Social Events

Page last edited 3,336 days ago
From thoughtfulfoods
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Co-op crawl

This is an event we run twice a year. The co-op crawl is a day-long outing that visits other food co-ops in Sydney. It's a great opportunity to see what other co-ops are doing, network with like-minded people and sample food. It's also a really fun day roving around the city with friends on a great adventure.

A sample schedule from previous years:

  1. Meet at Thoughtful Foods at 9am. We will start by having a bit of a get to know each other, review/ discuss ideas about linking with other co-op and get the route/ transport stuff down-pat.
  2. 9am to 10am: Thoughtful Foods, the UNSW Food Co-op which was previously known as Pigweed. Located in the backyard of the Roundhouse, behind Eats@the Round as you head towards the Lifestyle Centre (Uni-gym) on Lower Campus. Phone 02 9385 6097, www.thoughtfulfoods.unsw.edu.au.
  3. 11 am: Alfalfa House Food Co-op (Sydney's oldest food co-op) at 113 Enmore Road, Enmore (just opposite the Enmore Theatre), phone 02 9519 3374, fax 02 9565 5053 www.alfalfahouse.org,
  4. 12 noon: USyd Food Co-op, located in Level 4 of the Wentworth Building, University of Sydney, Phone 02 9660 5222
  5. Lunch
  6. 2pm: UTS Food Co-op, located on Level 2 of the Tower Building at UTS, opposite the lifts. Phone 02 9514 1418, fax 02 9514 1157, www.sustainability.uts.edu.au/foodcoop/foodcoop.html
  7. At about 2:30 to 3:00pm we will meet up at Circular Quay to catch the ferry to Manly.
  8. 4pm: Manly Food Co-op, at 21 Whistler St, Manly, phone 02 9977 0177
  9. There is an Organic Café somewhere nearby for dinner for those interested...

We tell people to bring some spending money for food and transport (including ferry ride), and containers and carry bags for the yummy goodies.

Another order that has worked in the past was: Manly food co-op  Thoughtful Foods  UTS food co-op  USyd food co-op  Alfalfa House  Dinner in the inner west if people are interested

Transport options: Cycling or public transport.

If you are planning to cycle, remember that the day finishes quite late, and it will be dark when your cycling home. Don't forget your flashy fluorescent gear and lights! If you don't have a bike or can't/don't want to cycle, no worries, there will be a bus crew too.

Picknicks & Social BBQs

  1. Decide on a date and time. Remember that if you're depending on fruit and veggies, they will arrive on a Thursday. Friday, Saturday and Sunday are good days for an event.
  2. Decide on a location. Somewhere with cooking facilities is preferable if having a BBQ. Make sure there is good public transport. In the event of bad weather, have a backup plan.
  3. At least a fortnight before the event, send out an email telling people that it's happening, also have it in the bulletin. Ask them to RSVP. Tell them to bring a plate, cutlery and a cup. Include a roster for the food preparation and cooking (e.g. two shifts of 1.5 hours, with two people for each shift), and get people to email you to sign up for them. Make sure you have enough cars/other transport to get the food and utensils there.
  4. If desired, cross-promote the event on the enviro collective list. If other groups are coming, ask if they can contribute money to buy food.
  5. Brainstorm some ideas for dishes. When you have some idea of the number of people attending, work out how much food you'll need (roughly $5 per person at the most). Based on a financial snapshot, work out how much money the co-op can contribute, and see whether you'll need to ask people to contribute.
  6. In the week before the event, put a notice in the weekly bulletin email, put small A5 flyers in all the fruit and veggie boxes, and have a stack of flyers on the counter in the co-op.
  7. On the Wednesday before the event, make sure the person co-ordinating veggies knows how much you want to spend. You can ask for some specific veggies, but you might not get them all. On Thursday morning, weigh out as much as you need of each fruit or vegetable before they're distributed, and calculate the price.
  8. On the preparation day, draw up a dish list with ingredients, get a trellis table out and lay everything out. Cut, grate, soak and blend your ingredients until it's all ready.
  9. Send two people to the location half an hour before to clean the cooking facilities and start cooking the food. Bring tongs, knives, serving spoons, and cutlery and crockery with you.
  10. Eat!