OHIO — Cooking up lasagna is a labor of love for Paula Johnson.
Now living in a household of two, she said she’s missed breaking out her grandmother’s recipe and filling a dining room full of stomachs and hearts.
Then she discovered Lasagna Love and her hands and stove have been plenty busy ever since.
Johnson stirs her grandmother’s meat sauce for the lasagna
“I discovered it randomly on Facebook and missed cooking for people during the past year and this has really filled a void for me,” Johnson said.
The organization, now in all 50 states and Canada, started during the pandemic.
It tapped home cooks like Johnson to make lasagnas or other casserole dishes for nearby families in need of a home-cooked meal.
All requests and deliveries are made anonymously to protect the privacy and dignity of the families receiving the meals.
Families sign up or nominate others through an online portal on Lasagna Love’s website, from there the organization contacts the cooks.
“All you know is how many people you’re cooking for and if they have any dietary restrictions,” Johnson said.
It’s also always a family within a few miles of the cooks.
“You’re directly affecting people in your own community. You’re helping your neighbors,” she said.
Johnson said she never knows why the family might need a meal.
Lasagna Love meals go to those who might be food insecure, grieving or simply those who are overwhelmed or too busy to cook for a few nights.
Johnson adds the final layer of sauce
Johnson believes a big part of the organization’s success is anonymity.
She said that puts the focus on the meal, not the one receiving it.
“The act of cooking for someone is the best way to show your love,” she said. “There’s nothing better.”
Johnson said she knows from experience.
When she had her first child and felt too tired to cook, she found herself on the receiving end of that kindness.
“I’ll never forget the generosity of neighbors who brought over dishes that they made,” she said. “I’ve never forgotten that and I think that’s another thing that occurred to me when I started doing this is I remembered when someone has done this for me how important it was.”
Johnson joined Lasagna Love in July and committed to cooking two lasagnas every two weeks.
She said that ensures there’s always enough in case Lasagna Love sees a surge in demand.
“It’s amazing how fast it goes,” she said.
The organization has roughly 400 cooks in Ohio and from January through August, they made nearly 3,000 deliveries, according to the regional coordinator for Lasagna Love.
When the cooks deliver the meals, it’s completely no contact.
Johnson said she usually leaves it on her recipient’s porch so she never gets to see them enjoy the meal she made them.
Even so, she said she usually hears a thank you somehow.
“That’s not what you do it for at all,” she said. “It’s just icing on the cake.”
