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Mom spreads kindness one lasagna at a time
A San Diego mom started making lasagnas for families in need amid the pandemic.
Video by Brittany Berkowitz
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People on social media began reaching out to Menn, offering to make meals, too, which is when Lasagna Love was officially born.
\"It shows how many people were feeling isolated and that they wanted to do something and didn't know what to do,\" she said.
Menn assembled a group of volunteers to feed families in their communities all across the country to help address food insecurity during the pandemic. Even one homemade lasagna at a time would make a difference.
\"Our mission is not only to help address the incredible rise in food insecurity among families, but also to provide a simple act of love and kindness during a time full of uncertainty and stress,\" according to the group's website.
By September, Menn said 500 volunteers had signed up to make lasagnas. Now, the movement has grown to 6,000 volunteers who are cooking up lasagna care packages in all 50 states over the holiday season. The group has local leaders who are also volunteers and match fellow volunteers up with requests locally for meals. Volunteers can sign up to cook once a month, four times a week or any interval that works for them.
\"Lasagna Love has really become about spreading and scaling kindness. It's more than just delivering meals to neighbors, we are really starting a movement,\" Menn said. \"I think the power of Lasagna Love is that we are touching so many people that they begin to spread the love down the line.\"
On Thanksgiving, Lasagna Love fed 1,000 families, totaling 4,000 people. Some Lasagna Moms even made turkeys for recipients and dropped off gifts for their children as well, according to Menn.
Amelia, a volunteer from Staten Island, New York, who asked to be identified only by her first name, got involved after seeing a post on social media.
\"I immediately signed up to volunteer,\" she told \"GMA.\" \"I thought about all the mamas and papas who felt alone and did not know where to go. Let's face it, not everyone has the voice to ask for help.\"
She said she delivered to a family on Thanksgiving Day and hours later received a heartwarming thank you text. \"Little did they know, I was feeling just as blessed and thankful to be able to share that with them.\"
GiGi Keith, a volunteer from Virginia, said she was inspired to get involved because she herself received a lasagna from a neighbor 20 years ago after her divorce. At that time, she and her two teenage children were eating crackers for dinner and worrying about what their next meal would be, she said. Fast forward to today, she delivered lasagnas to families experiencing hardship.
\"I know what it means to be hungry,\" she said. \"I've had plenty, and I've been in need. Life is hard, but when you pay it forward, it's a gratitude high that lasts for days.\"
A Lasagna Love recipient from Long Island, New York, who asked to remain anonymous, received a lasagna meal through the program. She had experienced long-term health issues after COVID-19 and had unrelated major surgeries this year.
\"Lasagna Love has been helping us more than emotionally and physically. It's the healing power of love and caring that feeds your soul,\" she told \"GMA.\"
Menn's goal for the holidays is to feed as many families as they can. For the new year, they plan to launch a kindness challenge to inspire folks to be kind to others and themselves.
\"People … want to share kindness no matter what time of the year it is,\" Menn said.
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