at once.
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Turbo29
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by Turbo29 »

This happened in the UK but it is a cautionary tale of what can happen from improper food preparation and cooling techniques.
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by willthrill81 »

bloom2708 wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:42 am Make a batch of brown rice. Add some cooked black and pinto beans. Add some cooked vegetables of your choice, corn, broccoli, spinach, kale.

Add a Kung Pao or Teriyaki or some Korean type sauce on top. You don't need a lot to give the bowl flavor.

Put each serving in a throw away/microwaveable plastic container. Microwave for 2 minutes (based on microwave power) as they are needed.
That's a great idea. I was going to suggest some combination of rice and beans, which create a complete protein, are filling, will last a while without refrigeration, have no gluten (for those sensitive to it), and are very affordable. Literally anything savory can be added to them.
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by Shallowpockets »

How much do you want to spend every week? How much work do you want it to be? Maybe one or two weeks is OK for some things, and after that more of a chore.
This is not a food pick up for people to cook later, so the people coming for a meal most likely really need a meal. Maybe it will be their only meal that day.
It is not only a meal for 20, it is how much of a meal is it. Quantity may be something to strive for.
Since it is only once a week for you, are you going to prepare the same thing every week? You are probably looking at it as variety. But preparing the same thing every week, makes it easier for you. And all the recipients will know is that “X” is served every week. That only if they are repeaters.
So here is an easy plan. You can buy 10 pizzas a week. Half pizza each person seems pretty adequate. Dominoes sells a large 3 topping pizza all the time for $7.99. So that is $80 week. That could be a baseline for your spending, and, if that is too much, well, where is the heart and the giving in this holiday season.
Pizza, everyone likes pizza. Even repetitively.
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by willthrill81 »

Shallowpockets wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 1:08 pm Pizza, everyone likes pizza. Even repetitively.
Pizza can be problematic in the OP's situation though. Meat and cheese cannot be unrefrigerated for long, gluten is an issue for some, and it can be spendy for a large group compared to staple goods like rice and beans.
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by pizzy »

willthrill81 wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 1:12 pm
Shallowpockets wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 1:08 pm Pizza, everyone likes pizza. Even repetitively.
Pizza can be problematic in the OP's situation though. Meat and cheese cannot be unrefrigerated for long, gluten is an issue for some, and it can be spendy for a large group compared to staple goods like rice and beans.
Plain Sicilian pizza on an ongoing pickup/delivery basis would be pretty cost efficient. 16 filling slices for ~$1/serving.

I'm not sure gluten intolerance is a priority consideration in an emergency winter shelter.
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by mkc »

willthrill81 wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 12:41 pm
bloom2708 wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:42 am Make a batch of brown rice. Add some cooked black and pinto beans. Add some cooked vegetables of your choice, corn, broccoli, spinach, kale.

Add a Kung Pao or Teriyaki or some Korean type sauce on top. You don't need a lot to give the bowl flavor.

Put each serving in a throw away/microwaveable plastic container. Microwave for 2 minutes (based on microwave power) as they are needed.
That's a great idea. I was going to suggest some combination of rice and beans, which create a complete protein, are filling, will last a while without refrigeration
Cooked rice that is unrefrigerated for several hours can cause food poisoning...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nat ... 555725002/
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by willthrill81 »

mkc wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 1:30 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 12:41 pm
bloom2708 wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:42 am Make a batch of brown rice. Add some cooked black and pinto beans. Add some cooked vegetables of your choice, corn, broccoli, spinach, kale.

Add a Kung Pao or Teriyaki or some Korean type sauce on top. You don't need a lot to give the bowl flavor.

Put each serving in a throw away/microwaveable plastic container. Microwave for 2 minutes (based on microwave power) as they are needed.
That's a great idea. I was going to suggest some combination of rice and beans, which create a complete protein, are filling, will last a while without refrigeration
Cooked rice that is unrefrigerated for several hours can cause food poisoning...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nat ... 555725002/
Good point, though I know that much of the undeveloped world leaves cooked rice out for quite a while routinely without ill effects.
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by egrets »

I would make big sandwiches, bread, butter or mayonnaise (butter may be safer), lettuce, multiple types of sliced cheese, sliced tomatoes, maybe sliced onions. You can heat up veggie burgers like Morningstar in a minute in a microwave and add them. Big enough so that they are filling. Maybe ever 1 1/2 sandwiches per person.

