Start a Burrito Project in your city!
1) Organize & Motivate
This is the easy step. Talk to friends, tell them about
Burrito Project and how easy it is to feed people in
need. See if they are down to help you start a tradition
of helping people and having a good time doing it.
2) Find Homeless and Hungry
Finding the homeless in some cities may be very
difficult to do. In most cities the police do not allow
the homeless to congregate in groups, so the projects in
those city's may have quite a bit of ground to cover
when distributing. This is an initial step that may take
a bit of footwork. Look in city parks. In your first few
runs talk to the homeless you encounter and ask them if
they know where more people are. Some projects may find
themselves bringing extra food to shelters or other
places where it is needed. See Blog above for list!
3) Purchase Supplies
Choose a food that you will be able to purchase supplies
for at a good price. The object is to pass out food, not
necessarily burritos. Tortillas are expensive in some
cities. Burrito project believes that a Falafel Project
or a PBJ group is just as noble and awesome. Burrito
project wants to be a part of these other food projects
also. But this is how BP rolls.
Two of the reasons that the AK burrito projects chose
burritos is because of the affordable resources for dry
beans, rice, and tortillas in Alaska. Also burritos
are very easily transported and distributed.
Whatever food you choose to distribute you should stay
away from purchasing supplies from retail markets. Do
everything you can to purchase supplies at wholesale and
or get them donated. Go to Restaurants that have
supplies you need (like tortillas) and ask them if you
can have them order for you. See if they will donate. If
you are cool and you explain what you are doing and they
are cool a lot of the time they will be very
cooperative. Make the search for better deals a constant
goal.
Buy in Bulk; 50 pound bags of pinto beans and 50 pound
bags of Rice. Purchasing in very large quantities is the
way to go.
Equipment: In the beginning of your project you will
probably have the necessary equipment to cook all of
your food. When and if you decide to expand is when you
will need to purchase larger pots and pans. Messenger
bags are great for transporting and distributing food.
They make the food easy to access and are low key. You
will just look like a student walking with a bag rather
than a person carrying a box filled with burritos, this
is just asking for trouble. Back packs are not efficient
for a large project because you will need to take them
off every time to give out food, they do not hold as
many burritos as a messenger bag and they get very very
hot on your back filled with burritos. You do not need
blisters
4) Production
Production is an art form. It is something that will
constantly change and your project will need to adapt
to. It is also something that will take a while to get
dialed in just right. It is important to take the proper
food safety steps to ensure that your project's food is
safe. You don't want to make anyone sick.
Wash Hands
Always wash your hands before and after handling food.
The Two-Hour Rule
Foods should not sit at room temperature for more than
two hours.
Make your burritos in an assembly line. One person can
warm tortillas while another scoops beans and rice. Then
another person can fold and pass to the person who wraps
them in a paper towel and aluminum foil.
To keep them hot stack them an oven set at 175 as you
are making the rest. When all burritos are made, move
them from the oven to the bags and get out the door.
If you are using a vehicle to get to your distribution
locations you can put your filled bags in a cooler to
keep the food hot. A cooler is not a replacement for an
oven. Do not skip that step.
5) Distribute Food
This is the exciting yet dangerous step of the project.
You may be surprised to learn that giving out food to
the homeless can get you in trouble with the law. In
some cities it is illegal to distribute food to the
homeless. Check with your local laws. Stay mobile, hand
your food out fast and don't stay in one area for too
long. Staying anonymous is a good way to stay out of
trouble, hence the bandannas for pictures. DO NOT wear
bandannas when you hand out food. Wear them for
pictures. Use boats, bikes, cars, mopeds, scooters, ATVs, snowmachines, skis, snowshoes, or go on
foot. There is no rule to transporting the food. Each
City will dictate the type of food distributed and its
method of transport.
**IMPORTANT**
Many homeless are not clean. Personal sanitation should
be a major concern when dealing with a homeless
population. Be sure to wash and sanitize your hands and
anything your hands come in contact with during your
distribution of food. Lysol and works very well.
6) Funding
Each project should be able to provide enough funds from
its members to stay operational.
To purchase supplies necessary to start a project you
may need to ask friends, family, co-workers, etc. for
donations.
A successful project is one that is funded by its
members. A project that is dependant upon donations will
be difficult to keep afloat.
7) Expand and Promote
After you have the above steps down and and a successful
project the next step is to expand. If you are doing 100
burritos a week then try 200. Create a goal in which to
expand to and see if you can accomplish it. Your
projects funding and the amount of homelessness in your
city will determine how large your project may be able
expand.
Every project member is responsible for promoting
Burrito Project. All members should tell people about
Burrito Project and inspire them to become active in
their communities.
Pax,
A.A.P.B.
