Use Meal Train To Take Food To Sick Friends
Popping by with a casserole for someone who is ill or in distress is a time-honoured tradition. Now, the free website mealTrain.com takes the guesswork out of when and what to bring.
ON THE DOWNLOAD | A dear cousin who lives several hours away recently had major surgery. When I offered to come cook for her and her husband while she convalesced, she said she would welcome a visit but that meal prep had been generously wiped off her plate. “I’ve got a meal train coming,” she explained.
A meal train is a system set up by friends, family and colleagues to make and take multiple meals to someone who has recently experienced a significant life event—birth, death, surgery, whatever. The website mealTrain.com is the amazing free Internet vehicle that simplifies the whole process.
How mealTrain.com Works
Typically, someone other than the recipient sets up a free account on mealTrain.com. It contains a cover page with recipient particulars including food preferences and allergies; how often they want to receive meals (plus optimal delivery times); and whether they want the givers to just drop the food on their doorstep or ring the bell and stop for a visit.
The organizer then invites people to participate through a Facebook post or via email. Once they’ve signed on, participants can log in to their particular meal train to book meal dates on a calendar and indicate what they intend to provide.
My cousin has been receiving a meal train dinner every other day for two weeks now and says she’s been overwhelmed by the generosity of her friends. “The food has been gourmet quality; we’ve even received great bottles of wine.” Best of all though, she says, is that it has given her husband a break. “He’s the one who has really been taking care of me, and it’s been great for him to come home in the evening and not have to worry about fixing a meal.” —C. Rule
To find out more about starting your own meal train, visit mealTrain.com
Photo: iStock
There’s another website service similar purpose – “Lotsa Helping Hands” which allows people to sign up for other tasks as well – like driving to appointments, visiting etc, whatever is deemed to be helpful in the recuperation process. Makes it SO much easier to coordinate all the people who want to help and takes the pressure off the main care-givers.
Thanks Ann,
We will check out this website. lotsahelpinghands.com sounds promising. —eds
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