Lasagna Love, a volunteer-run, global nonprofit, has been stepping up to help Colorado families facing food insecurity, as the federal government shutdown left many who rely on monthly SNAP/EBT benefits facing new uncertainty about how they’ll put food on the table.
“Our mission is to feed families, spread kindness and strengthen communities, and we do that through volunteers who sign up to purchase the ingredients, make a homemade lasagna in their own kitchen and deliver it to a family in need,” said Deea Hobbs, a regional coordinator for the organization, now in all 50 states, plus Australia and Canada.
The grassroots movement began in 2020 when a mom in California started making meals for neighbors during the pandemic. That small gesture has since grown into a worldwide effort with more than 80,000 volunteers “all cooking and delivering meals to people in their communities,” Hobbs said.
Hobbs said that the mission is being put to the test as requests for food skyrocket. “We are very active in Colorado; the need is great in Colorado,” she said. “We are receiving an unprecedented amount of requests right now. We normally receive about 2,500 requests weekly for the organization. We [recently] received 10,000 requests. So the need is huge.”
Hobbs said the surge appears to be directly linked to the recent shutdown’s impact on government food assistance programs. “The majority of the requests that are coming in right now are mentioning the government shutdown or the threat — or the decrease — to their SNAP benefits,” she said. “So we are receiving a large response and a large number of requests from people who are suffering from what is going on in the economy right now.”
The organization’s website has been inundated with traffic. “Our website is moving, at times, at dial-up speed,” said Hobbs, with a laugh. “We've never received this amount of requests. This has never happened before.”
To meet demand, Hobbs said Lasagna Love is rallying volunteers. “We are recruiting volunteers and we're getting the word out,” she said. “We have people on all social media platforms sharing about Lasagna Love, reaching out to people to recruit new volunteers. We are reaching out to those volunteers who have signed up, they've met their obligation, they delivered one lasagna and they're done. We’re asking them if they would like to help us out again and take a match.”
Many have answered the call. “So many of them are reactivating their accounts, which we're very grateful for,” she said. “Another thing that our volunteers are doing is expanding their driving distance. We have people right now that have updated their profile and they're willing to drive 50 miles to deliver a lasagna, which is incredible.”
She said experience is often just as rewarding for volunteers as it is for the families receiving meals. “I've had so many heartwarming experiences delivering lasagnas to people in my community,” Hobbs said. “Some of my favorites are when I get a call as I'm driving off from a delivery and the person who I just delivered the lasagna to ... they're calling me and asking me how they can get involved and make a lasagna for someone else.”
And the spirit of service seems to run through every layer of Lasagna Love’s efforts. Families, Girl Scout troops and even birthday party guests are joining in the effort. “One of our volunteers is celebrating her birthday Lasagna Love style, and she's inviting all of her friends over and they are making 30 lasagnas,” Hobbs said. “Other volunteers are going to her house at the end of the party to pick up the lasagnas and go deliver them.”
Even as the organization continues to navigate surging requests and challenges with reaching those in need in the rural parts of the state, Hobbs said she remains optimistic about the response. “Colorado is really stepping up to the need,” she said. “We're engaging with our volunteers more than ever, and they're showing up for us and for Colorado.”
For Hobbs, though, it’s about more than just a meal. “With all the negativity in the world, I just feel a real urgency to help people,” she said. “As I am preparing a lasagna in my kitchen, I'm thinking about this family that I'm making it for, and it really, it's just a win-win situation because it helps me forget about my own problems for a while. Just focusing outside of myself is such a stress relief and it's just a mental health boost.”
To request a meal or sign up to volunteer to make a meal for someone in need, visit Lasagna Love's website.
