We have had a potluck dinner for our staff the past few years and parents bring in the food. It must have their name and the name of the dish on it. If it's someone questionable, you don't eat it. We send out a sign up sheet and then make a menu for the week. Our staff loves it!!
Our school still has homemade items brought on Teacher Lunches. We have the item name who brought it and recipes *unless the person making has some family secret*
Just as humor had a doctor one year brought a crockpot of baked beans on the card he put it is a family secret. then he placed another card that had a dog on there saying role that beautiful bean footage. It was Bush baked beans.
For meat we get from deli bring it. I make huge pot of chicken dump. someone makes enchilantas (SP?) and usually have one bring roast beef. But it is the teacher's choice to eat it.
Some people can be very picky, myself included. If I don't know the person who has brought in the food, I don't eat it. Sounds mean? Maybe, but I had some bad experiences with food brought in by people that I don't know.
How about having a deli, store, etc. supply the meat, cheese, bread, and having the staff supply the rest of the meal?
OK, it's not the best idea, but at least you're trying, and they can pick and choose what they wish to eat.
Another idea that has worked well for me, is that if it's a homemade product, they type up the receipe and make several copies and place it by the item. That way they know who made the item and it also saves time in asking who made this or that so that they can have the receipe.
Not the best advise, but at almost 3 a.m. it's the best that I can do.
I have worked at getting volunteers to bring something for one of two times our PTO is asked ot supply a staff lunch. When I reported that I hoped to have enough volunteers that our group, and specifically me, would not be responsible for paying for these events, I was told that our staff would have a problem eating things brought in by our families. I hadn't intended on asking for prepared meals but things like chips, mustard, and bread. If your group feeds teachers, how do you go about aquiring the food and what do you ask for?
I guess I was shocked to hear this negativity when the parents are allowed to bring things in for the class that are good enough to be fed to the students and because I have never been too happy that the PTO before us had meals catered in costing over $600 so I thought I was doing something good.
The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating-in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life. --Anne Morris
