When a friend or family is going through a difficult or challenging time, one of the best ways to support them is to provide meals. It may seem like a small thing, but removing the pressure of planning, shopping, or cooking for a few days or weeks when one is recovering from illness or adjusting to a new baby can be a big help! Life stressors including a birth, death, surgery, and illness take a huge toll on a family.
In the not so distant past, close friends, neighbors, and family arranged a “meal train” so a family in need had regular homemade food deliveries. These days, we tend to be more spread out, busier, and we might not live in the same area or even the same state as a dear friend or family member. That is why modern day meal trains are so valuable. These electronic calendars give us the opportunity to collaborate, sign up, and either prepare and deliver a meal or arrange to have food delivered to the family in need.
Full Belly Fare is frequently used in meal trains where the recipients have food allergies or other dietary restrictions. A breastfeeding mother, for example, might choose to limit dairy if her baby has a negative reaction when she eats dairy. Someone recovering from an illness or accident may need special low-salt meals – which can be challenging for cooks not used to working with low-salt recipes or if a meal train relies heavily on processed foods. These days, many people are choosing to eliminate gluten from their diets. Almost all of Full Belly Fare’s foods are gluten free. While there are more gluten-free food options available, especially in Portland, it can still be a challenge to find delicious, satisfying gluten-free meals when it comes to meal delivery.
The process of setting up a meal train is straightforward and, once it is set up, all you need to do is share the link and login information with others who wish to contribute. It might also be valuable for several friends to share the expense of having meals delivered. Full Belly Fare, for example, offers a group gift option on the website.
When setting up a meal train, it is a good idea to make notes of the recipients’ preferences, food allergies, and any other special instructions. New parents might appreciate a text or phone call before anyone stops by, and a family dealing with illness may need to schedule meal deliveries around doctor’s appointments.
An important point to remember is that when you ask someone if they need help, they may be too tired or stressed to adequately articulate the kind of help they need. That is why offering specific help may be more effective. Offer to provide meals, run errands, watch their older children for them, or even do the dishes – they will appreciate it! Even better, if nobody’s organized a meal train yet, offer to create one!
Full Belly Fare has way for families near and far to contribute to a new families meal plan – http://www.order.
Meal train sites –
https://www.takethemameal.com/
Lyla Wolfenstein – After more than a decade in catering and food service, I left the industry to raise my children. During that time, I focused my passion for food on feeding my family and friends. Now, with grown and nearly grown children, I am turning back toward my roots and reigniting my desire to offer the wider community the pleasure of good food made with love.
Portland Full Belly Fare was born from my desire for everyone to have access to flavorful, wholesome foods at a lower cost than restaurant food of the same quality.
