TOTALLY GEEKED!

Southern_Belle · Nothing's Impossible

Too many hands causes confusion

Southern_Belle · Nothing's Impossible

My old church is asking for similar food. Hence the confusion.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

I would suggest snacks - chips, granola bars, drinks, etc.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

At least people are stepping up to help. I am sure there will be plenty of food to go around.

ed11563 · Guru

I would suggest things with a long shelf life, or sending something a week or two later, after the initial food gifts are used.

When a coworker lost her father, I sent her a gift card for her favorite restaurant. She used it a few days later to feed her extended family take out, so no one had to cook or wash dishes that day.

FNW · Guru

It's nice that people are chipping in.

There is a website that organizes meals for people who are sick or in need. It's called lotsahelpinghands.com. Our neighborhood used it to coordinate meals for a neighbor who was undergoing chemo.

Mellow Momma · Sniff...sniff, sniff. Yay! A Bum!

FNW wrote:
It's nice that people are chipping in.

There is a website that organizes meals for people who are sick or in need. It's called lotsahelpinghands.com. Our neighborhood used it to coordinate meals for a neighbor who was undergoing chemo.

That is an amazing idea!! Thanks for sharing it!

I like to send paper products - paper plates (no dishes to wash for the bereaved), paper towels, and toilet paper. DD's best friend's father died the summer before senior year and their house was packed for a few weeks. We ran out of toilet paper almost once a day. The few people who brought paper products were hailed as heroes by those of us trying to help the family. I always suggest that now.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

The paper products are a great idea.

It seems that these two churches should communicate better. When my grandfather died, his current church provided the meal the day of the service, after the burial, the service and burial was at his current church. The food during the viewing was handled by his old church, our church.

I know in the cases I have seen, there are tons of people around to be helpful until the day after the burial. That is the hard part. Being alone with your grief.

Maybe plan something for then or a week later. Maybe take care of the shopping or errands for them.

I can't imagine losing a child.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

ed11563 wrote:
I would suggest things with a long shelf life, or sending something a week or two later, after the initial food gifts are used.
When a coworker lost her father, I sent her a gift card for her favorite restaurant. She used it a few days later to feed her extended family take out, so no one had to cook or wash dishes that day.

I know that people mean well to do that. But, when my Dad died and someone sent us a pizza, it just seemed weird. I mean, I know it was meant with the absolute best of intentions but a pizza is like a party type thing. And, sending money or gift cards seems very strange to me. Maybe that is thing to do now.

Mellow Momma · Sniff...sniff, sniff. Yay! A Bum!

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
ed11563 wrote:
I would suggest things with a long shelf life, or sending something a week or two later, after the initial food gifts are used.
When a coworker lost her father, I sent her a gift card for her favorite restaurant. She used it a few days later to feed her extended family take out, so no one had to cook or wash dishes that day.

I know that people mean well to do that. But, when my Dad died and someone sent us a pizza, it just seemed weird. I mean, I know it was meant with the absolute best of intentions but a pizza is like a party type thing. And, sending money or gift cards seems very strange to me. Maybe that is thing to do now.

Its cultural/regional. In some cultures and in some regions of the US, taking up a collection for the family is the absolute best, nicest thing you can do. The family uses it to replace income, help with burial expenses, pay medical bills, etc. I also thought it was odd when I first encountered it.

Pizza is an odd thing to do in my opinion, because it requires the family to go to the door and interact with the delivery person. Not exactly what I feel like doing when I have suffered a loss.

I think a gift card to a restaurant is a great idea. Its very useful for those days when you are trying to get back to a normal routine but just can't think about cooking.