Cohousing-L Mailing List: Common meals during Covid-19

[Patricia Looney-Burman (burloon65]

La Querencia (Fresno Cohousing) is following guidelines/rules similar to
those already expressed re:  laundry, mail, etc.

Three or four households have implemented what we call "Front Porch
Dinners."   One of the households has had "Bryan's Bakery" on 3 separate
Sunday mornings, with homemade bagels one week, a variety of muffins
another, and a variety of scones the 3rd.

My husband and I provided a "picnic" for Memorial Day, and we've also
hosted a brunch and a dinner.  The menus are simple:  food that can be
easily served, and usually consist of only 3 or 4 items or less.

The guidelines are that the meals/food are served on the hosts' front
porch.  My husband has built two "sneeze shields,"  (which we loan to
others) that fit on small rectangular tables on our front porch.  There is
a half-hour window for those who have signed up to come get their food.
Participants bring their own dishes and maintain a 6 foot distance from
each other, as they line up on the sidewalk, waiting their turn.  When
their turn comes, they come up our walk to the serving table, holding their
plates, as we serve the food with our own serving utensils.  Participants
then go to their own front porches or inside their homes to eat.

It has worked well!  Not everyone has chosen to participate, which is
fine.  We do enjoy seeing more than one neighbor at a time.  To date, no
one (knock on wood and anything else!) has been sick in our 28-home
community.

Pat Looney-Burman
La Querencia (aka Fresno
Cohousing)