Care Request Form

I was visiting over at Sandy's and read about her ideas for sharing meals with people in need. I commented about how I've coordinated meals in the past and thought I'd share one of the forms I made to help with the process. Heidi had left a comment asking for more information on what I wrote, so here it is. (Sorry, Heidi, there was no way for me to contact you from your comment, Hope this helps!)

This is the form I fill out with all the necessary information. After it is filled out, I copy as many copies as I'll need meals for someone. This is based on a form Emilie Barnes had in her book Things Happen When Women Care, a great resource, that I adapted for my own needs. With where I'm at in life this is usually used for meals after a new baby is born, but there are other blanks for other situations.

When someone signs up to do a meal for someone I can hand them this form just filling in the date and highlighting it (by the +) that they've signed up for. They can then contact the person in need directly to coordinate drop off times, as well as have a written reminder of what they've agreed to do. I also have a blank calendar page marked with the dates food is needed. This can be easily passed around a group to allow people to sign up for the times that work for them. I have the person write her name, phone, and email, in the calendar box. When the calendar is filled out, I make a copy for the person in need and keep a copy for myself. (I'll also make a copy for the helper if they want one, but since the date in on the form they get, most people don't bother.)

Giving the calendar to the person in need helps them to see what they can expect and when. It also allow them to have the direct contact information for the helper if needed so that they don't have to try and track me down, or look up someone's number if their needs change. Keeping a copy of the calendar also makes it easy for me to do reminder calls or emails a few days in advance.

I've used this system and while it may seem complicated at first, it saves a whole lot of time in the end for everyone. I only wished someone had done this for me after Dumpling was born. I know that Sandy says she doesn't do reminder calls and the friend that coordinated meals for me doesn't either. The reality is, half of the meals never arrived. Half. That left Sweetheart and I scrambling at the last minute to do something, a problem we could have avoided if we had known in advance that someone wasn't going to show up. I had a bunch of meals in the freezer, but didn't defrost them on the nights people were supposed to bring things over. It was so bad Sweetheart even asked me to just cancel the rest of the meals. I didn't, but probably should have.

Anyway, here is a copy of the main list I use. I didn't post a blank calendar page because, well, you can just Google that easier than I can figure out how to do that in Blogger! Maybe this next time will work out better for us, though I don't think too many people will want to bring meals over in December. :) (Did you catch that?)

Hope you may find this useful yourself! There are a lot of ministries that aren't too practical for me to be involved in right now, but I can always cook! Please leave your comments, as well as any suggestions you may have.

Care Request Information Form

Person(s) in Need: _______________________________

Address____________________________________________________________________

Phone Number(s): ______________________________________________________

Email: ______________________________________________________________

Coordinator/Contact Person: ___________________ Phone: ___________________

Contact __________________ directly to arrange drop-off times and directions, if needed.

Situation:

____ Birth _____ Surgery/Illness ___ Accident/Injury

Hospital:________________________________________________________________

___ Death Family/Friend of _______________________________________________

Funeral Home: __________________________________________________________

___ Crisis Info, if Needed:

_________________________________________________

Care Need:
__ Visitation ___ Phone Call ___ Prayer ___ Meals ___ Other: ___________________

+Date Needed: _______________ Meal Quantity: _____ adult ___ children

Meal Information (Check as Applicable)
___ No Salt ___ Low Salt ___ Low Fat ___Low Cholesterol ___ Low Meat ___ No Meat ___Chicken/Fish Only ___ No Sugar ___ Other:

________ Allergies ***Read ALL Labels of Ingredients!!!



Other Notes:

Thank you for your willingness to serve!