Greater Harvest Food Pantry

6th Annual Thanksgiving Feast

The Facility
• Greater Harvest Food Pantry (“Greater Harvest”)
○ A food pantry and soup kitchen in San Antonio, TX
○ In a lower-income neighborhood in the Artesia Community Guild
• Not-for-profit organization serving the food insecure
○ 1 in 6 individuals in the area are food insecure 4
• A 100,000 sq. ft. facility
○ warehouse storage
○ kitchen with cooler, freezer, and
dry storage
○ conference room that converts to
dining area Image: Houston Food Bank warehouse & kitchen. Photo credit: J. Pedro
Floor Plan

Not to scale 5,6

The Event
● A Thanksgiving meal for food-insecure
individuals
○ 100 people to be served
○ Table service
○ 3 course meal with beverages
● Food will be prepared in the on-site
kitchen
Image: http://www.pawtucketsoupkitchen.org
● Dinner will be served in the conference room
○ The conference room can seat up to 150 at tables
○ Tables will be dressed with linens
○ Each table will seat 8 people
● The event will be staffed by a small number employees
○ Mostly volunteer staff
The Invitation
The Menu
Production Schedule and Service Timeline
● Food production for the menu items in this meal will take place over 2 days
● To maximize quality some items will be made ahead and cold stored, and others
will be freshly prepared prior to service

The following menu items will be The following menu items will be
prepared the day before this made on the day of the event:
event: ● Mulled Apple Juice
● Butternut Squash Soup ● Turkey and Stuffing Bake
● Mashed Potatoes ● Green Bean Casserole
● Pumpkin Pie ● Dinner Rolls (packaged)

● Table service begins at 6:00 PM

Production Schedule and Service Timeline
Commercial Equipment and Preparation Space
● Commercial equipment required for all stages of
food production: food handling, cooking, storage, as
well as for safety and sanitation and service
● Prep space should focus on efficiency, ergonomics
and safety and sanitation
Commercial Equipment and Preparation Space
Ideally, the Greater Harvest
Kitchen will contain the
following commercial
equipment:
25-27
Potential Sources
● Greater Harvest usually relies on donated food from the San Antonio
Food Bank
○ For purchases, Greater Harvest usually partners with Sysco
■ large distributor that delivers food items from
manufacturers to foodservice operations
● This event is different and does not rely on the usual donations
○ A fundraiser was held specifically for this event
○ The project manager and foodservice manager get to choose
how the funds are spent
○ They will contract with businesses for ingredients/supplies
■ A local Kroger has discounted prices for Greater Harvest
■ Other grocery sources: Aldi, HEB, and Amazonfresh
■ Some cleaning supplies and individual single-serve butter
cups will come from Sam’s Club.
Service Type and Rationale
● The food pantry team decided to create a happy,
cheerful, and family holiday atmosphere with a personal
attention to the guests
● Therefore, a decision was made to provide a
table-service
● To do so, at the fundraiser event, funds were also raised
specifically to be able to provide a table-service for the
guests
Table Service
● Food will be plated in the kitchen and served by
volunteer wait-staff to the guests

● Volunteer bus staff will be responsible for clearing and

cleaning the tables between courses and at the end of
the meal, and for offering and refilling beverages
 Safety, Sanitization and Maintenance Issues
● Greater Harvest relies mainly on volunteers and a small number
of paid employees
○ Volunteers are lacking the experience and proficiency of safely
preparing and serving food as experienced foodservice
workers 22
○ Volunteers are prone to more accidents, and the risk of having
food safety and sanitization issues might increase 22
 Safety, Sanitization and Maintenance
Issues
● Volunteer Workforce - Addressing the Issue:
○ Safety and sanitization training will be provided to all
volunteers prior to the event 22
○ Volunteers’ work will be limited to plating, service,
set up, clean up, and dishwashing
 Safety, Sanitization and Maintenance
Issues
● Food Preparation Schedule
○ Some of the dishes will be prepared the day before the event or early
on the day of the event
○ Focus should be placed on the food temperature after the dishes are
ready
○ Food should be cooled to the right temperature, at the right time
frame, and refrigerate at an adequate temperature to prevent the
growth of bacteria, and to assure the food is safe to serve and eat
 Safety, Sanitization and Maintenance
Issues
● Food Preparation Schedule - Addressing the
Issue:
○ Experienced employees will monitor food
temperatures while preparing and storing
the foods
○ Employees will use a thermometer to check
if food is at the right temperature and and
conduct corrective actions if the food
Image source: National Restaurant Association; Restaurant.org

temperature is not right

 Safety, Sanitization and Maintenance
Issues
● Providing Table Service at Food Pantry
○ All 100 plates will need to be ready around the same
time
○ The ready-to-be-served plates need to be hot held
until served to make sure the food is held in a safe
temperature
 Safety, Sanitization and Maintenance Issues
● Providing Table Service at Food Pantry - Addressing the Issue:
○ Strip warmers will be bought and used to keep the plated
food at the right temperature

