Feeding 30 CHEAP without Appliances?

[book_junkie]

Heya-
I have a lock-in at my work (7 p.m. - 8 a.m.) for 21 teens and 9 chaperones, and need to figure out a way to feed them dinner. I've been trying to get donations around the town, but with everything going on, it's been few and far between. I do have dinner and beverages covered (thank you local bakeries and groceries), but where I'm struggling is dinner.

The last few times we've been able to get pizza donated, but the local places I've contacted have been a no-go due to the economy.


I'll be at work by 5, the building won't close to outsiders until 7, and we have NO appliances. No stove, no oven, no fridge. No place to safely plug in crock-pots to allow for cooking (this would be an option if the building was closed to outsiders but nope). One microwave.

21 teens. 9 chaperones. 30 people for dinner. Any ideas for doing this cheaply?

Thanks!

 

[mrsklamc]

I do have dinner and beverages covered ...., but where I'm struggling is dinner.

 

[woodkins]

Our BJ's wholesale club has great heros for good prices.

 

[disprincessatheart]

The only thing that comes to mind is sandwiches. Maybe see if someplace like panera bread will donate a sandwich platter or see if you can get a couple pizza places to do one or two pizzas each. Good luck.

 

[shoney]

I made the following for a picnic...but it was just the family....

marinated and grilled chicken breasts....sliced them into strips

large green salad with any veggies that you like

bottled salad dressings

Pasta salad...oil and vingar base with garlic, onion, broccoli, chick peas and black olives...of course you could sub anything in the pasta salad that you like.

Italian bread and butter

 

[Halbleib1]

If you can get some hamburger on sale or from a club such as Sam's or Costco you can make up some Sloppy Joe meat ahead of time at home and put it in a couple of large gladware containers or other microwave safe containers you might already have and heat it up in the microwave at work. You would have to buy rolls but you might be able to get them donated from the bakery as well. As a side you could either make or buy a couple of large containers of mac. salad or try to get the grocery to donate it. You could also buy a restaurant size can of vegs. and take a large bowl to heat it up in the microwave. You may have to do a couple of batches if you do not have a large enough bowl but you could make it work out.

 

[ToddyLu]

Everybody bring their own food and you provide danish, bagels and doughnuts for breakfast. Keep milk and juice in a cooler.

Can you charge $5 for the lock in and buy the pizzas?

Chips and salsa

Fruit

Cookies

PB&J

 

[fakereadhed]

Is there a pizza place that would give you a discount instead if a donation? Or do you have a place like Little Ceasers that does $5 pizzas?

 

[Alexander]

What is a lock-in and why do you have them?

 

[a1tinkfans]

What is a lock-in and why do you have them?

 

[allison443]

It starts at 7, so can they eat dinner before they arrive and then you could just serve snacks/chips/pretzels etc. that don't require appliances.

 

[NotUrsula]

Sandwiches are going to be your only good option, as someone else has said. As long as you don't have a health dept. rule that all food must be prepared in a commercial kitchen, I suggest you prepare them onsite, along with some farmer's market salad greens to go with.

I'm guessing that you meant BREAKFAST and beverages, since the bakeries have been thanked. Can you get those bakeries to give you a discount on several long bread loaves?

If so, get the best price on whole hams, turkey breasts, roasts, etc. that you can, and have them professionally sliced (most places will slice free if you buy the meat whole.) Then go ahead and get another couple of chaperones to help you dress and stack the sandwiches yourselves. It won't be free, but it should be fairly cheap. Slice them up pre-made and add veggies from the farmer's market as sides; much cheaper than buying them from a supermarket.

Of course, pasta with marinara would be the cheapest choice of all, but doing that without power would require warming tables, and I'm guessing that if you don't have permission to plug in crock pots, then open flames are out of the question, no?

If you really feel that pizza is best, the cheapest source I know is Sam's Club. Their really large pizzas are around $8 each, and they will cook them for no extra charge. You would need to rig up some blankets in the back of someone's vehicle to keep them hot until you could get them to your site.

 

[Cindy B]

7 pm is not dinner time. It is after dinner. I agree with others saying that you can do chips/salsa/veggie tray/popcorn and call it a day.

 

[MrsPete]

If you make up a bunch of hot dogs (in buns) and wrap them individually, they can be stored in a cooler for hours. They'll stay warm.

What is a lock-in and why do you have them?

A lock-in is usually an all-night youth party in which the kids are "locked in" a church building (or YMCA, etc.). They're popular for New Years Eve, but they're also held at other times of the year. They have food, activities, movies, music, games all night. Usually they have a quiet area where kids who are worn out can sleep too. The "lock in" thing means that they can't come and go from the building (nor can outsiders come in), so the parents can feel safe knowing that their kids are being chaperoned and are where they're supposed to be.

 

[My3kiddos]

You might contact a warehouse club like Sams and see if they will donate a couple sandwich platters. Or see is somewhere like KFC would donate chicken or chicken strips and serve chips with the chicken.

 

[book_junkie]

Thanks for the ideas!

A lock-in, in this definition, is teens being locked into our building for 13 straight hours, 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. These teens earned it over the summer by reading 60 hours or more over two months. We're playing muggle quidditch, watching movies, having Wii and PS3 and XBox gaming, computers, and board games. We have separate quiet areas where the kids can sleep if they want (never happens).

We're in an extremely low-income area (no extras), and since this is a library we can't charge for the lock-in. And they've earned it through reading. These are normally your non-enthusiastic readers, in danger of dropping out from school or not passing classes and state tests, and in the past few years, the kids that have participated in the lock-in challenges have been getting B's and A's in English, and passing their other classes and getting more involved in positive things. They invited me to graduation this year as part of their family...

In the past, we've been able to get dinner donated by local restaurants or pizza chains, but it's not looking pretty this year. We cannot use programming money due to city regulations, so it's coming from donations and begging somehow.

Thanks for all the suggestions! If anyone can think of anything else, let me know!

 

[prncess674]

I would ask a friend to help out. Maybe have them warm hot dogs in a crockpot and then bring over a toasty crock pot of hot dogs and you could maybe serve them in sterno pans once the library is closed.

 

[Cindy B]

OP= sounds like the district I work for. As an Reading teacher, tell them good job for me.

Now I see the need for a meal, even though it is a later time. Did you ask the grocers in the area? In our area, the Spanish and Soul food corner stores are very generous because it is thier families.

If you have a Chic Fil A near you, they tend to give to every one.. especially the lower income areas.