Thanks, everyone, for the good ideas.
The couple involved has many friends and were very involved in our church, so I’m anticipating that there will be a lot of meals brought in.
I like the muffin idea or cold cuts idea, because I think most people will automatically think of bringing dinner.
When my mom died a few years ago, friends and neighbors came in and buried us in food, and it was a blessing both in terms of tending to our needs and as a gesture of kindness. One problem did result from that, however - we wound up with more perishable food than we could fit in the fridge. Whatever you bring your friends here will be appreciated more than you can possibly imagine unless you’ve been in this position yourself. What I would consider in the future on the giving end would be to bring something that doesn’t need refrigeration. The muffin suggestion above was a good one.
Another useful thing is a gift card to a nearby diner or similar “homestyle” restaurant. Each family member can get what they like, and they can use it whenever they want. I gave one of these recently in similar circumstances (I live too far away to deliver a meal) and it was greatly appreciated.
Something like soup or chili could also work.
It’s just the name; “congealed” is not something usually associated with food. I have the same reaction to “clotted cream”.
When my mum was dying and then died, a dear friend kept us supplied with home-made sweet things; brownies, lemon slices, almond slices and babka. In the middle of a truly awful time, having some delicious treats for a five minute break was a wonderful gift.
When my mother died, a neighbor brought a big tray of deli meats and cheeses with some fancy loaves of bread, and we were quite appreciative.
Thanks to a long-ago kindness I’ve posted about before, I usually bring non-food items to the home in mourning: paper towels, bath tissue, coffee, cream, and sugar, paper plates, and so forth. They’re always needed and often forgotten in the mayhem.
Probably conjures images of “drippings”, which are eaten in congealed form, though less a southern thing than a German and Jewish thing (schmaltz) from what I’ve read. (In the movie Gods and Monsters, James Whale recalles having “et drippin’s” when he was a kid from a very poor family in England.)
My Dad just passed a week and a half ago and the support from the community was outstanding. Everything was very appreciated but some things that stand out:
-Veggie & deli trays, cookies,crackers, & fruit. Anything that is ready to eat in small quantities was nice as we weren’t hungry enough to eat big meals most of the time.
-Casseroles/meals that are freezable. We got lots of stuff in a short time. Anything that was freezable was frozen for later.
-Canned/bottled drinks were nice to have.
Things that I would never have thought of:
-Ice and coolers to store stuff.
-Paper plates, napkins, plastic silverware, and garbage bags as we weren’t in the mood to clean-up.
Really anything as this is truly a situation where the thought is what counts. I vow to do a better job of bringing things to grieving families.
Roasted chicken and honey-baked ham are great; they can be picked at all week with little trouble. A loaf of rye bread (or any artisan bread; olive oil and rosemary is wonderful) is also helpful with this effort.