Hi all for the meeting tonight there’s the link
and the agenda is here : Riseup Pad
please add to it if you have any other points
28/06/20 6.30pm Co-op birmingham meeting
Present: Sergio, Ben, Paul, Amelia, Seb, Kaeden, Sean
AGENDA
1) routific
Amelia: 1 month to go on Routific. What do you want to see happen next? In a month will we be in a position to replace with the Coop Cycle app? Want to think about it now so we don’t get caught at the last minute.
Sean: Suggest we talk to Coop Cycle and see if they think we can move there because we can do what we originally planned in training the drivers on Coop Cycle. Seems like a good idea to get them to move in a month.
AP: Find out if it’s possible to move to Coop Cycle in the time we have remaining - Sean
2) changes to rota
Sean: How is it going? Has it helped a bit yet? What do we need to do?
Paul: We changed from 7 to 4 days in the kitchen yesterday with Seb in. Bit of backroom confusion but got a clear set rota on Mon, Weds, Thur and Sat. Want to confirm since we’re running the cafe alongside, we are very dependent for 4 volunteers (5 on Sat to make sure everything’s clean) every day. Stories of not so many volunteers turning up, but we do need those to keep it running successfully.
Seb: Seemed that the decision was taken but it didn’t really happen, and when I was in the kitchen yesterday, the backroom thought we were supposed to cook 210 meals per day. Quite stressful and frustrating. Tried to stress on main chat but only Leo replied but felt alone. Wasn’t reduced during the week.
Amelia: I was in the backroom chat to support that shift. At the last meeting I think we agreed to talk to the hostel but nobody did that. Made a decision to call the hostel ourselves and reduce them to 10 meals. Weren’t too happy with last minute. NOw manageable.
Amelia: Other issue is some of the drivers weren’t aware we’re doing double deliveries, will remind BR3.
Paul: Was agreement to ring all the people recieving meals. Still want that to happen. Would like to speak to people.
Sean: Before the meeting today, Leo said that they were struggling to get the participants list. Does anyone know what that means?
Amelia: Alice was doing that and has the list partitioned. No contact details. Case of getting a little more joined up. Who was volunteering? Paul - your details not on airtable. Who is willing to call?
AP: Paul to send email address and be added to Signal groups by Sean
Sean: If anyone else is up for it we can give them a shout. Can post on the Signal chat.
Amelia: 52 different people left on there. I contacted quite a few on BR yesterday, and everyone I got in touch with wanted it to continue. Not sure how much longer it can continue to drop without more decisions.
Paul: Ciara spoke to Brian and he said that he would prefer to keep the 20
Amelia: We are down close to 85 without factoring driver meals. Somewhere between 85-90 + drivers.
Paul: 150 was maximum number cooked in one day, and moving 20 to next.
Amelia: At this stage nobody of 15 wanted to drop out. Pretty random sample. There are people we’ve been able to reach for a while. Our policy is that if the drivers report that the meals aren’t left on the doorstep we continue. How do we fairly decide who to drop?
Paul: Can we agree the drivers don’t need a meal?
Amelia: We’ve started asking drivers.
Sergio: Opportunity of getting a meal is only thing which makes us close to mutual aid. If it’s the only way the kitchen could do it we could try to find an alternative.
Paul: Maximum is always 150 with the numbers and scope. If we had 5 volunteers that would give us the potential but would need to check in with Seb and Ciara.
Sean: Is it worth carrying some over? Is there freezer space, and we could have one day where there’s an earlier shift of volunteers which is held over.
Paul: No freezer space. Challenge for cafe to mix both kitchen.
Seb: If you are to take wellbeing of chefs in the kitchen and not being too stressed, please not more than 150 meals per day. Usually can’t get enough people to do this, and logistically quite hard to organise with drivers.
Amelia: Slight maths issue with this. The way you phased it out is fine, but we didn’t start on a Wednesday so you didn’t have that pot of meals to carry over according to your numbers. We got it to 181 yesterday. Got 5 people on rota for the kitchen on Monday, 5 on Saturday as well. Is that helpful?
Seb: If it’s just 150 meals so if there are 5 people that should be alright. Only hassle was 1st day of transisiton.
Sean: 5 people tomorrow and Thurs and Sat. 3 on Weds with Paul.
Amelia: Still trying to fill that out.
Sean: Seems like main problem is building up those extra meals for tomorrow. Does anyone have any proposals?
Paul: Happy to ring 15 people in the morning tomorrow. If there’s other people who can ring in the morning.
Seb: Have to make sure that if we decided something that they happen. Stressful to be on shift on Saturday. So much time on my phone trying to balance that number.
Sean: Problem is that we had a meeting and decided APs and transitioned between the 2 meetings with the APs not done. If people could call tomorrrow that works. Sorry Seb.
Amelia: Already done the order list for tomorrow - 178 meals including driver meals.
Paul: Planning to do 170, I imagine Ciara will be OK.
Amelia: I can pick up the order list and take out the people who I wanted to call today. Can send you their contact details. Might be best not to because don’t have backroom tomorrow - already done the order list and the routes.
AP: Send contact details for people to Paul - Amelia
Seb: If you know the large number of meals before hand you can plan.
Sean: Sounds like it probably won’t be much higher, so seems OK now?
3) suggestion for a backroom meetup + food!
Sean: I know there was a volunteers coord meeting recently. Nice atmosphere of having lunch doesn’t really happen for backroom, so want a picnic with meals from the kitchen as a mutual aid thing.
