Friday Night Meals :: Fall 2012
For over twenty years the CAPC congregation has been facilitating a free weekly dinner on Fridays night 6-7pm for the hungry of Rockridge and Oakland. The meal effort seeks to respond to the hungers of both the homed and homeless for food, community and also a place to serve others. The meal is limited to 85 people and follows a strict schedule to minimize problems.
The troubling economy of the past years has contributed to a drying up of funds. The meal is encouraged by repeated donations of food from local merchants and occasional donations from neighbors. We manage to serve a meal each week for $2 or less per person, often feeding 100 people with $200 or less. The church partners with other associations to accomplish this social action, working with Aurora School, North Oakland Community Charter School and the Montclair Rotary Club. Many families and Rockridge residents volunteer each week to prepare and serve the meal.
We are in need of more help and partners, in terms of volunteers and also in donations, to fund the meal. We shut the meal down in late summer for a month to raise more funds. 100% of all donations to the Friday Night Meal goes to purchasing food, there are absolutely no staff or administration costs. All donations are tax deductible. Where else can you make as big of an impact on our shared city with such little effort? If you would like to help respond to the hungers of Oakland and Rockridge you can contact the church at (510) 658 -3665 or email us at CAPCFridaynightmeal@gmail.com.
Helping with the meal can involve several different areas of work and can be done by many different generations. Each week there is a cook team leader who organizes the menu and facilitates the involvement of volunteers in preparing, serving and cleaning up this weekly meal. Our goal is to involve everyone . It’s a great experience for families to share with one another. Here’s an example of a “typical” Friday in terms of prep / volunteer work:
2:00 – 5:00 pm : cooking, prepping in the kitchen (can be kid/family appropriate)
4:30-5:30 pm : setting up the room, putting out tables, chairs, prepping utensils, the serving buffet. (can be kid/family appropriate)
5:30-6:15 pm : welcoming guests, distributing and collecting meal tickets a guests arrive. (can be kid/family appropriate)
6:00-7:00 pm : serving the meal to guests as they come forward by table groups. (can be kid/family appropriate)
6:15 – 7:30 pm : cleaning up the kitchens, washing dinner, cleaning up the dinning room, returning chairs, etc. (can be kid/family appropriate)
About capcoakland
CAPC Oakland 