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Life happens and challenging times can’t be avoided. We’ve all been through these trying times of COVID-19 pandemics, but there are always other events that can’t be predicted – your exhausted friend or co-worker is caring for a newborn, a neighbor might be grieving the loss of a loved one or a family member is struggling through an illness.
Whatever the challenge might be, you can help at least by making sure they eat well. You can organize a meal train by gathering and coordinating people and these are the steps to take to make it the most efficient.
Set it all up
When setting up a meal train, typically one person is in charge and coordinates other participants to initiate a meal train. Discuss within your group who can share food, delegate assignments and determine everyone’s days for dropping off the meals. Share all the meal details with everyone so you don’t end up delivering the same meals to the recipients.
As a tool, you can use e-mail or a chat group, but sometimes it's easy to lose details in the threads. A better option could be a shared Google spreadsheet that gives all the information in one place. You might also try some of the official planning tools, such as Meal Train, which has both a paid version and a free alternative. Luckily, there are a few free websites that offer help in building and organizing your meal train group. It helps you organize and consolidate information so you as the organizer, your participants, and your recipients don't end up repeatedly asking and answering the same questions.
Determine what meals can go
There are several things you need to determine before you start prepping the meals. Firstly, find out the best timing for the recipient and if there are certain dietary restrictions or preferences, or they have some aversions or allergies.
Also, you need to determine the recipients’ capacity to keep and store food, if they have a spacious freezer or a spare fridge. If there are kids in the family, you should factor in their tastes and appetites as well. Some families might prefer simple snacks, others may want freshly cooked meals whereas some would love microwaveable meals delivered to their doorstep. Make sure you gather all the important information so the family can fully benefit from the meals and enjoy them as well.
Moreover, inform the recipients of the delivery time and spread the word in your meal train group so everyone is familiar with all the important details.
Make the meals or buy them
When you prepare meals for the meal train, avoid experimenting with new recipes. This is not the time to show off your cooking skills and creative spirit. However, comfort food is always a great idea. A warm meal is always welcome, but frozen food works well too as it’s easy to reheat it when convenient.
As you decide what meals to prepare, you don’t necessarily have to stick to casseroles only. It’s perfectly acceptable to share a mix of foods, for instance, plain fresh fruits and veggie sticks, snack foods and sandwiches, lunch meats, a bag of rolls, and an assortment of cheeses. You can also prepare a ready-to-make salad – cut up lettuce, add a container of chopped-up veggies and prepare a jar of salad dressing.
Whatever you make, ensure it’s packaged properly, dated, labeled and contains clear reheating instructions. Also, pack the meals in containers you can give up. It’s also perfectly fine to provide a gift card so the family can pick their meals themselves.
While preparing meals for a meal train, consider the convenience and nutrition of including vegetarian or entirely plant-based options. For those looking to simplify this process further, the delivery of plant-based meals is an excellent way to ensure your loved ones receive wholesome, delicious food without the added stress of meal prep. Such services cater specifically to dietary preferences, ensuring everyone can enjoy a good, nutritious meal even in challenging times.
Organize the drop-off
While you might have a lot of people willing to participate in prepping the food, you also need to coordinate the delivery. You can have your crew message you directly instead of the recipients as this would minimize the intrusion.
You should also bear in mind that not all recipients are up for hosting due to the difficulty of their life situations. So, you can inform the recipients of the delivery time and offer to drop off a cooler at the front door so there is no interruption in the daily routine.
When life takes a harder turn, it's always comforting to know there is backup and support. Having the meal train to cover the food takes a huge load off in the middle of a difficult situation, so it’s one of the best ways to offer a helping hand. Hopefully, the tips listed here can help you get organized and make it a bit easier for those who are struggling at the moment.
