Someone once said, “A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.” As a mom of 2 young children, I can attest to the truth of this statement, especially the part about the longer nights. For me, the first few months after bringing my babies home are some of the most challenging. Everything was new, and it was a very overwhelming time. Can anyone else out there relate? Someone who is taking care of others also needs care, and that is one of the main purposes of TakeThemAMeal.com.

TakeThemAMeal.com is a free web site that makes it simple to bring food to those who need it, often after the birth of a new baby, an illness, hospitalization, loss of a loved one, etc. I have used the site for years to both create meal schedules and receive meals, and recently moved to the city where it is headquartered. I work for them now, and it’s a wonderful job because I and many other families I know have benefited from the site so much.

Before learning about TakeThemAMeal.com, I would volunteer to set up meals for a friend in need and then spend lots of precious time fielding phone calls and emails, trying my best to keep all the details straight about who was bringing a meal on which days. Despite my best efforts, problems would arise. Meals would be delivered at the wrong time. Food would be cooked that the family didn’t enjoy, or, worse yet, was allergic to. I even heard of a new mom who received 5 lasagnas in one week! With TakeThemAMeal.com the process is simplified, and the scheduling is all done in a matter of minutes. Once a meal schedule is created, you enter in the address of the person receiving the meal, details about when to drop it off, dietary concerns, and you can even see what other people are bringing so that no one brings the same thing. One quick step allows the meal coordinator to send an email to all who may be interested in participating. TakeThemAMeal.com even sends you a reminder email before you deliver the meal! Here is what a sample schedule looks like- http://www.takethemameal.com/sample.php.

TakeThemAMeal.com is also a useful tool within the body of Christ. As believers, we have the privilege to serve others in the church, and TakeThemAMeal.com a great tool to simplify the “Meal Ministry” process. Sharing food is a great way to encourage others, both believers and nonbelievers, and it doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy. We recently shared a recipe on our blog for Winter Squash Soup. The recipe makes a lot, probably enough for you and the person you’re bringing it to, depending on how many are in your family. It breaks down to about $1.50/serving. Pair it with a simple salad, a loaf of bread and maybe some muffins for the morning and you have an economical, nutritious, and delicious meal!

To date, over 1.5 million meal schedules have been created on TakeThemAMeal.com to serve over 200,000 families. So consider setting up or participating in a meal schedule on www.TakeThemAMeal.com. It’s a free and easy way to care for your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors.

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Maureen Witmer is a stay-at-home mom to her two wonderful children, age 3 and 19 months. She lives in Harrisonburg, Virginina where her husband is a professor of American History at James Madison University. Maureen has been a long time user of TakeThemAMeal.com and works for them a few hours a week from home as their Dietary Restriction Recipe Specialist and also doing general outreach.