Lasagna Love’s recipe of sustenance and kindness spreads during nation, including in Colorado | Colorado Springs News

Janet Stoddard has labored and volunteered for many years with abused youngsters, particular-needs children, having difficulties visitors and families trying to get housing, but her newest interest is the initial to require placing on a chef’s hat and adopting the title of “lasagna mama.”

“The issues I was involved with in the neighborhood all arrived to an abrupt halt with COVID,” she said. “This is a great way to however be included in a harmless and significant way, support out a neighbor and share your enjoy.”

Stoddard, a Woodland Park resident, is one particular of 1,500 volunteers throughout the state who have joined a COVID-motivated brigade called Lasagna Appreciate.

The grassroots energy started off past April with San Diego mom Rhiannon Menn, who in 2019 commenced penning her ideas on motherhood on her Be Excellent to Mama web page. 

Throughout the pandemic, she was wanting for a way to tangibly make a difference for neighbors who experienced missing careers, were being concerned about likely out, or felt isolated and needed a tiny decide-me-up. That intended foods.

Menn’s recipe of a night of sustenance and a couple of pinches of kindness spread and has captivated a wholesome force of volunteers and members.

From obtaining extra groceries at Costco, cooking extra than her relatives could eat and providing foods to people today she understood would enjoy a homecooked entrée, Menn’s  Lasagna Really like venture has moved into just about every point out, according to the web-site. The motion was featured in modern weeks on The Kelly Clarkson Display and Superior Early morning The usa.

Stoddard turned a Lasagne Enjoy volunteer previous thirty day period and so far has whipped up four large pans of the gooey, hot pasta for recipients who signed up on the organization’s web page, lasagnalove.org. Her newest supply was to a foster mom with six teenagers.

“I designed two pans, and I hope it was enough,” Stoddard mentioned.

Households register to receive lasagna by filling out a simple questionnaire on the web page, which doesn’t include things like any income need. Dietary constraints this sort of as vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free can be accommodated.

Volunteer cooks, also known as lasagna mamas or papas, are matched with registered individuals in their neighborhood and speak to them on the telephone or by text information.

“You agree on a mutually effortless day and time to drop it off or satisfy them somewhere,” Stoddard stated.

Participants can obtain a pan of lasagna regular monthly, and volunteers can decide on how much they want to cook dinner. Some volunteers consist of customized notes or drawings from their kids, she claimed, together with a sticker figuring out the food stuff currently being from the program.

“The opinions melts your heart,” Stoddard explained. “The family members are so grateful.”


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The require for food items aid continues to be substantial in the Pikes Peak area, explained Joanna Smart, spokeswoman for Treatment and Share Food Lender of Southern Colorado, which provides 48 pantries in the area.

The corporation is distributing about 50% a lot more foods than it was pre-pandemic, Intelligent said.

Both of those Teller and El Paso counties had an approximated 14% food stuff insecurity rate in 2020, up from 10% and 11% respectively in 2018, according to Feeding The us, a national business with a network of 200 food banking institutions. 

Stoddard, who retired in 2019 as Teller County system supervisor for Courtroom-Appointed Distinctive Advocates, which supports abused and neglected young children in lawful scenarios, is having the term out to neighborhood businesses that deliver foodstuff guidance and made flyers to hand out.

Who would not want a freshly-created home-cooked pan of a signature Italian dish as an alternative of creating a trip to a food items pantry on a provided working day, she reported.

“I’m amazed at all the huge hearts of men and women who want to give back,” she explained, introducing that her contributions to the software inspired a neighbor to indicator up as a chef as properly.

Get in touch with the author: 719-476-1656.