Lasagna army spreads layers of happiness
National initiative helps feed families struggling during pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has left millions of people financially strapped, stretched to the limit as essential workers or stressed out by juggling working at home and remote learning. Lasagna Love is helping people one lasagna at a time.
The Lasagna Love initiative — delivering lasagnas to people who need help putting a meal on the table — was founded in San Diego in March by Rhiannon Menn. It now has operations in 47 states, including Connecticut.
Since September, hundreds of volunteer “lasagna mamas” and
“lasagna papas” have delivered hundreds of fresh, homemade lasagnas to Connecticut people who request them.
“One of the founding tenets of Lasagna Love is there isn’t a specific requirement. You can be dealing with anything from food insecurity to a frontline worker who needs the night off from cooking,” said Joy Delaney of Simsbury, regional coordinator of Lasagna Love. “No questions asked. There is no judgment.”
Since the fall, Elizabeth Kaderman of Hartford has received three lasagnas from Lasagna Love. She said as a single mother, food stamps aren’t enough to get her through the month.
“At first I was going to food pantries, but that got to be too much for me. A lot of the food was expired . ... I didn’t know and I ended up getting sick,” Kaderman said. “So I put in my request. I got linked up with a lasagna mama. She brought the food. She was very sweet.”
Bonnie Bassette of West Hartford delivered one of Kaderman’s lasagnas. She signed up to be a volunteer because the pandemic left her feeling disconnected from other people.
“All of a sudden things changed. Work dynamics changed. Social and community groups that
people involve themselves in were gone. I was looking for a way to connect with people, and one of the ways I like to connect, when somebody has a baby, or has surgery, is with food,” Bassette said. “It’s a little odd sending a text to somebody I don’t know telling them I am going to make them a meal. But every time I do it, the person says, oh my gosh, I can’t believe it. I’m so thankful. Are you really going to come?”
Delaney, who is a teacher in Hartford, said once a request is submitted at lasagnalove. org, recipients are asked if they have dietary restrictions or allergies. The lasagnas can have meat or be meatless. Recipients are matched with volunteer bakers, then bakers and recipients take it from there to arrange convenient contactless drop-offs.
Delaney said lasagnas are made in 13-by-9 inch pans, plenty for a family meal with leftovers. If delivered to an elderly person living alone, it would be several lasagnas in small loaf pans.
Rosemary O’Neill of West Hartford is another “lasagna mama.” She works freelance in public relations and has worked with charitable organizations, but she wanted one-on-one interactions with people.
“You drive there and see where they live and get a reminder of how people live and what their struggles are,” she said.
O’Neill said most bakers buy ingredients in bulk, since they make the same meal repeatedly. However, Bassette said sometimes she and other bakers bring something other than lasagna. She brought a baked chicken with vegetables and salad to a family during the holidays.
Delaney said often, lasagna recipients later join Lasagna Love as volunteers. “They are grateful and they want to pay it forward,” she said.
Photos of “lasagna mamas” and “lasagna papas” are on the Instagram page Instagram.com/weare lasagnalove. This month, the initiative also started the “Kindness Challenge,” a weekly post to motivate people to do other generous things for others. Menn said that challenge is a natural extension of Lasagna Love.
“Lasagna Love is more than justdeliveringmeals.It’sreally about spreading kindness,” she said. “It’s important to reachoutandbekindtosomeone. We need that right now.”
Kaderman said she needs that kindness from strangers. She has no relatives in the area to turn to when money starts to run low.
“The end of the month is hardest. That’s when I reach out to Lasagna Love,” she said. “I know that for a lot of moms, if it wasn’t for Lasagna Love, they wouldn’t know what to do. Me, I have no family here. Lasagna Love makes me feel like I am a part of their family.”
To donate or volunteer, or to request a lasagna, visit lasagnalove.org.