Dalton resident Kim Roy said she and her husband Dwayne have always had a “passion” for helping those in need throughout the community and were looking for new ways to contribute.
That’s when the couple found out about Lasagna Love, a nonprofit started in 2020 that provides free, ready-to-eat meals to families and individuals in need.
According to Lasagna Love’s website, the nonprofit has made an impact in all 50 states, Canada and Australia, with more than 500,000 meals delivered to families by more than 56,000 volunteers.
“I first saw them on the news about a year ago and checked into it, and I saw that it was not in our area,” Kim Roy said. “Some time passed and then I saw them asking for volunteers on Facebook a few months ago. We talked it over and we signed up on Aug. 4.”
Currently the only two Lasagna Love volunteers serving Whitfield and Murray counties, the Roys have cooked 16 meals, including 14 lasagnas, one baked ziti and one spaghetti, and delivered them to 54 local residents in need.
“We typically do it every two weeks,” Kim Roy said. “As volunteers, we make the meals, schedule the delivery and deliver it to people in the community.”
She said volunteers are matched up with families or individuals who fill out a request online by visiting www.lasagnalove.org/request.
“And requests do not necessarily have to just be from families or people going through financial struggles,” she said. “It can be emotional struggles as well or if someone is just feeling overwhelmed. We’ve delivered to senior citizens who just aren’t able to cook large meals anymore.”
When matched with a family or individual through Lasagna Love’s Georgia leadership team, the Roys receive a person’s name, contact information and any dietary restrictions they may have before preparing the home-cooked meal.
Kim Roy said Lasagna Love has given the couple the opportunity to reach and out and help struggling people in ways that delivering standard “food boxes” can not.
“When you’re delivering these lasagnas, you’re delivering something that’s hearty and ready for somebody to eat,” she said. “When you’re delivering food boxes, you’re delivering food that you don’t really know if these people are going to eat. Do they have the right ingredients to go with those foods? With Lasagna Love, they get ready-to-warm-up or hot-delivered food.”
She said deliveries in Whitfield and Murray counties have ranged from households of one to 12 people.
“This past weekend, we delivered six lasagnas and a baked ziti that fed 26 people,” she said. “The big thing is you’re meeting people in your own community from all walks of life.”
While the nonprofit asks volunteers to mainly stick to preparing lasagnas for delivery, Kim Roy said other dishes are available, including vegetarian and lactose-intolerant options.
“And everything is based around your own time,” she said. “You get up to 10 days to deliver once the request is approved. Because it’s just me and Dwayne doing it, our backlogs right now go all the way back to March. We’re really in need of more volunteers in our area. There’s a tremendous need here and there’s a lot of people in our community that don’t even know that this exists.”
Dwayne Roy said he has seen the needs of struggling families and seniors firsthand.
“There’s folks that could really benefit from this and don’t know that it really exists because it’s still so new in the area,” he said.
He said Lasagna Love has been a perfect combination of the couple’s passion for cooking and “putting smiles on people’s faces.”
“You know you’re helping them when their faces light up after seeing these meals,” he said. “You’re there at the right time. Most of the time, we get the names of folks on a Monday and we’re delivering it on Saturdays. It makes you feel good knowing that you get to be a part of something and doing what you love to do.”
Kim Roy said they prepare a full-sized, three-layer lasagna for each visit.
“I would say you could feed a good eight adult-sized people,” she said. “Once you become a volunteer, you’re officially called a ‘Lasagna Love Chef.’”
Dwayne Roy said extra volunteers or donations will be beneficial to continue to reach the community through the nonprofit.
“As many of us know, lasagnas are not always cheap when it comes to getting the ingredients together and the gas to deliver it to the families,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of donations come in, some from people we don’t even know who just want to help out. It’s just nice to see people in the community sending us stuff to help the cause.”
He said volunteering with Lasagna Love is flexible.
“You can do it once a month, weekly or biweekly,” he said. “Really, however they want to do it. But more volunteers are definitely needed. and if not volunteers, then donations. We’ve been fortunate enough to have folks in Whitfield County and other areas that have donated ingredients to us. The more folks that can help donate, the more families we can help with warm meals in return.”
To register to volunteer in Whitfield County or Murray County, visit www.lasagnalove.org/volunteer and click on “Sign Up.”
To donate, visit www.lasagnalove.org/donate.
“Donating is a little bit different,” Kim Roy said. “You can donate to the organization itself and 85% of it will come back to our area, which encompasses all of Northwest Georgia.”
She said those wanting to donate locally to “keep it 100% here in the community,” or those with any questions about the nonprofit or how to get involved, can email her at KimRoy2024@yahoo.com.