Image: https://www.hatcocorp.com/en/equipment/strip-heaters/ceramic-strip-heaters
Safety, Sanitation, and Maintenance Issues
● Accident prevention
○ All cooks will be proficient in using all kitchen equipment
■ In a study done on occupational injuries, of all preparation
injuries reported, 86.7% were due to failure to use kitchen
machines and tools correctly.23
○ All cooks will be aware of proper cooking temperatures and
equipment temperatures
■ In the same study, of all cooking process
injuries, 73.3% were due to high cooking
temperature burns.23
Image: http://wahospitality.org/blog/how-hospitality-gets-hurt/
 Safety, Sanitization and Maintenance Issues
● Maintenance
○ The food pantry team, a week prior to the event, will
check the condition of all the equipment that will be
used to prepare and serve the food at the event to
assure there will be no maintenance issues while
preparing and serving the food
Labor
● The meal will be produced using a combination of paid and volunteer staff
● The project will be overseen by a Project Manager from Greater Harvest
● A paid Foodservice Manager will supervise 3 paid cooks
○ Paid kitchen staff will be responsible for procuring, preparing and baking the
menu items
○ Paid staff will work 8 hours on the day before the event and 12 hours on the
day of the event
● A Volunteer Manager will supervise 18 volunteers
○ Volunteers will set up, plate food, serve, clear and run the dishroom
○ Volunteer Manager and volunteer dishroom staff will work 8 hours on the
day before the event and 12 hours on the day of the event
○ All other volunteers will work 12 hours on the day of the event
Labor
● The organization of the staff is represented by:
Financials Description Cost

Food $478.66
Beverage $37.64
Total Cost of Food and Beverage for 100
people $516.30

Labor Expenses
Food Service Manager (1) $555.00
Cook Staff (3) $720.00

Invitations $99.00
Direct Operating Expenses (supplies) $131.58

Total Cost for Dinner $2,021.88

Cost Per Person $20.22
Budget Justifications
● The wages per hour for the Foodservice Manager and the Cooks were based off of
averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 24

● The Project Manager and the Volunteer Manager are full-time Greater Harvest Food
Pantry salaried employees, therefore are not included in this particular events
budget.

● All food and beverage items and supplies were priced at Aldi’s, Food Town, HEB,
Sam’s Club and Kroger.

● Invitations will be bought and created at Walmart

● Linen and decorations will be reused from last years dinner

 Recipes
Butternut Squash Soup
Adapted from Butternut squash soup for
100. Cooking for a Crowd.
http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/qua
ntity/butternut-squash-soup.htm.

Mulled Apple Juice

Adapted from Lewis E. Mulled apple juice. BBC
Goodfood website.
ttps://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/13370/mu
lled-apple-juice. Image:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1857-thomas-kellers-butternut-squash-soup-with-brown-butter
Turkey and Stuffing Bake
Adapted from Turkey and stuffing bake. Betty Crocker
website.
https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/turkey-and-st
uffing-bake/069ec4ba-bbc9-4b93-a0c4-231b559c30a
1.

Image: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/sour-cream-mashed-potatoes-recipe-1943792

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

Adapted from Make ahead party mashed
potatoes. Cooking for a Crowd website.
http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/quanti
ty/make-ahead-mashed-potatoes.htm.
 Classic Macaroni and Cheese
Adapted from Kid-friendly easy
homemade mac and cheese recipe. Living
Well Mom website.
https://livingwellmom.com/2012/05/eas
y-kid-friendly-macaroni-n-cheese-recipe/.

