How to do it:

Home-cooked food is a time honored way to support resistance work and one of the original “side gigs.” Georgia Gilmore “fed the Civil Rights movement“, organizing a cadre of women who sold plates at meetings. Not only did they make it easier for folks to attend (no need to run home for food after work) but profits were poured back into initiatives in Montgomery. Yes, that Montgomery.

There are networks of cooks who comply with all food-handling requirements and often have specialty foods. They may make authentic Indian food, or gluten-free options, or they only sell soup. Price will be slightly lower than takeout.

There may also be local chefs in your area whose specialty is a weekly meal-ordering service. They’ll cost about what takeout does, but have higher-quality food. Some require a subscription with minimum weekly purchases that you select from a menu published in advance.

Finally, there is the amateur network. Food regulation is draconian, and you’re moving outside legal boundaries here, but there are no laws against trading weekly lawn-mowing for a home cooked meal once a week. Or buying groceries for someone who then shares the meals they produce. There are many ways to collaborate with neighbors for mutual benefit.