[JUDDP]

I am cooking, with the kids, at a local children's shelter. It is a simple menu consisting of baked garlic chicken, smashed potatoes, green beans with almonds.

There are going to be about 10-12 kids. Is there a web site that tells me how much to buy per person?

Judd Penske

[shroomgirl]

go heavy so they can fill up. do you know how old they are?

if they are little kids the less fruffy the better (aka almonds, garlic on the chicken)

if you don't know their ages 3-4 chicken legs each, 1cup mashed potatoes, 3oz green beans, 3 rolls, 1# butter for rolls

teenagers, 1/2 a chicken each, 1.5-2 cups mashed potatoes, 3oz green beans, 4rolls each, 1# butter......

[ED BUCHANAN]

1/4 chick pp.

I would give them a starch potato or rice 4 ounces pp.

kids wont eat greenbeans but will eat peas 3 ounces pp.

Soft roll for lunch 2 pp. 2 +butter chips pp.

older kids increase to 1/2 pp.chick all else the same

[MaryB]

I have cooked for kids who have little, they will eat way more than you may think is possible for someone that small. It comes from not having enough food and security in their life so when food is available they will eat until they can't move. I had a 6 year old polish off 1/2 slab of ribs last summer and he wanted more. Be prepared and leftovers can always be left with the shelter for another meal.

[teamfat]

Originally Posted by ED BUCHANAN

kids wont eat greenbeans but will eat peas

Oddly enough, as a kid I loved greenbeans and hated peas. Even now I despise canned peas, though fresh and frozen I can handle.

As for the kids, use the advice given previously, then double the quantity. If you have the budget available, make sure there is more food than they can handle. And I'll suggest quantities of fresh baked biscuits, rolls, some sort of warm and comforting bread. It doesn't need to be made from scratch - frozen, dairy case or whatever will do.

Are there complete facilities on site, or will it all have to be prepared elsewhere and brought in? Depending on their ages and interests, some of them might enjoy assisting in rolling out biscuit dough, cutting out the rounds, or whatever shape suits their fancy, and then seeing, smelling and tasting the fruits of their labors.

What's for dessert?

mjb.

[henry]

I help annually at a low income seniors' home bbq dinner. We make plenty of food and bring styrfoam take-home containers.
I would suggest you have some of these available and let them take leftovers home.
I've heard they enjoy the leftovers as much as the first go-around.

h.


After re-reading your message, I noticed that this is a shelter, so these kids may not have homes. Still, they can have a snack for later.

[chefhow]

Originally Posted by market caterer

go heavy so they can fill up. do you know how old they are?

if they are little kids the less fruffy the better (aka almonds, garlic on the chicken)

if you don't know their ages 3-4 chicken legs each, 1cup mashed potatoes, 3oz green beans, 3 rolls, 1# butter for rolls

teenagers, 1/2 a chicken each, 1.5-2 cups mashed potatoes, 3oz green beans, 4rolls each, 1# butter......

No offense but do you know how much food you are recommending? For a 3-4 year old you are suggesting 9-12 oz or 1/2-3/4 of a pound of just chicken, than add another 3/4 pound of starch and veg plus 3 rolls and a pound of butter!!

As for the teenagers that is enough for 2 teenagers or two adults.

I do these things 4 times a year at a local shelter and I have never seen a kid eat near that amount of food.

I hope you miss typed something.

[MaryB]

It could make a difference where the shelter is located and how well funded it is. The local one I help in the summer has very little funding and most food is donated so they are often short of something. Making extra and donating it to the shelter can't hurt and the kids won't care as long as they have some food to eat.

Instead of green beans have you considered baked beans? Kids love them and they go fast. Add in some coleslaw or other form of veg to fill in on nutrition.

[shroomgirl]

Chefhow, you certainly have more experience feeding homeless shelter children.....I reread my post.... it was not 4 chicken legs for a 3 year old, but 3-4 chicken legs for a child, 5-11 years old. And yes, I realize the amount of food I typed was alot....I didn't use punctuation correctly.


12 unknown aged children.....I'd assume 3-4 chicken legs each, 2 large helpings of mashed potatoes, regular helping of green veg, many many fresh rolls, 1# of butter would be enough for all 12. If they are teenagers I'd go with 1/2 chicken (personally I'd have backups for seconds, but that's me), again seconds for mashed potatoes, many rolls.......Personally I would rather have way too much, than not fill those kids to the brim and have as much as they wanted....


One of the inner city classes I taught (4th graders) was on how to make omelets.....these were after school classes, the kids had obligatory snacks provided by the school (cookies/crackers and cheese, milk or juice) then came to cooking class. Each of those 9-10 year olds made and ate 3 (2-3 egg) omelets.....with filling.....
it was eye openning. I had lots of eggs so they could practice, they ate every last bite.

If a child has not had good food for a while, they can and do eat.....wouldn't it be nice to fill them up, possibly send them off with something?

Ages were not mentioned. Teenagers eat. Teenagers eat alot.