Hundreds of parents across the country are using their cooking skills to feed families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kate Whitcomb of San Francisco is one of those moms who started making lasagnas as part of the national Lasagna Love movement. Volunteers, known as "lasagna mamas and papas", bake meals at home and drop them off to as many families as they chose to.
“I do about 2-4 deliveries a week,” Whitcomb said. “I love cooking. It’s a passion of mine and it’s something that I’ve been able to do safely during the pandemic. It’s really a joy to know that what I cook means helping someone with dinner.”
Since the start of the pandemic, thousands of Americans have struggled to pay rent, buy groceries and put food on the table after being laid off or furloughed. Over 500 moms and dads from across 13 states have fed more than 3,000 of those families.
“We need as many volunteers as possible to meet that demand. I think that’s really a sign of how hard COVID has been on people in the U.S.,” Whitcomb said.
Whitcomb said there’s something special about receiving a home cooked meal like lasagna.
“It’s something most people love. It lasts for a couple of meals and it’s good for the whole family,” she said.
Lasagna Love allows anyone to volunteer or request a meal delivery. You can also donate to the group by visiting lasagnalove.org.
“I’m doing something I enjoy anyway and it’s benefiting someone who needs it,” Whitcomb said. “With the pandemic, I feel like I don’t have a lot of control over much of my life and this is something I can control.”
If you know someone who is working to keep us safe during the coronavirus pandemic and would like to nominate them as a KCBS Radio Difference Maker, email differencemakers@kcbsradio.com.