Community Meals

Casa Verde residents (both owners and renters) have the option of participating in our meal-plan, perhaps our strongest community-building activity. We have community meals twice a week. One meal is always on Sunday, alternating between brunch and dinner. The other meal is a dinner on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night. These dinners rotate each week: one week it's on Tuesday, the next week on Wednesday, the next week Thursday, and then the cycle begins again.

Residents sign up for a meal-rotation that lasts about three or four months, depending on the number of participants. During that time, each participating household is responsible for one shift as head cook(s), one shift as assistant cook(s), and two cleaning crew shifts. The head cook(s) plan the menu, purchase the ingredients and cook the meal, with help from the assistant cook(s). Attendance at the meals is typically thirty to fifty diners. Participants in the community meal plan are asked to cross their names off the list ahead of time if they will not be attending. We keep the community pantry stocked with spices, cooking oil and other staples.

Our menus are varied and delicious, and our cooks address dietary requirements, so that residents who are vegetarians or who avoid wheat, for example, can still participate. Mealtime at Casa Verde is a great chance to catch up with friends and relax without having to prepare a meal at home.

For those who do not wish to participate in the meal plan, we also hold potluck dinners or lunches on holidays such as Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.