Friends are so overwhelmed as new parents they don’t have time to cook

Dear Abby: I have a close friend who recently had a baby with serious health problems. Unfortunately, we live on opposite sides of the country, and I can’t afford to fly out there. I want to help, but short of calls and texts to let her know I’m thinking of her, I’m out of ideas.

She’s mentioned several times that with all the work of being a new parent plus the extra work involved with a child with special needs, she often doesn’t have time to prepare healthy meals. Restaurant gift cards would be an option, but unfortunately she and her husband don’t have the time to go to one. I’m hoping you might have other ideas on how I can help out from afar.

— Puzzled About

Helping

Dear Puzzled: Go online and research food delivery services in the city or town where your friend lives.

Some businesses deliver prepared meals on a weekly basis. But before doing anything, ASK your overwhelmed friend what she and her husband think might be helpful rather than try to second-guess.

Dear Abby: My friend from church casually mentioned that he and his wife recently helped themselves to several buckets of sand from a national park. It’s beyond selfish and just plain wrong. What can I say to convince them to return it?

— Shocked in Hawaii

Dear Shocked: Start by pointing out to your friends that there are serious penalties for doing what he and his wife did. I ran your letter by my former personal assistant, Winni, who lives in Hawaii. She informed me that, according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, stealing sand from the beaches is not only against the law, but also punishable with fines of upwards of $100,000.