Re: Meal Tracking Programs
From: Sharon Villines (sharonsharonvillines.com)
Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2014 13:58:19 -0700 (PDT)
On Apr 2, 2014, at 4:08 PM, Ann Zabaldo <zabaldo [at] earthlink.net> wrote:

> We have ONE meal a week here at TVC.   Since everyone in the rotation attends 
> every meal in the rotation you only have to sign up ONCE to cook. You don’t 
> sign up for every meal.   That’s it. One time.  Do you think having a more 
> sophisticated computerized system would produced more meals?  If more meals 
> is your goal I don’t think a better tracking system is going to produce that.
> 
> Do you have another goal?  Something I’m not hearing?

Even for the Monday Soup 'n Simple meals people sign up each week to say they 
are coming or not, or contact the cooks if they can't access the paper sign up, 
 or contact the cooks to make late plates. The rotation is often only 6 weeks 
long because only that many cooks sign up. Everyone has to sign up for the next 
rotation. Meals are often cancelled because no cook is available. 

We also have more meals each month that are one time scheduling. A kids meal on 
most Wednesdays. Brunches on holidays. The squash dinner. The pies on Pi day. 
St Patrick's day. Dinner at 8, etc. 

A common complaint from cooks and organizers is that people don't sign up. So 
make it easier.

The biggest advantage would be the ability to sign up online from work or from 
your unit. Not everyone remembers to sign up when coming and going. When an 
emergency occurs, they can cancel when they think of it instead of forgetting. 
Only the Monday night group is "trained" to sign up. That is at most 35 people 
out of 80+. 

Computerized systems can also easily do things like keep totals of diners, 
total vegetarians, total vegans, etc. Plus payment and reimbursements. Menus 
can be changed if necessary and people already signed up can be notified. 

And just because things are on the computer, they don't have to be complicated. 
I haven't had time to do it but I would still like to design one using 
Wordpress.

Sharon
----
Sharon Villines, Washington DC
Save Our Planet. It's the only one with chocolate.








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