Cooler hosting tips

Keeping the seafood cold

  • Check the thermometer included with your cooler frequently (especially in warm weather). Fresh fish is safe to store in an insulated cooler when the thermometer reads 40°F or colder.  

  • Keep the lid of the cooler closed tightly so the fish stays as cold as possible.

  • Make sure the ice/ ice packs are cold and still frozen. If needed, add more ice or frozen products to keep your cooler cold. 

  • Drain water from the cooler regularly. Do not allow fish or shellfish to sit in melted ice water.  (This is especially important for shellfish, since they are alive and can drown in fresh water.)

Customer correspondence

  • You each have a live-updated spreadsheet of all customers picking up at your cooler that week, along with their contact info, # of shares, pickup instructions, and any other special notes. These spreadsheets will be up-to-date by pickup day.

  • Once your cooler is ready to go, email your customers letting them know their seafood is available for pickup. If your cooler is ready before your specified window, feel free to let your customers know they can come early.

  • Monitor your email and phone during your pickup window for correspondence from customers or from us. You can always refer customers to us at fishadelphia.csf@gmail.com or 267-666-0924.

  • At the end of the night: If there are shares left over (and customers have not made other arrangements with you), you can try to troubleshoot by looking at which names have been crossed off the cooler sheet. Feel free to coordinate any outstanding pickups at your convenience, but you are not obligated to go out of your way to accommodate late or no-show customers. If customers don’t respond within 48 hours, you can do whatever you like with their fish. 

Cleaning your cooler (best to do this right after pickup!)

  • Drain and wipe down the cooler, or rinse with a hose.

  • Spray with a cleaning solution (white vinegar & water, diluted bleach & water mixture, or disinfectant spray all work well) and wipe clean with a clean rag or paper towels. 

  • Allow the cooler to air dry completely so the cooler does not get moldy.

  • Wash the thermometer(s) and make sure to return with your cooler. If your cooler came with ice packs, rinse, thaw, and dry them thoroughly and return them with your cooler.  

Notes for heavy-duty deodorizing

  • Vinegar or bleach are great for deodorizing. Air drying should also help. 

  • If your cooler still seems funky after the first spray, you can do another round of spraying and let it sit for 10 minutes. 

  • Here is a step you can add before the vinegar, bleach, or disinfectant spray: Mix 3 tbsp baking soda, 3 cups warm water, and a drop of dish soap. Store in spray bottle. Spray in the cooler, and scrub with a sponge. Rinse clean.

Letting us know about missed pickups & issues

We've created a quick & easy form for you to let us know if any customers missed pickup and if any other issues came up for you during cooler hosting. We'll email & text you this form after every pickup so you can easily fill it out on your computer or phone!

Returning your cooler

  • Make sure the cooler is clean and dry. Bring it, plus the thermometer, marker, and any thawed, dry ice packs to pickup!

Resources/ FAQ:

  • Recruitment. Continue to help share about Fishadelphia; word of mouth is our best publicity!

  • Accessibility notes. Here are the accessibility notes for each site. If you ever want to add or change anything to your notes, please reach out to us at fishadelphia.csf@gmail.com.

  • Pickup info & policies. This webpage should be a helpful resource for any customer correspondence.

  • Cooler map. Just for fun, here's a map of all the pickup locations, so you can see how y'all are distributed throughout the region!

  • What if there’s a COVID outbreak? We are preparing for the possibility that plans may change due to COVID. We'll be in touch as proactively as we can about how that will affect Seafood Club.

I still have other concerns!

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