Food Parties

(AKA Cooking parties... Agri-gates?)

Summary
A group of people get together to cook a large amount of food to supplement or fulfill the weekly needs of the individuals and create social awareness through shared experience.

The Theory
Most of us spend a fair amount of time and energy each week worrying about food--what to buy, what to cook, what to throw away. For many, it's a trade-off between having the time to cook for oneself and having the money to have someone else do the leg-work. But why can't we save a little bit of both?

Since food is a universal commodity, we should all work together to feed ourselves in a healthy, cost-effective way. The first step toward this is simply getting together to cook. A group of people pooling together resources can create a mutually beneficial system for food preparation while also developing important social skills.

Advantages

 * Save money and time by buying and cooking food in bulk
 * Engage in goal-oriented social interaction
 * Learn cooking skills in a comfortable, friendly environment
 * Eat healthier meals and learn about portioning
 * Worry less about food prep during the week

Resources needed

 * Basic ingredients that can go into a variety of meals
 * One-week “cascading meals” plan involving these ingredients
 * A group of people (size?) with basic kitchen and organization skills
 * Equipment for preparing large amounts of food

Who this appeals to

 * Kids learning social skills
 * Groups of university students in dorms
 * Community-oriented adults
 * Elderly people in retirement communities

Possible extensions
Since food is something everyone uses, this idea could take all sorts of forms--cooking for the homeless, training courses for more effective cooking, bake sales to raise money for further projects... The key is that a group of people working together toward a common goal (especially one as universal as a hard-earned meal) is advantageous for the individuals, for the group, and for society at large.