The Commercial Appeal

‘You’re delivering hope’

How lasagna is battling food insecurity in Tennessee

- Brinley Hineman

Penney Rudicil’s mother used to on a rare occasion spend the day whipping up a lasagna for her family as a “labor of love.” h So it caught her attention when she learned about Lasagna Love, a California-based nonprofit that brings homemade lasagna to those in need of a warm meal. h “I thought, ‘I can do that,’” said Rudicil, who lives in Hendersonv­ille. h As the coronaviru­s pandemic has crippled the economy, forcing some people out of jobs and creating new barriers for those in need of services, the nonprofit has emerged with a big goal it hopes to accomplish through a simple act: feeding those who lack food security with a homemade lasagna. h Since September, Rudicil has made weekly lasagnas to give people in her community, first as a volunteer and now as the regional leader for the nonprofit in Tennessee and Kentucky. h Lasagna Love began in April when founder Rhiannon Menn began cooking the dish for people in her San Diego community who needed extra care. Now, the initiative has reached 47 states, 1,000 cities and over 14,000 homes. In Tennessee, those cities include Memphis, Knoxville, Clarksvill­e, Murfreesbo­ro, Jackson, Columbia and Oak Ridge.

17% of Davidson County residents lack food security

Rudicil owns and operates her own travel company, but the pandemic has slowed her business, giving her more free time. She and her husband, who have been foster parents since 1991, were looking for new ways to help their community when she discovered Lasagna Love.

Since joining, she’s connected with people who struggle with food security.

Feeding America, a food bank nonprofit organizati­on, projects that because of the coronaviru­s pandemic, almost 17% of Davidson County residents lack food security. Based on 2018 data, the organizati­on found that roughly 12% of Davidson County residents didn’t have consistent access to food.

For people who are in need of a lasagna, the nonprofit goes by a “no questions asked” policy, Rudicil explained. They don’t have to meet criteria to receive help. It could be anything from a financial need to an injury preventing them from accessing food.

Rudicil recently connected with other volunteers in the area and spent 11 hours one Saturday delivering meals between Hendersonv­ille and Jackson.

Sandy Birdsong of Hendersonv­ille was one of the people who received a meal from Rudicil. In true 2020 fashion, Birdsong and her husband endured blow after blow. Her husband had spinal surgery and suffered a heart attack, and Birdsong had her knee replaced, forcing her husband to retire early so he could help care for her.

As he juggled the new responsibi­lity of being his wife’s caretaker, shuffling between medical appointmen­ts and physical therapy, they relied on only her social security benefits.

Their finances were stretched when Birdsong applied to receive a lasagna. Almost immediatel­y, she learned her request was granted. She called the meal “a godsend” and an act that “touched the very depths of (her) soul.”

“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” she said. “We were just so grateful.”

She’s stayed in touch with Rudicil after receiving the homemade lasagna and said Lasagna Love brought more love into both their lives.

“If you deliver food to someone it’s one thing, but when you deliver a meal to someone and they know you took the time to make it from scratch, a homemade meal,” Rudicil said, “you’re not just delivering food, you’re delivering hope.”

Lasagna Love’s footprint growing in Tennessee

When Rudicil first began baking lasagnas, there were only 74 volunteers between the two states, but that’s now grown to 252 across Kentucky and Tennessee. Rudicil estimates the more than 200 volunteers in Tennessee hand out about 400 meals weekly across the state.

“It’s just blowing up,” she said. “It’s just awesome.”

East Nashvillia­n Heather Parsonsmcc­ormack is a more recent addition to the group of lasagna makers.

“Lasagna is one of my favorite foods,” Parsons-mccormack said. “I love lasagna. The idea of making it for someone else just felt really good.”

And while she doesn’t claim to be a profession­al chef — she leaves that up to her wife, Margot Mccormack, the chef and owner of Margot Cafe & Bar — lasagna is something that’s easy enough for anyone to tackle, no matter how comfortabl­e they are in a kitchen.

Lasagna, with all its carby and cheesy goodness, is the perfect comfort food, something we could all use a bit more of now, Parsons-mccormack said.

“Especially right now, I feel like people want comfort food,” she said. “There’s so much going on in the world. It’s a simple way to help someone. You’re making food for your family, you can make an extra lasagna.”

When applying to make lasagna, filters are available to limit how far the cooks have to travel, making it easy to help those nearby. Once given the greenlight, the Lasagna Mamas or Papas, as they’re called, learn the name and phone number of those they’re making the dish for, so they can connect with them personally to learn diet preference­s and allergies.

Although lasagna is the star of the show, the nonprofit also encourages people to donate a salad or dessert to round out the meal.

For more informatio­n about Lasagna Love, including volunteer opportunit­ies or to receive a meal, visit lasagnalov­e.org.

What do you want to know about food insecurity in Middle Tennessee? Reach Brinley Hineman at bhineman@tennessean.com and on Twitter @brinleyhin­eman.

 ?? ANDREW NELLES / THE TENNESSEAN ?? Heather Parsons-mccormack poses for a portrait with lasagnas she baked while volunteeri­ng for Lasagna Love at her home in Nashville on Jan. 21. “Lasagna Mamas” volunteer to bake homemade lasagnas for local families in need.
ANDREW NELLES / THE TENNESSEAN Heather Parsons-mccormack poses for a portrait with lasagnas she baked while volunteeri­ng for Lasagna Love at her home in Nashville on Jan. 21. “Lasagna Mamas” volunteer to bake homemade lasagnas for local families in need.
 ?? TENNESSEAN ANDREW NELLES / THE ?? Heather Parsons-mccormack takes lasagnas out of the oven that she baked while volunteeri­ng for Lasagna Love at her home in Nashville on Jan. 21.
TENNESSEAN ANDREW NELLES / THE Heather Parsons-mccormack takes lasagnas out of the oven that she baked while volunteeri­ng for Lasagna Love at her home in Nashville on Jan. 21.
 ?? ANDREW NELLES / THE TENNESSEAN ?? Heather Parsons-mccormack takes lasagna out of the oven that she baked while volunteeri­ng for Lasagna Love at her home in Nashville on Jan. 21. “Lasagna Mamas” volunteer to bake homemade lasagnas for local families in need.
ANDREW NELLES / THE TENNESSEAN Heather Parsons-mccormack takes lasagna out of the oven that she baked while volunteeri­ng for Lasagna Love at her home in Nashville on Jan. 21. “Lasagna Mamas” volunteer to bake homemade lasagnas for local families in need.

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