Instructions for Midrasha Homeless Dinner
Click here to return to Social Action Page
General Information
The shelter is located at 1931 Center Street between Milvia and Martin Luther King in the old Veteran s Building. The entrance is via a driveway on the left side of the building. Parking is available in the back of the building.
There is a doorbell right next to the door. If no one answers, knock on the front door and tell them you are there to cook dinner or drop off dessert for that evening's meal.
After all volunteers are inside, shut the outside door, which will then lock. If people knock on the door, send them around to the front entrance where it says "Men s Shelter" . (Not everyone who comes to the shelter can be admitted if they have previously broken a rule or overstayed their allotted days.)
The shelter opens its doors to the men at 6, and dinner is served at 7:00. Depending on the length of the meal preparation, and how much you will be cooking at the shelter, volunteers should arrive between 5 and 5:30. (Volunteers are expected to set up the serving table if it is not already set up.)
The shelter expects meals for 50 people, for both the men and the shelter volunteers and employees. In the summer, there may be fewer at dinner, but it s pretty full in the winter.
Menu Information
It's up to you to decide what menu to make, although we have suggested some ideas below. Purchasing food at Costco or Smart and Final in large sizes generally works well.
There is usually an abundance of donated bread. They often also have margarine, so you can make sliced toasted bread.
We MUST bring our own paper plates, cups, napkins and plastic silverware.
Bananas and grapes are always very much appreciated. Many men have bad teeth and bananas work best. Suggested amounts: 3 bags of grapes. Bring your own shears for cutting stems.
Volunteers report that a good amount for salad is 9 heads of iceberg lettuce, 6 cucumbers, 1 red cabbage and 2 standard sized bottles of dressing. If your main dish has a lot of chicken or meat, make less salad because the men like the meat more.
The people at the shelter suggest that we make punch or lemonade from powdered concentrate. However, some of the volunteers have asked that we serve something more nutritious, such as milk or juice. About 3-4 gallons of milk and about 3-4 gallons of punch or lemonade should be enough.
In general, the men really appreciate meat. They also like sweets. (Another family should be dropping off cookies, so unless told to get sweets, please don t.) They especially appreciate home cooked food, so although they are grateful for any meal, if you have the time to bake cookies, they'd love it.
Don't make coffee.
If you are planning the menu, try to find out if kashrut or vegetarianism is a need of any of the volunteers, so that you can plan accordingly. If you don't get a chance to find out that information, you should assume several men are vegetarians, so make sure you prepare something for them.
If it is your responsibility to plan and shop for the meal, you can either donate the amount you spent, or ask Midrasha for reimbursement or a combination of the two. We do solicit donations to cover some of this; if you will need reimbursement, please keep in mind the average amount we are asked to reimburse per meal is $100-$150. Please send your receipts to Midrasha, 1301 Oxford Street, Berkeley, CA, 94709. Indicate if you choose to donate the amount you spent, or if you wish to receive full or partial reimbursement. We will send you a donation receipt for your tax returns if you would like. Also, you can just pay for the dinner yourself.
Cooking, Serving, and Cleaning
You will walk into the main kitchen. Knives and cooking utensils are in the drawer under the butcher-block counter in the center of the room and on a shelf right next to the butcher-block counter. There is a pantry attached to the kitchen, straight ahead.
Feel free to look in the cabinets and drawers to find what you need. All the keys work in all the cabinets. It s okay to use the food you find, unless it s labeled for other use. (Some food is designated for the breakfast program.)
There is a list on the wall in the kitchen regarding how to do the set up and clean up. Please clean up! No one will come in to clean up afterwards and the breakfast crew does not have to time to clean in the morning.
There are two long tables that you can set up for serving.
If you mix punch in the large orange container, wash it out afterwards with soap and water, and then run vinegar through the spout to get rid of the punch residue. (This current container leaks. They use it for milk in the morning.)
If the kitchen is too warm with the door closed, you may control the fan with the two large red buttons, labeled "start" and "stop" to the left of the stove.
The residents clean up the dining area and we are responsible for the kitchen. However, it's okay to ask residents for kitchen clean up help.
The staff of the shelter can help also. If there are any problems, go to them immediately. The crowd is usually pretty mellow, but if anyone gets out of hand, go get a counselor. Let the counselors and the men work out the issue without our interference.
Eat with the residents. Involve yourselves with them as much as possible. These men are very polite and you may find that the eating part of your time there is the most memorable.
Leave all pots and cooking utensils WASHED. The people who come at 5 a.m. to make breakfast can't clean up for us. Leave the kitchen spotless.
The shelter provides plates/utensils/cups. However, they might be running low, or not have any. If that happens, you will have to make a run to get some. There is a Walgreens at 2187 Shattuck Ave at the corner of Allston way, or plan to bring enough of these items for your dinner.
Hints from recent participants:
1. Definitely bring enough paper plates/utensils/foil, etc, since the shelter does not provide them.
2. Check with the Midrasha organizers to find out if someone else is bringing dessert or if you are responsible for dessert.
3. As of March, 2009 the ovens only have a single rack each. So, families should be sure to limit food that must be prepared in the oven. They should plan on using a combination of stove top and ovens to prepare the meals. Also, the ovens take a very long time to heat up so consider that when planning the menu.
