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What’s Cooking teaches cooking classes to children and helps families spend quality time together in the kitchen and around the table. While cooking strengthens family bonds and helps children to develop life skills, there are many other benefits as well. Simply take the fruits of your labor (pardon the pun!) through your front door and out into your community, where they can be used as a vehicle for helping those in need.  This article is the first of a series that will share how families, companies and schools across the nation are using food and cooking to help others.  Everyone knows that recipes usually guide people through the steps of preparing food – but we want to take it one step further.  Consider these articles to be Recipes for Action.  Gather your family and cook for a cause!

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We have all been there – a friend just had a baby, a relative is recovering from surgery, or a neighbor has lost a spouse. If you are like me, the first thought that crosses your mind is that you can show your love and support with food. Nothing quite conveys your compassion or empathy than a nourishing meal.

But what if someone else is planning to deliver a meal on the same day as you? Or what if there are food allergies that you hadn’t anticipated? What if the recipient only needs meals for specific days during a particular time frame? And if you are organized enough to make a schedule, what if someone cancels and wants to find another person who can step in and take their place.

Lucky for us, Zach, his wife Lisa and their friend Jeff have created Food Tidings, an online place to organize and manage meals for friends and family in need. They belong to a huge church (12,000 members!) that has an entire “ministry” dedicated to helping members of their church when they are sick, bereaved or blessed with a new child. Coordinating meal deliveries often became complicated and the idea of forming a simple online calendar to organize their efforts was born. Initially, Food Tidings is being marketed to other congregations because many of them already have the infrastructure of sharing food and helping others in place.  However, this useful tool is catching on, and playgroups and families across the country are signing up.

Feedback so far has been fantastic:

• “I just wanted to let you know that this site is such a great idea and is going to be a life saver for me.  I am in charge of coordinating meals for a family member that is having brain surgery in January and I have been thinking about how to keep everything straight so they don’t end up with too much food at the same time…I am so happy that you have taken the time to offer this.  Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!!”
• “I absolutely love your website!!!  It is such a time saver and it makes helping people so much easier.  Thank you for creating this website.”

Oh – did I mention that it is free to use?  Zach says that their goal is simply to help people.  And from the look of things, he has achieved his goal.

p.s.  While I was writing this article, my sister had abdominal surgery.  I set up a sample Food Tidings schedule on her behalf so you could all see how it looks and how easy it is to use.  What are you waiting for?  Sign up and help feed someone in need!