D.I.Y.
(Do it Yourself)
Revised 11/23/07
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.
3) Purchase Supplies Revised 11/23/07
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 OG burrito projects chose burritos is because of the affordable resources for dry beans, rice, and tortillas in California. 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 Revised 11/23/07
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.
To see some burrito project recipes Click here
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 bikes, cars, mopeds, scooters 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 Revised 02/20/07
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.