Brighten Your Day

Lasagna Love Feeds 850,000 And Proves Effect of Kindness

April 22, 2022

30,000 volunteers and over 850,000 people fed, Lasagna Love is still going strong!

Founder Rhiannon Menn / Lasagna Love

Lasagna Love is a non-profit program that connects community members through gestures of kindness, goodwill, and support.

In 2020, prompted by the COVID-related struggles of families in her community and her own feeling of helplessness, Rhiannon Menn launched the platform to deliver home-cooked meals to neighbors in need.

"There were so many moms that I knew who had lost childcare, who had lost jobs. They were just feeling stressed out," the San Diego mom told Today. "And so literally one day, I was just like, I'm gonna make extra meals."

Before long, her effort to comfort members of her community had grown into something much larger.

In just two years, Lasagna Love has successfully united participation of more than 30,000 men and women from around the world. More than 200,000 meals have been delivered through the platform, feeding over 850,000 people.

As more meals are delivered, the ripple effect has become more profound.

Results from a recent survey conducted by Lasagna Love proves the network effect of kindness.

Credit: Lasagna Love

Nearly 98 percent of recipients said they were inspired to pay it forward. Many paid it forward within days (21%), while others committed to a specific action in the future (45%). The remainder made a general commitment to do something kind.

Lasagna Love's research also suggests that Lasagna Love recipients feel more connected (89%) and more supported (93%) by their community as a result of receiving a home cooked meal.

"When we launched Lasagna Love, our mission was to provide comfort during a time of uncertainty," said Menn. "As we move into our third year of operation, we recognize that our true power is so much greater. We are inspiring pay it forward acts of kindness across communities and increasing feelings of connectedness and support among neighbors."