FUMC Melrose Community Freezer Guidelines!
The Food Drive is partnering with our church to operate a Community Freezer in our church basement. It is already providing meals for individuals and families in need in our community, and we are hoping to increase participation so that we can help even more people. Below is some updated information about the freezer, and some guidelines for contributing. If you have any questions, please contact Jana Gimenez at fooddrivemelrose@gmail.com. Meals can be dropped off during church office hours, on Sunday mornings, or by making an arrangement with Jana.
What is the Community Freezer program?
This program is a partnership between Melrose FUMC and The Food Drive to provide healthy meals for local food pantries, motel shelters, and community members experiencing food insecurity.
What are the greatest needs?
The current urgent need is single-serve meals for guests in the Housing Families motel shelter in Malden, where The Food Drive delivers 26 meals each Wednesday. In addition, meals from the Community Freezer will be used to respond to requests that the church office receives from community members requesting assistance.
What kind of meal should I prepare?
Please prepare nutritious, filling, complete meals that are easily freezable and reheatable. The primary goal is to fill the freezer with single-serve meals, but we will also distribute family-size casserole-type meals as needed.
All meals must be labeled with a description that includes special dietary information, including allergens. Since we’re unable to guarantee preparation in an allergen-free environment, we will not distribute to individuals with severe allergies at this point.
Please note that the long-term goal of the program is to include a particular focus on maintaining an inventory of entrees for specific dietary needs, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, low fat, dairy free, and low salt…items that are not always readily available at pantries and soup kitchens.
Where is the freezer?
The freezer is located in the kitchen in the church basement. Charlie Rhuda has kindly provided containers for use by church members, and those are stored next to the freezer.
DETAILS FOR MEAL PREPARERS
1) COOK a meal to donate, double your dinner recipe for donation, or save leftover dinner portions. Every meal matters. Again, please make sure the meal is healthy and complete.
2) PACKAGE individual meal portions in single-serve containers that are microwave-reheatable. Takeout containers are ideal, so reuse yours or use the containers provided in the church kitchen. Family-size meals should be packaged. in aluminum containers for the oven.
Please note that we are not able to accept styrofoam, aluminum, or Ziplocs.
3) LABEL each container with meal description, dietary details, the date, and your name.
4) DELIVER to the freezer. Please note that contents vary daily but we will make sure there is space for meals. And if contents are low, don’t be concerned, that means we just distributed!
5) LOG your donation on the clipboard on top of the freezer with your entrée name, quantity, donor name, and delivery date.
NOTE: To encourage donation of food to nonprofits for distribution to people in need, food donors are protected from liability under the 1996 Federal Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act.