Food Angels

The impulse may be as old as humankind.

Someone you know becomes ill, or has suffered a loss through accident, death, natural disaster. Your heart goes out to those who are coping with trials. You want them to know you care and you yearn to support them. You may or may not be able to visit but you can send an ambassador: food.

When it comes to healing the physical body, nothing is better than wholesome food. And for healing hurts from hard times, what could be better than the loving attention of friends?

We needed this kind of support in my family recently. It really helped - and it was heaven!

The info-age has made it easy to give the medicine of food. From communicating preferences (“modest portions, because fridge and freezer space is limited”) to necessities (“she can’t have fried or raw foods right now”) to powerful means (“high protein and good fats to help him rebuild muscles and gain some weight!”) – email helps Food Angels deliver what is needed most, on a schedule that supports without overwhelming (“if no one answers when you knock, please use the cooler on the porch”), because sometimes a visit is more than someone can digest.

Our friend Karla became our Barefoot Contessa, graciously guiding circles of friends and facilitating the flow of food to blend with our shaky and changeable needs. She set up a blog calendar so celestial cooks could complement each other’s menus. And her scheduling messages were always spiced with blessing: ”Remember - do only that which brings you joy.”

Being a Food Angel can feed back unplanned benefits to you. One kind friend reported: “In general, I’ve been a bit challenged by food. I’ve had a tendency to regard it as a fairly strange substance, so my husband does most of the cooking. By being a Food Angel for you, I’ve found a new bond with food, and I’ve started cooking for my family again. Everyone around here is very happy about that!”

Other stories and connections enlivened our healing meals. From week to week we savored the saga of one cook’s daughter’s courtship, then we rejoiced in her family’s first engagement. A group of friends, with whom we have often enjoyed dinner parties, brought dinner and the party to us in the weeks we weren’t able to leave our home, seasoned with the pleasure of their company. We were helped by several friends who participate in their temple’s Mitzvah Corps, a group that brings food to those in need, whatever their religious persuasion. And a newlywed friend thrilled us with foreign travel plans, as she and her new husband prepared to meet the baby son they were adopting. Details shared from normal lives truly helped sustain us through the days when our lives were disrupted.

From cookies to casseroles, homemade to store-bought or restaurant prepared, a Food Angel meal is one of life’s great gifts, so simple to bestow. When you make your family’s next pot of chili or stew, or plan that ratatouille or quiche, whip up an extra portion, package it “with wings” and take it by the home of the person you know who can use some nutritional healing.

Or make a date to share a bite of dinner with your friend, to confer the added blessing of a visit – it will bless you too!

THANK YOU to all of our glorious, generous, faithful, yummy Food Angels: Mother of the bride Sue, Ellen in the city and Ellen from the farm, Jack (purveyor of pub grub that turned a long-lost appetite back on); bountiful Leslie and Monday Seraphim Susannah; Sarah, who never asked before serving dessert, and Dr. Zah; Mama Abigail; Goddess of Tuesdays Pat; Cookie Queen Gloria and Michael, King of Tables; intrepid travelers Laura and Dan, Franz and Rebecca, and dearest Denise; Linda our right-hand friend; Ann and David, Deb and Don, Gina and Anthony and Oscar; Sharon and Dennis of puddings and pies; our Sunday visitors Bob and Louise; sweet Aunt Maury and Uncle Trav; Christmas-cookie monsters David, Jane and Maggie; Rita’s avocado brain food and Rondo’s Soul Food Flowers; the super-sustaining EarthWays Green Chili crew; pizza-power Sister Max and taste-full Angel-Companions Nancy, Christine, Caroline, Margaret, Sarah Anne, Robert, Karen and Melisse; Katie, Dylan, Lexi and Calvin and Russ, lead guitar in our Angel Band; Joyce, distinguished VP and emissary from Ted Drewes; and Contessa Karla Contadini, who coordinated a host of healers.

Our hearts and our tummies are oh! so full.