Meals minutes: 2016-04-19

Minutes:

The Meals meets on Apr. 19, 7pm 2016

Attended: Mary King, Yi-Miau, Tevah, Rachael P, Maggi R, Gail G


OLD MONKEY

(DONE) Yi-Miau to contact Meeting night cleaners and Meeting night orders
about hour discrepancy

(DONE) YI-Miau to find meeting time for next work season

(DONE) Mary to suggest what to do with special Thanks


DISCUSSION

ITEM 1: Moving forward with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and
farm-to-table meals


1. The CSA work group made a recommendation to pilot Wednesday
farm-to-table meal at great oak June through August.
2. There are five head cooks who are willing (and able) to prepare meals
on Wednesday. Head cooks will check the items in the box and in the
kitchen, and shop for extra items that they need to put together a meal,
similar to what head cooks typically do.
3. The farmer will deliver both individual CSA shares and common meal
box to GO CH on Tuesday evening.
4. Billing discussion: The farmer delivers produce on Tuesday with an
invoice for that delivery. Invoice is given to meals biller. Head cook
reviews contents of delivery and shops for any additional goods. After the
meal is over, head cook fills out reimbursement form and gives to biller.
The biller then uses both the invoice and the reimbursement form to
determine the cost of the meal. Two checks will need to be written, one to
the farmer and one to the head cook.If there is produce that has not been
used it can be offered to the diners (just as leftovers are available at
other meals). Thanks to Gail for writing up this.
5. Keeping community informed. Email Info and follow-up with info at
the community meetings.
6. Evaluation. There will be an evaluation of the pilot, tabled for
later discussion (Tabled).




ITEM 2: Meal billing / Credit limit

1. What are the credit limits on MESS? For GO, credit limits are $300
per household for owners, $100 for family renters, and $50 for individual
renters.
2. Why a distinction between renter vs. owner? The community is less
protected when renters moves away. With owners, there are process to
collect money legally.
3. What can diners do to avoid exceeding their credit limit? The MESS
system does not allow more sign-ups when an account has balance exceeding
credit limit. This could surprised diners if they had not known! Remind
diners that they can always put down a deposit. This is especially
relevant for renters for the following reason: the credit limit allows
renters to eat roughly 10 meals per month. If they/he/she eat ALL common
meals in the month, then the bill will exceed the credit limit. The
recommendation would be to put down a deposit.
4. What happen to my deposit/advance payment? MESS shows positive
balance with a *CR*, such as $22CR. Positive balance can be returned in
cash. You can get your money back.
5. Membership wants to know how to orient new members on meal
program/payment. This is an opportunity to engage new members in the meals
program.
6. Do meals have a policy? No. Do meals need to work on a policy? This
falls well within meals committee’s function. Currently, billers are
getting acquainted with new MESS system and, in terms of priority, it seems
more important to get MESS billing work smoothly for this season. (Policy
discussion tabled as not-urgent)
7. Eating at other communities. MESS is a three community sign up
system, but keep in mind each community has their own billing practices.

8. Making payment. We confirmed that Paypal is not set up for current
meal billing system.
9. Arrears in payment. Tabled for later meetings.



ITEM3: Finance update from meal biller.


1. Current balance about $2000.
2. Billers will be invited to future meetings.




ITEM4: Work survey confusion


1. Shifts and assignments are some what cryptic and confusing.
2. Yi-Miau to update before next work survey.


ITEM5: Meeting time for next season.


1. Yi-Miau to find meeting time for Summer season.




NEXT MEETINGS


May 3: regular meals mtg
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