The very first time I heard of Lasagna Love, I was living in the Boston metro area, in the Camberville village as local love to call it for the contraction of Cambridge and Somerville. It was back in 2020. I was the mom of an 18 month old baby boy and like many of us, we were stuck at home. Back then, I had joined a local facebook group called “MOCs” for Moms of Cambervile. In this little community we were exchanging tips, advice, finds and ideas in a judgement-free space. That’s how I came across Rhiannon’s post.

It said something like : “Hi Mamas! My toddler and I, and now a whole group of awesome Camberville parents, have been making and delivering home-cooked lasagnas for any mom who’s struggling as a result of the pandemic. Lost childcare, lost income... we’re your girls. If you would like a hand with dinner one night in the coming weeks, PM me. Confidential, contactless, and of course free. We’re here to help.”At first, I was super touched and wanted to help but I never once thought I might need it. It’s true after all, I had a roof over my head, my husband and I were both working full time jobs, and I had a fully stocked fridge.

Then 6 months later, after a call with my son’s daycare teachers, my husband and I were starting on a journey we did not expect. A long, solitary and isolating one leading to a medical diagnosis for my baby boy. In the midst of the pandemic, I had really no one to talk to. I was scared to even vocalize what we were going through as it was making it even more real. Parenting got hard, and I felt a bit helpless. That’s when Rhiannon’s post came back to me. What if? I was immediately ashamed to even consider it as we were still pretty privileged in a way.

But I ended up submitting a request on her Google form. A few hours later, I got a text from one of the volunteers who offered to bring home cooked fresh lasagna two days later. It may sound silly in a way, but for me, on that day, it felt so good. All of a sudden, it felt like I had people behind me, I was not alone, and if a warm home cooked meal does not solve everything, I realized after that it was exactly what I needed then. So when I started brainstorming who I wanted to reach out to for my new podcast, L’Effet Papillon, I immediately thought of Rhiannon Menn, the woman behind it all who started cooking lasagna with her toddler for people who needed some love from their community. And here is our conversation.

Find out more about Lasagna Love here.

An episode by Anne-Fleur Andrle, mixing and sound design by Alice Krief.

Find me on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/annefleurandrle

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