How to get an organization to stock up?!!! After beating my head against a wall of objections we finally came up with a way to prepare our church that is acceptable.

The proposal: 1. Buy ecclesiastical supplies ahead; wine, candles.etc. Nothing unusual, just early buying. 2. Buy ordinary hospitality supplies ahead; toilet paper, coffee, cleansers, paper goods, sugar and tea, etc. Again, the usual stuff, just prudently early- catch sales, etc. 3.Most important: A PANTRY STOCKUP Make a list of the most used foods for church functions; spaghetti and pasta, tomato sauce, herbs, canned veggies and beans for salads, dry beans for soups and baked bean dishes, canned tuna and ham, raisins, oatmeal, whatever it is your group uses most. Make a list with numbers under each item for signup, tell folks that Costco is cheap, or they may get food on sale elsewhere. for those who don't like to food shop, have a couple of the usual food preparers accept donations in money and buy what is not signed up for.

If you have a lot of DGIs present this as simply prudent planning to cut expenses, plan ahead for functions, etc.

Mount your lists on a bulletin board and present it at your next function. Make it decorative with cutout photos of food.

All those empty spaces on the list just beg people to fill them up, and most people want to participate on any list that shows everyone's name.

-- seraphima (seraphima@aol.com), August 10, 1999