Why are you still making threads?
Anyway to answer the questions, the most free food was in the Navy.
At my last command (a shore station) we used to have BBQ's all the time. Most of them were crap, but when Commander Hutto retired we went all out.
The food was strangely excellent. Two folks spent all night making baked goods and they were awesome. Cookies, brownies, rice krispy treats, fruit salads and jello fruit salads and all sorts of other traditional picnic stuff.
But it was all really GOOD. The one girl spent most of the night cooking and boy she knew how to cook.
Then they fired up the grill and layed out some meat that was truly amazing. Tri-tips and steaks and burgers and all kinds of good grub. And everything was cooked to perfection, which is normally impossible at a picnic of 200 people.
I dont know exactly how or why everything worked out so well but it did. Not only was that the best picnic I've ever been to, but it was the most free food I've ever indulged in.
As for the money, I seem to recall finding a 50 at a club one time.
It was after closing and I couldnt find the owner, so I didnt feel bad about appropriating it.