RC Food Pantry Meeting Notes

• 12/9/25 Cross Functional Food Pantry Meeting Agenda and Notes

12/9/25 Cross Functional Food Pantry Meeting Agenda and Notes

Tuesday 12/9/25 @ Ridgewood Commons 

Purpose: to create and implement a more flexible system and increased communications to accommodate large deliveries on Saturdays and an additional distro day on Sundays. 

1. Nature of deliveries from Hungry Monk (HM)

1. Not guaranteed- these deliveries are excess from our financial sponsor’s own food pantry service. They cannot guarantee that they will be able to send donations every week. 

2. All or nothing- if we call for a donation and HM sends a van, we have to take the full amount. 

3. Very large- these are large sprinter vans packed front to back and floor to ceiling.

2. These deliveries make it possible for us to have enough food for a 3rd distro day, but because we cannot know before Saturday whether we will be getting a delivery, Sunday distro days require increased organization and flexibility on our part, in the form of these unique asks:

1. On call Saturday receiving and sorting team

• Receiving hours are from 1-3p Saturday

  • Vanessa is currently coordinating this 

2. Immediate sorting and consolidation- limited dry and refrigerated space

• A team of 4-5 people should be able to receive and sort in 2-3 hours

• resurrecting old distro sign up google sheet- link:  xxxxx

  • On call Saturday sorting (4-5 volunteers min)

  • Please sign up with name AND signal handle 

3. On call Sunday distro team

• resurrecting old distro sign up google sheet- link: xxxxxxx

• On call Sunday distro (5-6 volunteers min)

• Please sign up with name AND signal handle 

3. Additional pain points

1. Increased trash and compost every week- city won’t take it 

• Volunteer to work w facilities to contact the city, brainstorm sustainable solutions 

2. Unventilated bins causing food to compost during storage

-  Sy has offered to drill holes in current bins

- would like 1-2 volunteers to help, can coordinate directly

3. Limited storage space

• Basement has offered to allocate space to pantry in current reorg.

4. Start this coming Sunday?

1. Need on call sorters to sign up 

2. Need on call distro team to sign up 

3. Need to adjust schedule to accommodate bake sale drop off 9:30a-10:30a 

• Start bagging at 8a 

• start distro at 9a

•  no disability line  

• Start cleanup at 930a 

4. Questions/ Comments/ Suggestions

1. Team of volunteers to contact grocery stores for additional donations for Saturday pickup/ Sunday distro

• Build up to regular schedule vs on call system 

• Link to historical contact sheet: Food Volunteer Assignments (Drivers, Packing)

5. Action Items

• Plan for sunday morning distro on 12/21 TIME TBD relative to rentals; receive and sort hungry monk on day prior 12/20- done

  • Use a car rather than big van for hungry monk to limit received donations to best produce and limited amount for storage- requested

  • Communicate to Rentals group re: Solidarity market event rental on 12/20 for coordination for sorting in advance of prospective 12/21 distro- done 

• Assign specific experienced volunteers to this distro to have it run smoothly

• Call for dedicated signup list of volunteers for 12/21 distro

• Sy and Sarah to collaborate to ventilate 10 black bins on 12/10- done 

• Susan to contribute 2 new brown bins to space for compost

• Frank to work on resolving compost and trash situation in advance of 12/21

6. Outstanding Questions/Matters:

• Determine dedicated window for Saturdays and Sundays and communicate needs to Rentals group to ensure we have adequate time and space to distro; need to minimize conflict with renting parties

• Resolve storage solutions, better location for bins; contribute to better feng shui in the entryway

  • Potential for additional storage of longstanding dry goods into basement space as part of reorganization

  • Remove front right shelves, get easily stored metal racks for bag distro for better use of space?