EUGENE, Ore. — Burrito Brigade, that’s their name.

A group of roughly 20 to 40 people get together each Sunday to cook, assemble and hand out homemade vegan burritos to homeless and hungry residents in Eugene and Springfield. About 500 burritos are crafted each Sunday in the basement kitchen of downtown Eugene’s First Christian Church, and delivered to various parks and homeless camps in the area.

As with most burritos, the process starts with the beans.

Brian Bray, 55, begins weighing out beans and spices each Saturday night in preparation for the burrito frenzy. When he’s finished soaking the beans, Bray cooks them in a high-powered propane cooker and ends up with about 200 pounds of cooked beans.

Most of the time the group puts a mix of beans in their burritos — this Sunday’s meals featured pinto, white and lentil varieties.

Bray, a volunteer organizer for the brigade, spends about eight hours each week on the project and said while it takes up most of his Sunday, there’s nowhere else he’d rather be.

“It’s so fun,” Bray said. “Who would want to do anything else with their Sunday?”