By Joanna Karlinsky
Volunteer
 |
| Tory Farms: one of the most prolific donors at Ferry Building Farmers Market, part of my 101 runs. |
Restaurant owners don’t throw
anything away that can be sold, offered free to guests, given to staff, or
taken home to feed the family. Chefs don’t order an ounce more food than they
can sell or feed staff with. We think
about food costs every day. As the chef
& restaurant owner of the long-shuttered Meetinghouse, Elite Café and Sweet
Jo’s Café I know this well. In the 30
years I’ve been aware of Foodrunners, I’ve never had leftover or excess food to
donate, other than preparing something special for a fundraiser. I’m retired now and had the occasion to spend
my summer here in San Francisco making food run after food run.
 |
| Large tech company cafeteria donation. Another of my 101 runs! |
I spent my runs getting to know
the staff at donor businesses, from tech companies to bakeries, meeting the
staff at the recipient agencies, from group homes to veteran’s services, and
chatting with those receiving the food. They are always so grateful; the staff
(almost) always helpful. The pride that comes with knowing you helped to keep
food from the compost bin is very fulfilling.
 |
| Kara's Cupcakes. Best ever! |
My favorite run, hands down, is
Kara’s Cupcakes. You pick up from their manufactory in Dogpatch and they always
have more than the church kindergarten can use.
So, I get to decide where to drop off the few other boxes. And I ‘work
it’. I run over to the senior center
where the guys come out to help by lining up for a big ‘pass the food’
production. It’s one big box of the best cupcakes in the country. Then next to
the All-Star hotel where the residents are always friendly, and full of thanks.
Next to the daytime drop-in program at Arriba Juntos where the staff is smiles
and jumps up to help when they see me walk in.
 |
| Bananas being donated at Mollie Stone's |
Last weekend Food Runners
dispatch got a call from some very panicked techies at a weekend ‘hackathon’ for
girls. Apparently, they’d ordered breakfast for 150 twice. I got there to pick
up the extra 20 pans of breakfast and @½ of the uneaten first order. You know
how girls eat, right? When I was loading up one lovely young lady came running
out to say she thought they’d have lunch leftovers as well. I returned a bit latter to find 14 FULL
buffet pans of Mexican food. Fantastic
until a pan of chicken in mole sauce spilled all over my truck. Honestly... the
look on the faces of the people at the 4 group homes I delivered to was totally
worth the mole. I have extended my stay in San Francisco through the holidays.
I look forward to the food I’ll pick up and relay from parties & events to
those with too little to party at all.
 |
| Donation made especially for Food Runners, being picked up at Piperade Restaruant. |
Advice: tarp and then put
cardboard down on the area you’ll place food for travel. Looking to volunteer
but feeling shy? Just want to gossip about how much fun it is?
Message me and we can talk! Joanna Karlinsky Sweetjo725@gmail.com