Apologies to the seaweed guy above, but most people would have to be starving to eat what they've pictured.
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by Turbo29 »

willthrill81 wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 1:33 pm Good point, though I know that much of the undeveloped world leaves cooked rice out for quite a while routinely without ill effects.
Or they may not relate the fact that they have an upset stomach and diarrhea to the rice that they are consuming.
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MJS
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by MJS »

Many families upgrade from a slow cooker to an Instant Pot over the holidays. Perhaps your group can get a fleet of slow cookers donated, or just pick up cheap ones at Goodwill. Slow cookers can keep baked potatoes, burritos, stews, soups, beef&gravy, curries, and chilis at safe temperatures. The removable pots can go directly to the refrigerator for safe cooling.

Slow cookers are low-energy, so you can plug 3-4 into a power strip. Instant Pots have more variable power usage and can briefly pull many more watts, so they would need more outlets.
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JoeRetire
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by JoeRetire »

MJS wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 1:55 pm Many families upgrade from a slow cooker to an Instant Pot over the holidays. Perhaps your group can get a fleet of slow cookers donated, or just pick up cheap ones at Goodwill. Slow cookers can keep baked potatoes, burritos, stews, soups, beef&gravy, curries, and chilis at safe temperatures. The removable pots can go directly to the refrigerator for safe cooling.

Slow cookers are low-energy, so you can plug 3-4 into a power strip. Instant Pots have more variable power usage and can briefly pull many more watts, so they would need more outlets.
This is a terrific solution for temporary-for-the-winter needs. I'm sure many folks would be happy to lend their crock pots for a few months. I know I would.

You can keep quite a lot of healthy foods at safe temperatures that way.
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zanza
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by zanza »

MJS wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 1:55 pm Many families upgrade from a slow cooker to an Instant Pot over the holidays. Perhaps your group can get a fleet of slow cookers donated, or just pick up cheap ones at Goodwill. Slow cookers can keep baked potatoes, burritos, stews, soups, beef&gravy, curries, and chilis at safe temperatures. The removable pots can go directly to the refrigerator for safe cooling. <snip>
This is a really good idea. There is no group - just my SO and I ... and lots of random community members who want to help, but I could suggest this idea to the shelter people and see how it flies. They have a sign-up genius for volunteers, 20 batch meals, and items such as bananas, oranges, socks....etc.....why not crock pots....
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Re: Meals for 20

Post by willthrill81 »

zephyr2114 wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 2:43 pm
MJS wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 1:55 pm Many families upgrade from a slow cooker to an Instant Pot over the holidays. Perhaps your group can get a fleet of slow cookers donated, or just pick up cheap ones at Goodwill. Slow cookers can keep baked potatoes, burritos, stews, soups, beef&gravy, curries, and chilis at safe temperatures. The removable pots can go directly to the refrigerator for safe cooling. <snip>
This is a really good idea. There is no group - just my SO and I ... and lots of random community members who want to help, but I could suggest this idea to the shelter people and see how it flies. They have a sign-up genius for volunteers, 20 batch meals, and items such as bananas, oranges, socks....etc.....why not crock pots....
Crock pots can often be purchased even new this time of year for ridiculously small sums, sometimes under $10 for 1.5-2 qt. models. Larger models can often be purchased used for $5 at thrift stores.
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zanza
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Re: Meals for 20 - update

Post by zanza »

UPDATE 12.21.21:
Thank you for the ideas, pictures, recipes, warnings, cautions....

Turns out no crockpots allowed; all meals have to be individually wrapped. So middle ground is - ....one option - meatloaf sandwich (meatloaf prepared day before & assembled cold but could be heated there) with Costco bulk supplies....nutrigrain bar (sodium: 125mg blueberry-140mg strawberry), applesauce (no sodium-11 g sugar), chips (requested :shock: - sodium: 150mg Lays Barbecue - 250mg Cheetos) ...and home made dessert (brownies, gingerbread) delivered within the allotted 30 minute window. When I arrive people are waiting to enter; staff say meals are eaten quickly, but I have no data for that. Both staff & shelterees do have refrigerators. If number of shelterees exceed number of donated meals there are frozen ones as backup. I assume the local town govt has approval from the local public health for this plan..... but we know what happens when one assumes things.

Again thank you - the posts definitely informed my actions. :D
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