Food to Take to the Grieving

When someone experiences a loss, one traditional way to express concern and to help is to take food to the grieving. This gift can be especially helpful to those who are overwhelmed and distracted by tasks such as planning funerals, notifying people, paperwork and other such tasks that they simply do not think to eat. The availability of food that is fresh and ready to eat can not only nourish them physically, but it can remind them that they need to eat and keep up their strength.

Funeral Potatoes

One food that commonly shows up at gatherings and on the tables of those in mourning is sometimes called "Funeral Potatoes." There are many variations of this recipe, but the core ingredients are potatoes, cheese, a cream soup or creamy 'binder' and a topping that has some crunch to it. KSL has a recipe for Funeral Potatoes on their website that comes from the Utah Dairy Council's Becky Low. As an option, chunks of ham can be added to make the dish more of a main course than a side dish.

Local Fare

Another great choice is to take in a food that is loved by locals or is relevant to the area. In Brigham City, Utah, dishes with peaches are common because of the region's historic ties with the fruit. The city even has an annual Peach Days festival every September to celebrate the crop.

One of the most popular treats around the city and during Peach Days is Peach Cobbler. It is a great dessert, a handy snack and a quick breakfast item. It can be served warm or chilled, plain or with homemade whipped cream. There are many ways to make a great peach cobbler and The Recipe Queens share one of them on their blog.

A Whole Meal

If an entire meal is given, one simple and relatively inexpensive option is to give a spaghetti dinner. The spaghetti can be accompanied by breadsticks or garlic bread and salad. Adding small containers of salad dressing and parmesan cheese can be thoughtful gestures.

Simple Snacks

Conversely, a simple gift of snacks will be greatly appreciated, too. Anything that can be left on the counter all day or quickly consumed can make a huge difference for the recipients. The best choices for snacks are those items with high nutritional value over 'junk food'. Fruit and nuts are two fine examples of great snack gifts.

One Pot Meals

Casseroles are great "one pot meals" that can be eaten when received or saved for later. Casseroles can be quick and easy to prepare, and can be relatively inexpensive to create. It can be 'just as easy' to make two casseroles as one, allowing the giver to have one for their meal and one to give away. Several fabulous sources of casserole recipes include About.com's Southern Food section, Diana's Kitchen and Cooking Light.

Another way to make great "one pot meals" is to use a slow cooker or crock pot. Depending upon the recipe, enough can be made in one slow cooker to feed the giver's household as well as the recipient's. An extensive listing of crock pot recipes can be found at CD Kitchen.

Tips for Food Giving

The following are a few things that can add to the helpfulness of the gift of food:

Take into consideration any food preferences, dislikes and allergies, as well as special dietary or medical eating requirements. Some food allergies are quite severe and require special consideration in meal preparations.

Use disposable containers or dishes the recipients may keep for the food that is given. This prevents them from having to worry about having to get the right dishes to the right people when they have so many other pressing concerns. It also helps them avoid the situation of having to put the food in other containers so the original dishes may be quickly washed and returned, adding to their already-busy schedule of things to do. If they are given a lot of food, disposable containers allow them to freeze or refrigerate the food for later use, without worry about how long they have the containers.

With that tip, consider sending paper napkins and plastic utensils so they have little to no clean up to worry about after eating the food. The less they have to do and worry about during their time of mourning and need, the better.