Lasagna Love mission is simple

`Feed families, spread kindness, strengthen communities

Sitting and sharing a big hot pan of homecooked lasagna, even in 100-degree temperatures, might be the best medicine you've had all year. Especially if you didn't have to cook it. Lasagna takes time, and love.

You might be that person who has family in the hospital and you didn't know just how overwhelmed you were feeling. Cooking lasagna is probably not even on your mind. Or maybe you just don't have the budget or means to cook lasagna.

Well, there are people right here in southern Oklahoma who are taking time out of their busy schedules to shop, cook and deliver delicious pans of homemade lasagna every week. They are known as the Lasagna Love volunteers, which is an International nonprofit. While it reaches around the world, it really is a neighborhood effort.

Serving as the local leader for Lasagna Love is Angela Johnson. Her territory encompasses southern Oklahoma's region from Altus to Broken Bow and everything south of Oklahoma City. That includes Stephens, Jefferson, and Comanche counties.

She juggles a work schedule, three kids, a husband, and all the other things that keep her calendar full. On top of that, she organizes and coordinates a growing team of volunteers who bake and deliver home-cooked lasagna.

Originally started in Utah during the Pandemic, Lasagna Love is gaining exposure in Oklahoma these days because of people like Johnson. She learned of the organization from her aunt, Deea Hobbs, is a local leader in Utah. Her mom, Kim Blankenship, participates as a volunteer in Jacksonville, Florida. As more people learn about Lasagna Love and a chance to receive a homecooked meal, more volunteers are needed to help shop, bake and deliver fresh homemade pans of lasagna.

"People can request a lasagna, there are no stipulations. Maybe they just had a baby or surgery," she said. Maybe they have no means to cook anything. "We've delivered to people without a front door." Only one request per home is granted per month, and each week Johnson pairs that request with a willing volunteer who shops, bakes, and delivers the homecooked pan of lasagna.

Because the idea was generated during the height of COVID-19 Pandemic, the drop-off is contactless and the cook just delivers it to the porch or doorstep of the recipient.

Cooking also helps some people relieve stress in their own life or they just enjoy cooking. Those are the people Johnson is seeking in order to grow the volunteer base for southern Oklahoma.

Currently, there are about 25 volunteers throughout Marlow, Duncan, Comanche, and Velma, and more in Lawton, who bake and deliver.

"Week by week it grows," she said. There are about 110 requests who have not been matched yet with a volunteer, and at times there have been upwards of 240 lasagnas delivered in a month.

"You make your own version of lasagna and you can do it once a month or bi-weekly, etc. It's up to you how many families you want to help. It's great for people who like the opportunity to give back to their community. A cooked meal is refreshing." It's also a way to include the family in giving back to the community and teaching young children about cooking and helping others.

Last Friday was a donation day so that people who might not want to cook lasagna, but still wanted to contribute could. It was also the day before National Lasagna Day (July 29). Whether it was pans to bake it in, canned sauces, or any other ingredient, the donations help relieve some of the financial burden on the cooks who bake the lasagna in their homes.

"It's about bringing more meals to neighbors. We truly have volunteers everywhere, especially in rural outlying areas like Central High, Velma, and Waurika. There is an increase in need and people to volunteer." And there's always a need for donations as the volunteers experience the financial aspect of cooking the lasagna. If anyone is interested in becoming a lasagna volunteer cook, visit lasagnalove.com to fill out a form, or to become a sponsor of a volunteer. The site also is where people can register to become a recipient of homemade lasagna. Remember, you might feel overwhelmed, but there's always room for lasagna in your life.