'They're still hungry': Volunteer cooks want to deliver more homemade lasagna to Fayetteville-area families

Twice a month, Mindy Lee Barron bakes a homemade lasagna and delivers it to a neighbor in need — no matter the reason.

Barron, 42, has helped single mothers struggling to make ends meet, families grieving the loss of a loved one and people with disabilities, she said Monday in the kitchen of her Hope Mills home, where the pantry is kept stocked with lasagna noodles and sauce.

The mother of two can empathize, she said — Barron and her husband Michael, 43, have been down on their luck before, and the kindness of a stranger made all the difference.

“I’ve been there,” she said. “I’ve had a guardian angel help my family.”

Now, Barron said she is “giddy” each time she cooks a lasagna for someone who could use a little extra care and kindness. She has it down to a science — her recipe takes about 30 minutes of preparation and $15 in ingredients, she said.

“It’s been very fulfilling,” Barron said.

The California native isn’t the only home cook lending her time and talent to deliver comfort to others locally.

Barron is one of 42 Cumberland County volunteers with Lasagna Love, a nationwide group that connects people in need of a meal with a home cook, said Fayetteville-area leader Karily Bayliff.

It's simple — a recipient requests a lasagna, is matched with a local volunteer, and the dish shows up at their door.

The movement started in early 2020 with founder Rhiannon Menn of San Diego, who started delivering homemade lasagnas to combat food insecurity exacerbated by the pandemic. Lasagna Love came to the Fayetteville area later that year, Bayliff said.

Now, the program is in 1,000 cities in all 50 states, as well as the United Kingdom and Australia. About 48,000 global volunteers have delivered more than 400,000 lasagnas.

Bayliff, 45, said that Fayetteville-area volunteers deliver about 15 lasagnas each month, but the local need is much greater than that.

“As of this morning, we have 55 families waiting for a meal,” Bayliff said Friday. “It bothers me to know that they were hungry enough to put in a request, and they’re still hungry.”

Anybody who needs a hand with dinner can request a lasagna

Anyone who could benefit from a home-cooked meal can request one with no questions asked, Bayliff said.

“A core part of what we do is based on a no-contact delivery,” she said. “We have found that people can be embarrassed and ashamed for asking for help.”

Lasagna Love has helped people in the Fayetteville area who are unexpectedly homeless and people who live in gated communities, Bayliff said. Volunteers have delivered meals to the families of deployed or injured service members, or who are new to Fort Liberty, she said.

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Recipients have been grateful not only for their own meal, Barron said, but for the overall mission of Lasagna Love to feed people in need with no judgment.

“The people have been fantastic and nice and just so thankful,” she said.

Lasagna Love seeks Fayetteville-area cooks, restaurants and other groups who can help

Lasagna Love is recruiting home cooks, and anyone else willing to help.

Restaurant donations can make a big difference, Bayliff said. In July, the Fayetteville outpost of national restaurant chain Carrabba’s Italian Grill made a dent in the waiting list with a donation of 10 lasagnas, which volunteers delivered to recipients.

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Bayliff said that partnerships with groups like nursing homes and Boy Scout troops that can raise funds, donate ingredients or cook lasagnas would go a long way to help Fayetteville-area families, Bayliff said.

“If you’re interested in getting involved, we’ve got a way for you to help,” she said.

Home cooks don’t have to do it alone, either — Lasagna Love has a global network of 45,000 volunteers, many of whom share stories, encourage one another and give and get advice in a 22,000-member private Facebook group.

Some volunteers get involved as a family. For Linden resident Shannon Peaden, 45, who has volunteered with Lasagna Love since 2020, the program has been a way for her to instill values in her teenage children, ages 17 and 14.

"They help me make the lasagna, package it up and write a note to the families," she said. "It's humbling."

Volunteers can choose how often they are matched with recipients, how far they are willing to travel to deliver and whether they can accommodate vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and other dietary preferences. They can pause any time, Bayliff said.

Barron said she’s grateful to be part of Lasagna Love, and she wants others to join the movement.

“I want people to see how easy it is to spread that joy,” she said.

Sign up to volunteer at lasagnaloveportal.org. Request a lasagna or nominate someone you know to receive one at lasagnalove.org/request.

Food, dining and culture reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at tshook@gannett.com, on Twitter, or Facebook. Want weekly food news delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the Fayetteville Foodies newsletter. 

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville-area home cooks deliver Lasagna Love to families in need