You should have all gotten the "Community Meals" email sent earlier today.

Are you excited yet? FireDrums is this week! We have many return participants but we also have many with us for their first FireDrums this year. As such, we'd like to familiarize everyone with how community meals are structured with a few quick words...

1) Bring your own plates bowls, cups, and utensils as there are none at Cutters. Think about bringing extras for others in your group or to share in case someone forgot. Please cut down on waste by avoiding paper / disposable options and choose reusable products. There is a sink just outside the main doors to rinse your dishes. Pack it in, pack it out! Take everything you brought in with you when you leave. Please help FireDrums minimize its impact.

2) Some people opt to handle their own meals during FireDrums and you can use self-contained cooking stoves in camp sites. However, many attendees opt to participate in community meals. Community meals cover Brunch on Friday and Saturday from 10am-12pm, Dinner on Friday and Saturday from 5pm-7pm, and Breakfast on Sunday from 8am-10am.

Community meals have been very loosely structured in the past and much of this has been facilitated via food donations. We have a larger crowd than ever before this year and we've been figuring out ways to make things work smoothly as we continue to grow. This year we've worked out meal plans and are buying many of the basic items needed for the meals and have listed additional items below that we request you bring.

3) The planned meals include breakfast burritos (eggs, cheese, potatoes, etc), pancakes, fruit, and oatmeal in the mornings and vegetarian/meat enchiladas, salads, or vegetarian/meat baked ziti for dinner in the evenings. It's our goal to make enough of these base items to begin covering the needs of as many hungry participants as we are anticipating. Please keep in mind that community meals are not a guarantee for food. Community meals are only as successful as the community makes them. We need your help if you want to participate!

If you're already thinking of items that would go well with these base meals, please bring them! If you're not sure how you can contribute we suggest the following:

- Bread (fresh and all types!)
- Fruits (oranges, apples, pears, and lots of bananas)
- Veggies (ripe avocados!)
- Peanut Butter, Almond Butter, etc
- Jams/Jellies
- Salad dressings
- Coffee
- Tea
- Trail Mix, Nuts, Raisins, Cookies, etc
- Chips (all sorts!) and Dips (hummus, salsas, etc)
- Protein bars and other snack foods
- Rock Star, Red Vines and munchies, (the Greeters will love ya)

4) If you have dropped us a line to volunteer in the kitchen, wonderful! We'll be in touch very soon if we're not already. And if it somehow slipped through the cracks, please show up at the kitchen and let us know you'd like to help. We'll figure out a place to use you.

Can't wait to have a great meal with you all soon!

- Terra, Paul, George, and the Community Meals crew