4. Bring dish soap and clean sponges as the shelter sometimes runs out.
5. If providing salad, plan on a lot of dressing as the men seem to enjoy that.
Leftover Food
Although it may go against your gut instincts, they don t want us to leave food there. The staff should find you at some point (if not, go find them and ask) and tell you how many dinner plates to make for the men who have evening jobs and come in later. You make extra plates and cover them with tinfoil and leave in the kitchen to distribute to these men. Any left over food after that can be given to the people who sleep across the street in the park.
Some people have donated their leftovers to The Center, at 5720 Shattuck, between 57th and 58th, on the east side of the street. They do day programs for people with HIV and AIDS, and will accept already cooked food (as opposed to ingredients). They are open 9-5, Monday-Friday and serve lunch to about 70 people.
Ideas/Quantities for Meals
If you are in a major time crunch, frozen pizza's and/or chicken (from KFC or another similar place) and pre-made salads are a quick and easy alternative. But keep in mind that most men don't usually have meals made from scratch, but most often eat fast food.
Here are some sample menus and shopping lists for the Homeless Meal. Don't feel obliged to use them, but enjoy if they are helpful. They are all for meals serving 50 people. These are the main dishes. Also add salad (with dressing), powdered lemonade, and 50 pieces of fruit. Residents appreciate bananas, grapes and other soft, fresh fruit. Teeth are sometimes a problem. There are always bins full of fresh bread to serve, and tubs of butter.
SHOPPING LIST / SAMPLE MEALS
Chicken and Pasta (everything from Costco and under $150)
The men loved this meal, especially the chicken, and it's in the budget (especially if you get homemade cookies and don't buy them)
10 rotisserie chickens (they are pre-made fresh at Costco, only $5 each, and the men love them)
2 bags romaine lettuce (10 or so heads total)
2-pack of Ranch dressing
6 500g packs of spaghetti or other pasta (Costco sells them in 8 packs but we found that to be too much since the men ate more chicken)
2-pack of Prego pasta sauce (left ~1/2 bottle for those who wanted extra sauce)
1 lemonade powder container (used ~1/2 for one big dispenser of water)
2 bags kettle chips (give small handful)
3 cartons of strawberries (they were cheap and in season, if not, substitute with grapes or bananas)
3 boxes Costco cookies (or substitute with ~60 homemade cookies)
One family found these amounts useful for a pasta dinner they said that men ate seconds but there was no waste:
From Costco:
5 baguettes
Pasta – 9 500 gr. packages
Tomato sauce – ready made marinara – 6 jars
64 Sausages (Chicken-apple)
Salad – 3 1 lb. tubs of mixed salad
Dressing – 24 oz. bottle (balsamic)
Juices - 4 gallons
Milk - 3-4 gallons
Grapes – 3-4 tubs
From Trader's Joe:
8 Large cans of crushed tomatoes
Oregano - dried
Olive oil (small bottle)
Butter
From Monterey Market:
Basil – 3 fresh bunches
6 onions
20 large carrots
7 medium broccoli heads
2 heads of garlic
BLACK BEAN AND TORTILLA CASEROLE (4 pans)
3 lbs chopped onions
2 lbs chopped green peppers
2 quarts diced, canned tomatoes
1 quart picante sauce
6 cloves minced garlic
3 Tbsp ground cumin (optional)
64 corn tortillas
10 lbs black beans
3 lbs Monterey jack cheese, shredded
15 (or a few more) lbs ground meat for meat sauce
Combine onion, pepper, tomato, picante sauce and spices in pot, bring to boil and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Stir in 10 lbs black beans into mixture. Turn off heat and spread 2lbs 6 oz. of bean mixture in 12x10x2 inch pan. 64 corn tortillas- top each pan with 8 tortillas 3 lbs monterey jack cheese, shredded- sprinkle on each pan 6 oz cheese over tortillas. Spread 2lbs 6 oz bean mixture over cheese. Top with 8 more tortillas, overlapping as necessary. Sprinkle 6 oz cheese over tortillas. Cover and bake 350 for 30-35 minutes. Sprinkle 4 oz tomatoes and 1 Tbsp sliced onions over each pan. Use picante sauce as a condiment.
LASAGNA (2 pans 12x20x2):
5lb ground beef
12 oz finely chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
Cook beef, onion, and garlic until meat is brown, drain off fat. 3qt. tomato sauce, with seasonings as desired, and add to meat Lasagna noodles- 2lb. 8 oz- cook noodles in 2 gallons water with salt and oil 2lb 8 oz mozzarella cheese 6 oz grated parmesan cheese 2lb 8 oz ricotta cheese Combine cheeses. Arrange in 2 greased pans and layer: meat, noodles, cheese and repeat. Bake at 350 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.
CHICKEN AND RICE (a favorite)
60 pieces -legs, breast, and thighs, Broil with seasoning
Rice -look at the servings (for about 50+ people)
MACARONI AND CHEESE (2 pans, 12x20x2)
3lb 8 oz macaroni
cook in 4 gallons water with salt and oil
12 oz margarine
8 oz flour
2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp dry mustard
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 gallon milk
Melt margarine, stir in flour and seasonings, and cook 5 minutes. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook until thickened.
4 lbs sharp cheddar cheese
1lb bread crumbs
6 oz melted margarine
Add cheese to sauce, stir until cheese melts. Pour over macaroni and mix. Pour into 2 greased pans. Mix breadcrumbs and melted margarine. Sprinkle over macaroni and cheese. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes.
Contact Information
Thank you so much for volunteering, and feel free to contact us with any questions, problems, comments or concerns!
Scheduling Questions: DIna Blanter (student chair of the Homeless Committee) dblanter@thecollegepreparatoryschool.org, 510.816.0628
