The following information will help your school organize volunteers and food for the kitchen at our competitions. The OHDA social convenor role is actually run as a committee. The current lead is Kirsty Sample.

Members of the Social convenor team will be on hand to set up for the day, check in midday and be on hand to pack up at the end of the day. There will also be someone available “on call” by cell phone, should there be any problems or questions. Each school is asked to coordinate with the other on-duty school(s) to appoint one person to coordinate the AM and PM, to ensure that things run smoothly. (i.e. people show up for shifts, ect.) The other helper for the day will be the custodian working at the high school that day if there are any facility issues- spills, garbage pails need emptying, etc. A list of volunteers is always posted in the kitchen area, along with the prices list. Other instructions are available on the clipboard.

We use Sign-up Genius for food and volunteer shifts (2 separate ones). This online service makes it easy to see what the needs are and is an easy communication tool between all the schools involved in kitchen duty for each competition. The comments section is the place to add the name of your school as well as details about the food. e.g. type of muffin you will make.

SET-UP

  • Food set up begins at 8:00 AM. We need volunteers to help set up the tables, cover them with tablecloths/decorations, set out the trays for the various foods, prepare mini ice packs for the foods that need to be chilled (e.g. sandwiches, fruits, veggies), get the coffee started, organize and chill the drinks and set out food as it arrives.
  • Our goal is to start to serve food and beverages (especially coffee!) at 8:30 AM

STAFFING/VOLUNTEERS

  • Our shifts usually run for one hour at a time. We need volunteers, at least 2 for every shift (3 during peak times).
  • High school students can collect volunteer hours for their community service requirement for graduation. They must bring their forms to be signed off by the Social convenor on duty for the day.

CLEAN-UP

  •  Starting sometime after 3:00 PM (depending on the length of the competition) we begin to wind down- prices on remaining food marked down (with some exceptions).
  • The last volunteers of the afternoon are asked to help with clean up, which includes packing up any dishes or containers that require washing into one bin.
  • All cords and supplies go back into the toolbox.

WHAT OHDA SUPPLIES:

  • Coffee, tea, hot chocolate
  • Milk, cream, sugar and sweetener
  • Water
  • Pop and juice boxes
  • Hot dogs, buns
  • Ketchup and mustard
  • Dish soap and hand sanitizer
  • Garbage bags/ Paper towels /vinyl gloves
  • Napkins, cutlery, straws, paper plates, bowls
  • Price lists, signs
  • Lunch for the judges/musicians

WHAT THE “ON DUTY” SCHOOLS NEED TO PROVIDE:

  • Coolers and 1 bag of Ice for each cooler.  We need 4 at each event (1 for water, 1 for pop, 1 for drinking boxes, 1 for sandwiches and other foods that need to be chilled) *VIP- these need to arrive at 8AM for efficient set-up
  • Sandwiches These need to be individually wrapped and labeled.
    • Egg salad sandwiches always go quickly!
    • Other good choices include: ham, chicken salad.
    • Deli sandwiches can be a real novelty! (and we can charge more)
  • Bagels and cream cheese
    • Please slice before placing in a baggie. You can spread the cream cheese beforehand, if desired or bring it and we can put the cream cheese in the little dressing cups.
  • Muffins
    • Please identify the flavour. No nuts or peanuts please.
  • Breads are also welcome- e.g. banana bread, sliced and wrapped
  • Baked goods ALWAYS A HIT! Please wrap and label. No nuts or peanuts please. When packaging, please consider that we will be selling them for $1- $2 (e.g. 3 small or 2 medium or 1 large cookie or squares)
  • Popular items: Rice krispie squares, brownies, anything with chocolate, cupcakes.
  • Fruit
    • Fruit is easier to eat if it has been prepared. Very popular: mixed fruit in a plastic cup with a plastic wrap lid. e.g. grapes, melon, strawberries, pineapple, orange slices. (apples and bananas tend to spoil easily) We usually charge about $2-3 per fruit cup, depending on time of year and the type of fruit.
  • Veggies
    • Plan to put 10-15 pieces of vegetables in each baggie or cup. (popular veggies include: carrots, celery, cucumbers, peppers, cherry tomatoes) You supply the dressing (ranch is always popular) OHDA has mini cups with lids and these can be made up on the event day.
    • VIP: veggies should arrive packaged and ready to sell. There is no time to make up baggies of vegetables at the competition. We want to be able to charge $2 for the veggies and dip.
  • Cheese and crackers
    • We want to be able to charge $2-3. A very nice presentation is to have the crackers wrapped separately, with the cheese arranged on a small plate and then either wrapped in plastic wrap or slipped into a plastic baggie. (e.g. 8 crackers, 4-6 pieces of cheese.) Popular cheeses: cheddar, babybel, havarti
  • Yogurt
    • Good option, but not too many. We’ve never sold more than 1 dozen in a day.
  • Snacks
    • Popcorn, trail mix (no nuts or peanuts, please) All pre-packaged.

A FEW OTHER NOTES:

  • PLEASE: label your coolers with your name/dance school and telephone number. That goes for the containers you bring your food in- crockpots, tins, plastic containers, etc. AND don’t forget to pick them up at the end of the day!
  • If your school prefers to provide the tablecloths/decorations, please inform the social convenor. Otherwise, this will be supplied by OHDA.
  • Thanks for your help in making our competition days so successful. The funds raised by the OHDA kitchen help offset the costs of running the OHDA competitions.