Spreading love, sharing lasagna

Susan White helps families in need by volunteering with Lasagna Love

Food connects people, no matter where you live and work, no matter what your culture is. Food is not only nourishment of the body, it is a means to look after peoples’ souls. It brings people together on many different levels. Some people even believe that those who cook for you, in the end, give you their heart. And Susan White, a Reimbursement manager – US, is someone who loves to cook for others.

Getting started

Based in Bloomington, Indiana, Susan found out about Lasagna Love at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. She saw a post on Facebook about it, and feeling cut off from society in the initial months of the global health emergency, she thought this was her chance to do something for her community without putting herself at risk.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Lasagna Love’s founder, Rhiannon Menn, was trying to find a way to help mothers—like herself—in her community. With pointed problem solving and a desire to give back, she started to prepare homemade meals and deliver them to those who were struggling, either financially and/or emotionally. No questions asked.

Lasagna Love has since become a global nonprofit organization whose mission is simple: feed families, spread kindness, and strengthen communities around the world. They aim to do this by connecting neighbors with neighbors through homemade meal delivery. Since it was founded, Lasagna Love has helped battle food insecurity and impacted more than a million individuals by the kindness of home-cooked meal delivery across three countries.

“When I started volunteering for Lasagna Love, one thing I loved was that they seek to delete social stigmas associated with asking for help when it is needed most,” Susan said. “Besides, I liked their approach. They try to address the rise in food prices and insecurity among families through a simple act of love,” Susan said.

One of the pillars Lasagna Love is kindness.

Acting compassionately

This act of compassion is pretty simple: you make lasagna and deliver it to those that need it in your neighborhood. Volunteers—or Lasagna Chefs, as they are named—get to decide how often they want to do it. Some volunteers do this once a month, others do it once a week.

“But most volunteers do not stop at making lasagna. They prepare an entire meal and deliver it,” Susan said. “I must admit, it is so much fun for me, because I do like to cook especially now that my children no longer live at home, so it is a win-win situation.”

The families who receive these home-cooked meals are always extremely appreciative and they come from all walks of life. There are mothers in the hospital who just had a baby, requesting a delivery for their own family, and there are people who ask for Lasagna Love’s support on behalf of another family that is struggling. Along with cooking and delivering food, Lasagna Love also offers sponsorship and support opportunities.

“You can decide to donate a certain amount of money a month or a year to support the Lasagna Love’s teams,” Susan explained. “Alternatively, you can pledge to feed five families a month by being matched with one of their volunteering cooks. Through this subscription, you can reimburse the chefs for their groceries, so they can continue to feed those that need the support.”

Even after the pandemic emergency, Susan’s involvement with Lasagna Love continued. She discovered that there were so many people in her community that had actually made meal requests that the demand was not easily covered. She was surprised by the numbers of those in need and knew that her pasta dish could help.

“And I keep on doing it because I know I can help,” Susan said. “And I appreciate that the idea came from a mother as an act of love sprouting out of the big chaos that the pandemic created in 2020. I do not have to have a reason for doing something for others, other than just that I want to help my fellow person.”

Helping families

As a Lasagna Chef, Susan receives a message with the information from the family that she is coordinated to help support. The message details the family’s selected date, any dietary restrictions, and their address if they are comfortable with a personal delivery. While many interactions are often anonymous, there are some that have been personal and impactful for Susan.

Once, Susan was matched with a family in her area where the requester was a woman who was bed-bound. On the delivery day, her son asked Susan to come in and meet his mother.

“It was a bit awkward when I entered her bedroom,” Susan said, “And new, too. Some people do not desire any interaction, and understandably prefer to remain anonymous. But then this lady started telling me how grateful she was for this act of kindness in such a desperate time and to feel like she could still provide a home-cooked meal for her children, even if she was sick.”

Another time, after being matched with a mother who requested help for her family, Susan was faced with a situation that still holds a special place in her heart.

“A few months ago, I did not get a response from one of the mothers I was matched with,” Susan said. “I tried to ring them and still got no answer back. Eventually, I managed to get in touch with the woman’s husband, who explained to me that his wife had been incarcerated.”

“He was extremely apologetic about the whole situation because he did not know that she had asked for this kind of support for her dear ones,” she said. “I could sense that they were still hoping for my lasagna, so I offered my meal to this kind man, who was genuinely struggling. I will never forget the happiness in his eyes when I delivered the dish to his porch.”

Driving advocacy

According to Susan, her journey as a Lasagna Chef is far from over. Along with making and delivering meals, she advocates for the organization, speaking on their behalf whenever she can.

“I hope that more people will learn about Lasagna Love. Having been involved with them for such a long time, I not only can speak to their honesty [as an organization], but also would be happy to provide information on their actions too,” Susan said. “If there is anyone at Cook that would like to know more, please feel free to contact me.”

Check out the recipe below to learn how Susan makes her homemade lasagna.

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