Life can be hard, life can rough, life can be stressful, even when we are given GREAT BLESSINGS, we need help. We need someone to be a friend and show us love and kindness. That can can be in the form of sending flowers, it can be in the form of watching a friend’s children, it can be sweeping the floors, or it can be taking a family a meal. What a stress that relieves. So the next time a friend or a family member, someone in your church, or family of your child’s buddy, co-worker or neighbor has a life experience that can cause stress think about delivering them a meal.

Life experiences that a meal could really help out another family.

• Birth of a baby (and don’t forget them a couple weeks after the baby is born once Dad goes back to work or grandparents leave etc)
• Family member in the hospital or very sick
• If someone has an on going illness meals are helpful on days of doctor appointments, tests, etc.
• Mom on bed rest (laundry, dishes, car pools are also really helpful)
• Moving (and from our last move I can tell you the week or two leading up to the move would be very helpful not just during the moving process or the days following)
• Death in the family

What if you DON’T cook, just don’t have the time to cook an extra meal or don’t feel comfortable cooking for others? Gift card to restaurants that are CLOSE to their house (this is helpful when there are lots of doctor appointments happening or the family is having to travel a lot for a sickness in the family, or once a Dad goes back to work  after a new baby.) You can even mail a gift card to a friend out of town.

Things TO DO:

• Use disposable/throw away containers.
• Things that warm up well.
• Foods that keep well for a day or so in case they have other food already or want to eat it for more than one meal.
• Check for food allergies and things that they DO NOT like.
• If taking things to a nursing mother, remember tomato sauces, cabbage, broccoli, or spicy things may not be good choices.
• Make sure you take enough for an extra person or two, you never know when an extra family member will be there.
• Take EVERYTHING needed for the dish, for example if you take a salad take dressing, if you take chicken salad send bread and crackers.

Things NOT TO DO:

• New recipes… take things you know (I have 2 or 3 go to meals that I like to deliver).
• Delivering meals earlier is always better than later, there may be kids to get in bed,  or they may need extra rest if they are sick or recovering etc.
• When delivering a meal don’t stay and talk forever. Sometimes they need a shoulder to cry on, or to talk to, and yes they may want to show you a new baby etc. But don’t expect to stay for a visit. Also during these time people’s home are not going to be tidy so dropping it at the door is also acceptable.
• If at all possible do not take children with you. I often do have to take my son with me but he always stays in the car and when he was smaller I often delivered when I knew he would fall asleep in the car on the way.

Extras to consider:

• I like to include paper plates and napkins so that is even less the family has to deal with.
• I like to add muffins for breakfast (I often do this instead of doing a desert).
• I often will make some ham and cheese sandwiches and wrap individually as well, great for snacks or lunches. If it is a family of 5 I will make 10 sandwiches just ham and cheese no mayo etc they will get too soggy.
• I do a lot of canning so often I include a loaf of good bread with a jar of jam or a jar of salsa with a bag of chips.
• Extra snacks if there are kids in the household that mom and dad won’t have to prepare.
• I have also taken, TO CLOSE FRIENDS, that I have talked with them and know they have freezer space extra lasagna, chicken pot pies, cookie dough etc for a future time. But everyone will not have room for this.

paper plates, fruit snacks for kids, scoops of frozen cookie dough (for this meal I knew they were getting meal every night for over a week and the family does not eat a lot of deserts so this allowed them to have them as needed), and juice boxes.

food ready to deliver In paper bags I don’t even have to go in  and empty my bag or cooler etc.

My go to meals:

• Potato Soup with Chicken Salad with sandwich bread and a salad.
• Chicken and stuffing stuffed shells with green beans and salad.
• Honey Glazed Ham with Mashed Potatoes and fruit.
• People with children, when not taking for a new baby, tacos and nacho options can be fun but does not work if mom is the one sick, since tacos do take some prep.

If you are working on getting several meals together to be delivered to a family this is a great resource http://takethemameal.com/. You can send an mail to co workers, friends, family, church group etc and people can sign up for a day and there is a place for them to fill in what they are taking so they do not get veggie soup 4 days in a roll. It also has a place you can put information like driving directions, allergy information or deliver times etc. This makes setting up  several meals so much easier.

Thanks to our blogging friends this Post is linked up with Some Day Crafts, Keeping It Simple, Craft Envy, Be Different Act Normal, Crumbs and Chaos, Natasha in Oz, Kaylas Creation, Positively Splendid, Sisters of the Wild West, The Gunny Sack, By Stephanie Lynn, Flamigo Toes, Petite Hermine, Nifty Thrifty, Everyday Moms Meals, I Heart Naptime.