Lasagna Love charity gives back to people in need through meal delivery
BALTIMORE – Zoë Feldman has spent years in the food service industry. Food is her profession and her passion.
"Food is maybe one of the only ties that bonds all of us across cultures, races, ethnicities, socioeconomic status, demographic," Feldman said. "Everyone has food memories."
She is new to Baltimore and wanted to serve her new community.
"I was looking for other ways to get involved in community and food has been my whole life—and it's what I know and what I love," she said.
Feldman began volunteering for Lasagna Love, a charity based in Boston created during the pandemic. The nonprofit organizes a network of volunteer bakers to fulfil meal requests.
"If it were up to me, there would never be a need for a hunger-based charity," Feldman said. "Because people are hungry. I don't see it as more complicated than that."
Feldman says she's motivated by policy failures that lead to people being hungry. So far, she has baked more than 200 lasagnas in less than a year of volunteering.
"Zoë…started off with 10 a week. And, sometimes she'll email me and say, 'Give me five more'," Marion Jo Masenior, Lasagna Love's local leader, said. "We don't want anyone to feel judged or that they have to justify why they're asking."
Feldman not only bakes the meals, but spends much of her own money on supplies, but for a GoFundMe earlier this year. She also delivers across the meals across Baltimore City.
"Oh, yeah. I go everywhere," Feldman said. "It's a good way to get to know the city. It's a good way to get to know people."
To donate, volunteer, or request a meal, visit lasagnalove.org.