How to Serve Free Food Without Being a Soup Kitchen
Soup kitchens aren't the only organizations that serve free food. Other organizations serve meals for various reasons, including companies that serve employees, book and wine clubs, and nonprofit groups who serve their volunteers on a regular basis. No special permits are needed to serve food for free, but you will need to do some extensive planning.
Instructions
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Decide upon the purpose of your endeavor. You may want to give free food only to children, to those who patronize your business, or only during the holidays.
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Figure out how much money you will dedicate to food costs and how often you will serve food. Since you will not be a nonprofit organization, you will not be able to get tax-deductible donations from people to help with the costs. People can still donate; there just won't be a tax incentive. You can start out serving one meal a week and budget about $150.
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Figure out how people will get the food. For example, you can have them sign up a week or a few days in advance, or it can be "first come first serve."
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Obtain a space to serve the food. If you only plan to serve a small amount of people, you can host them in your home. If you plan to feed 20 or more people, look into renting the kitchen or dining room of a community center. The rates will be inexpensive, and you may be able to get a deep discount if you let the community center know your food is being served for free.
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Plan a menu. You can keep the same menu or change it up for each meal. This will not only let people know what is being served but can help you plan for grocery trips.
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Enlist the help of three to six friends to help you cook and serve the food; the amount of help you need will depend upon how many people you plan to host. You probably cannot do it all by yourself, unless you're serving less than 12 people.
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Get the word out about your free meals through community message boards, classified-ad sites such as Craigslist, and by posting on Internet message boards that cater to your local area.
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If you plan to serve a large number of people, or have a truly unique reason for what you're doing, send a press release to your local newspapers, radio stations, and news channels.
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Ensure that you have plenty of disposable plates, bowls, flatware, cups, and napkins, as well as large trash cans for their disposal.
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Tips & Warnings
Since you are serving the food for free, there is no need to get a permit. And unless you want to get tax-deductible donations, or buy supplies tax-free, there is no need to form a business or incorporate.
