Do you know about Lasagna Love? Here's how kindness has spread around the globe:
Editor's note: The Asbury Park Press is celebrating 31 days of kindness this month, highlighting New Jersey people and organizations that have inspired us throughout 2023.
If you haven't heard of Lasagna Love, that's on purpose.
Quietly and humbly, amateur lasagna makers have been delivering the pasta dish to families in need for nearly three years. A kind gesture by Rhiannon Menn during the pandemic was meant to feed people struggling to get through the lockdown, worried they would lose their jobs or their homes. She knew how to make lasagna, so she delivered some to those who could use it.
And so it began. Volunteers joined her to also make lasagna for others. Through the Lasagna Love system, people who are in need request a pan of the pasta, and it is delivered.
The nonprofit has 45,000 volunteers around the world.
In 2022, its goals were to deliver 10,000 lasagnas, add 1,000 volunteers and $100,000 on National Lasagna Day. It achieved all of them, according to the organization's news release.
“For us, lasagna is more than just a meal,” said Menn, the founder and president of the organization's board of directors. “Lasagna represents a symbol of hope, home-cooked with love, and hand-delivered with dignity and respect. No matter the reason for the need, Lasagna Love is devoted to feeding families, spreading kindness, and strengthening communities.”
There are Lasagna Love volunteers in New Jersey as well. To join as a volunteer, go to the LasagnaLove.org website and watch the video, then sign up. The volunteer Facebook page for New Jersey requires that you have completed the details on the website first, then you can join.
To request a pan of lasagna for yourself or someone else, there's a place to do that on the website.
To learn more about the organization, check out the Lasagna Love Facebook page.
Posted yesterday was this: "'Tis the season to spread warmth, love, and cheesy goodness! Whether you're celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or simply the joy of togetherness, Lasagna Love wishes you a joyous and heartwarming holiday season. In this beautiful tapestry of cultures and celebrations, let's remember that love and kindness know no boundaries."
More kindness: 9-year-old boy delivers gloves to cold hands in Asbury Park. It's a way to heal his heart.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: How you can spread Lasagna Love in New Jersey by volunteering
