Lasagna Mamas: helping others
By Ashley Shah
Shelby Morgan brought an organization to Scripps Ranch that has now aided people in the community many times. After hearing about a friend who was making lasagnas for families during the COVID-19 pandemic, Morgan decided to join the organization called Lasagna Love, alongside her friend.
Lasagna Love is a national movement that aids families in need who have any sort of food insecurities or need extra help through this time of the coronavirus pandemic.
“At first, I was nervous because I had never made lasagna. However, I found the recipe super easy to follow and it was nice because I could get my kids to help and teach them about helping others,” Morgan said.
Volunteers can sign up on the website lasagnalove.org where they will be matched with a family in need that is within a couple miles of them.
After getting matched with someone, volunteers contact the recipient and schedule a drop off time. Volunteers make the lasagna in a 9-inch by 10-inch foil pan and add a note on it with the recipe, reheating instructions and the names of those who made it.
“After making some lasagnas for families, I posted about it to get more people involved. I just thought it was a good way to give back to the community and I wanted to make more people aware of this opportunity,” Morgan said.
Local resident Melissa Culver also stepped up to join the organization.
“I saw a post about it by Shelby and I just thought it was a great idea and learning experience for my kids. I wanted to show them that not everyone has the luxuries we have and when you have more you should give more,” Culver said.
Megan Smith, a recipient of Lasagna Love, stumbled into a Facebook group talking about it and decided to check it out.
“I signed up and by the next day someone had already been matched with me. They even deliver the lasagna right to your door and that just makes it that much more amazing. The note they leave on it makes it so unique and truly brought a smile on my face,” Smith said. “When I signed up, I was feeling so overwhelmed and to know that out of all the things I had to worry about, food wasn’t one of them. The lasagna fed my family of six for two nights. It just meant the world to me.”
There are more than 400 volunteers throughout the Unites States and there are about 75 volunteers just in the San Diego area.
“When I first started this in April, I felt so helpless because nothing was open and there was no way to volunteer or help others. I knew that I loved cooking, so I just started making extra meals and posting about it. From there, the movement grew and we just got more people involved,” national founder Rhiannon Menn said. “My main goal is to make every mom out there feel comfortable enough to raise their hand and say they need help. I feel like many moms feel like they have to do everything alone and that they can’t reach out for help. However, this is the time to ask for help and I just want this to be that outlet for moms in need.”
Anyone can sign up as a volunteer at any time. Volunteers can help in other ways other than lasagna, such as purchasing groceries for a family or just donating money to the organization to help families in need.
For the recipe, to sign up and for other information, visit lasagnalove.org.