Lasagna Love is the perfect way to spread “love, joy, and hope one lasagna at a time.” Join the movement to serve your community and love your neighbor today!
Have you ever felt called to help others, but didn’t know where to start? That was definitely me. I regularly sign up to donate pre-packaged food or supplies to different charities (and will continue to do so), but was looking for a way to get my hands “dirty”. Well, I found a way to get both my hands and my kitchen dirty! Enter Lasagna Love.
Through a Facebook group run by some women of my church, I came across the opportunity to volunteer while incorporating one of my favorite things to do: cooking!
I have been volunteering through Lasagna Love for a few months now and love it. I volunteer to make lasagnas every other week. Oftentimes I include a side, bread and dessert to round out the meal, but that part is totally optional!
Typically, I will make 2 lasagnas at a time and drop another off at a friend’s house that could use the extra help or freeze it in the event I match with a Lasagna Love family and have an exceptionally busy week.
Some basics:
What is Lasagna Love? It is an organization that helps feed families facing food insecurity, illness, and other stressful circumstances by matching them with a local volunteer who will make and deliver a handmade lasagna. It is a way for neighbors to serve their community.
How do you volunteer? You sign up to volunteer on Lasagna Love’s website. On the website, you can decide how often you’d like to participate and how far you will travel to deliver. You can decide how many families you’d like to help at a time and how regularly you’d like to volunteer. You can also say if you are willing to make gluten-free, vegetarian or other dietary-specific lasagnas.
What do you do? Based on your availability, you get matched with a person in need of a meal. You contact them via text, decide on a date for delivery, make your lasagna and then deliver contact-free!
What recipe do I use? You can use any recipe you’d like! I personally love this recipe by The Pioneer Woman. It has been a family favorite for years.
What if I (or someone I know) would like to be a recipient? Anyone needing a lasagna can sign up at the same website.
Tips:
- If you’re going to make 1 lasagna, make 2. Making lasagnas can create a lot of dirty dishes, so making 2 at once will save you time in the long run and isn’t that much more work. You can freeze the second lasagna for another family later on.
- Buy an array of aluminum pans to have on hand. I like to make lasagnas in both square, 9×9 inch pans for small families and large, traditional sized lasagnas for larger families.
- Make sure all lasagnas are labeled with complete and clear baking instructions.
Lasagna Love has been a blessing for me as well as for others. I truly love this volunteer opportunity and encourage you to sign up as well.
Happy Lasagna Making,
-Brittany