Green Bean Casserole

Adapted from Pfarr E. Green bean
casserole I. Allrecipes website.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/13660/gree
n-bean-casserole-i/print/?recipeType=R
ecipe&servings=6&isMetric=false.
Delicious Pumpkin Pie
Adapted from Gallagher A. No fail, homemade pumpkin pie
recipe. Inspired Taste website.
http://www.inspiredtaste.net/24962/pumpkin-pie-recipe/.
 References:
1. Gregoire M. Foodservice Organizations: A Managerial and Systems Approach. Boston, MA: Pearson; 2016.

2. Davis C. Food pantries, local groups step up to provide Thanksgiving foods. KXAN Austin News website. http://kxan.com/2017/11/20/food-pantries-local-groups-step-up-to-provide-thanksgiving-foods/.
Updated November 20, 2017. Accessed November 26, 2017.

3. Daponte BE. Private versus public relief: use of food pantries versus food stamps among poor households. J Nutr Educ. 2000; 32(2):72-83. doi:10.1016/S0022-3182(00)70523-1.

4. San Antonio Food Bank. About us. San Antonio Food Bank website. https://safoodbank.org/about-us/who-we-serve/. Accessed November 27, 2017.

5. Ghiselli R, Almanza RD, Ozaki MS. Foodservice design: trends, space allocation, and factors that influence kitchen size. J Foodservice Sys. 1998; 10:89-105.

6. Clark JA. Design considerations for commercial kitchen ventilation. ASHRAE Journal. 2012; 54(2):54-62.

7. Butternut squash soup for 100. Cooking for a Crowd. http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/quantity/butternut-squash-soup.htm. Accessed November 22, 2017.

8. Turkey and stuffing bake. Betty Crocker website. https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/turkey-and-stuffing-bake/069ec4ba-bbc9-4b93-a0c4-231b559c30a1. Accessed November 22, 2017.

9. Kid-friendly easy homemade mac and cheese recipe. Living Well Mom website. https://livingwellmom.com/2012/05/easy-kid-friendly-macaroni-n-cheese-recipe/. Published May 31, 2012. Accessed
November 22, 2017.

10. Make ahead party mashed potatoes. Cooking for a Crowd website. http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/quantity/make-ahead-mashed-potatoes.htm. Accessed November 22, 2017.

11. Pfarr E. Green bean casserole I. Allrecipes website. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/13660/green-bean-casserole-i/print/?recipeType=Recipe&servings=6&isMetric=false. Accessed November 22, 2017.

12. Adam. No fail, homemade pumpkin pie recipe. Inspired Taste website. http://www.inspiredtaste.net/24962/pumpkin-pie-recipe/. Updated October 28, 2017. Accessed November 22, 2017.

13. Lewis E. Mulled apple juice. BBC Goodfood website. ttps://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/13370/mulled-apple-juice. Accessed November 22, 2017.
References:
14. Aldi. https://www.aldi.us. Accessed November 16, 2017.

15. Food Town. http://www.foodtownshopper.com. Accessed November 16, 2017.

16. HEB. https://www.heb.com. Accessed November 16, 2017.

17. Kroger. https://www.kroger.com. Visited Tomball, TX location November 17, 2017.

18. Sam’s Club. https://www.samsclub.com/sams/homepage.jsp. Accessed November 18, 2017.

19. About Sysco. The Sysco Website. http://www.sysco.com/about-sysco.html. Accessed November 18, 2017.

20. Amazon Fresh. https://www.amazon.com/AmazonFresh/b?ie=UTF8&node=10329849011. Accessed November 19, 2017.

21. National Restaurant Association. ServSafe Manager. 6th ed. Chicago, IL: National Restaurant Association Solutions; 2014.

22. Jeong BY. Cooking processes and occupational accidents in commercial restaurant kitchens. Safety Science. 2015;80:87-93. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2015.07.014.

23. Finch C, Daniel E. Food safety knowledge and behavior of emergency food relief organization workers: effects of food safety training intervention. J Environ Health. 2005; 67(9):30-34.

24. Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services - May 2016 OES Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics4_624200.htm#21-0000. Updated March 31, 2017. Accessed November 21, 2017.

25. Webstaurant Store. https://www.webstaurantstore.com. Accessed November 20, 2017.

26. RestaurantSupply.com. https://www.restaurantsupply.com. Accessed November 20, 2017.

27. Kitchen Restock. https://www.kitchenrestock.com. Accessed November 20, 2017.

28. Molt M. Food for Fifty. 13th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall; 2011.