Seb: Best idea ever. Communal meal in the garden is beautiful idea.
Sean: Would the kitchen be OK providing 10 or so meals when that happens. Would be cool to do it Saturday or Friday evening. COuld tell people in the volunteer coord chat and email some of the people who only ever do backroom and tell them about it. Socially distant fun.
Seb: This Friday might be too much to organise because reopening cafe.
Sean: Monday 6th?
Paul: Sunday is a good day. MOnday we’re working but could be Monday.
Sean: Monday works better for me. Monday 6th.
Seb: Can see each other in person.
AP: Tell people about this meetup - Sean
4) newsletter 4
Sean: Will go out with Saturday deliveries. Good to have printed in time for Friday so people for the Warehouse could take one as well. Try to get the copy done by Weds. I’m planning to work on it. Will speak to Dylan and Rida and Sergio. If anyone wants to write let me know. Might get a few less printed. Are there still tons left over?
Paul: About 20-30 of each left.
Sean: Will do 300 not 350 then. I’ll talk to you about it Sergio
5) social media and posting the video(s)
Sean: Had 2 really good videos made at the same time.
Seb: From my POV it seems like the energy is totally out of our group. Nobody wants to post any more. How many people are still eager to keep this project alive? Adds to frustration. Do you think we’re still able to keep it alive on our social media?
Sean: Videos are good so will somewhat cover for our lack of posts.
Seb: How much energy is there still to continue? I assumed that if we transition to our plan - will we go beyond July with this system? Better to know before that how many people still have energy?
Kaeden: Seb had a previous AP to contact Dean.
Seb: Didn’t do.
AP: Contact Dean about participatign in social media - Sean
Sean: Cut down to every 3 days as a way of phasing it out. Need to manage this change without dropping people. Maybe contacting people who used to volunteer, and they could maybe do 1 shift a month or something, a lot less stressful.
Seb: Need to make sure APs are done.
Sean: 1 video which is longer, and maybe we could give that to the Warehouse cafe and they can comment on it. The other one is more, this is the SK in a minute. Doesn’t say anything about that one.
AP: Post short video, give longer to WC social media team - Sean
6) sol kit cafe proposal
Paul: Important to ancticipate this transition. Down to 3 days maybe. Need a clearer sense of what we agreed to. Last week was idea of running a SK cafe on a Monday and a surplus food project, could cook for 150 people. Could also deliver to people. Also a legacy of this. Will need to change. Just 1 proposal of how it could continue. Different format. Maybe a conversation for a specific meeting for the long term.
Seb: Maida is a person waiting for refugee status. Idea that me, Paul and Ciara ask Coop Brum to top up our wages the 20%, to give to M. Can work. Is it possibel to do it legally and transparently?
Sergio: Addressing Paul’s proposal from last meeting. Many things to like about it. Good to think in terms of long term more sustainable way of working. Can post in forum and ask people to make suggestions, and give a week or 10 days. Approve it when we have a final draft. For Seb’s proposal, it is an important decision what to do with a chucnk of money, but the forum would not be most intelligent for that. Need to involve more poeple in this important decision.
Seb: Good to make decision. Could pay for July and June if there is a way to do it legally.
Sean: Good idea. Was also going to say - when I share this video I wil ask for more money because our income is now below our spending. Don’t understand this financial part of your proposal. If there is someone who would benefit from money and has been putting in effort in the kitchen. I will try to drum up more donations via the facebook post.
Seb: 20% top up - all the chefs had the idea that Coop Brum was ready to top up our wages for participating in the project. Seems wasn’t too clear at the end. If we can pay anyone it will be good to pay Maida for the work she did for us. If it is possible we can be transparent about that. Me, Paul and Ciara would be more than happy to give this 20%.
Sergio: Legally the WC could invoice Coop Brum for kitchen support. Careful on dates - once the cafe opens again, can invoice for support.
Sean: Probably easier to talk to Ben who has just left and say how can we do this and work out how much it would be, and balance that with how much money remaining the SK has for operations. WOuldn’t need to relate it to the chefs. Could be invoice or just the same way we’re paying people’s fuel bills, if there’s someone homeless we will probably help them out. Rules around people without settled status getting money from friends, but would happen in either way.
Seb: Should decide now.
Paul: We’re intending to give some money to support Maida. How much does that look like? Do we have agreement from it? Not clear about the 20%. Perhaps you could write a proposal yet, or we get a figure and we put that forward as a proposal.
Sean: Good because we initally thought that might be something we had to do as a way of fairly allocating funds, so it gives the guideline of what the SK agred to. Might be that when we add it up it’s too much or not enough. Should use it as a guideline and see what’s possible. Happy to talk to Ben about it.
Seb: Nothing beyond our possibilities. If we agree we can give all the money chefs would get top up with 1 month I think we have this money. If it goes beyond that we should discuss it. Any extra money we’d be able to give would be so helpful.
AP: Speak to Ben about this proposal - Sean
Sean: Like the long term proposal you made Paul, like FND. Hopefully we’d still have a buffer in place.
7) leons points
Amelia: Ristrict editing of the rota.
Sean: At the moment it’s owned by Sergio. With Ciara, Dean, Melanie Palmer as editros. Can change it so everyone else is a viewer. Add the people who are BR0: Amelia, Alice, Leon and Fiona. Dan Linley? as editors and everyone else can only view.
Sergio: Will ask in the chat but can do this.
AOB
Sean: Coop Cycle is already legacy of SK aside from 10,000 meals, so well done.
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