Delaware

This Delaware woman has made 120 lasagnas for strangers, all to spread some ‘Lasagna Love’

Published

2 years ago

February 7, 2024

Press Room

Every other week, Gwen Baker of Red Lion begins the whole process again.

The retired human resources manager heads out to supermarkets and a BJ’s Wholesale Club in search of the best prices for tomatoes, meats, cheeses and lasagna noodles before hunkering down in her kitchen.

It’s there where it takes her six hours to prepare two or more pans of lasagna layered with homemade tomato sauce, ground beef, ground turkey and Italian sausage along with a trio of cheeses: mozzarella, ricotta and Parmesan.

But forkfuls of this classic Italian comfort food won’t end up in the her dinner table, even though the mouth-watering smell of fresh baked lasagna fills her home twice a month.

Instead, she will wrap them up and drive to the Delaware homes of a strangers in need and deliver them the loaded-down pans, all just to spread some ‘lasagna love.’

In the two years since hearing about the Lasagna Love program from her daughter Brandie, Baker has made about 120 lasagnas expecting nothing in return, pairing them with Delawareans dealing with hardships, through a international non-profit launched at the start of the pandemic by a California mother of three.

Anyone can request a homemade lasagna from Lasagna Love’s website (lasagnalove.org) for themselves, although most people nominate a friend or family member in need, whether its someone recovering from a surgery, depressed over a loss or a family struggling to feed themselves, sometimes living in a shelter or motel.

“It makes me feel so good to help someone,” says Baker, whose meals are enough to feed a family and usually leave a little left over. “I feel that everyone should find a way to give back if they are in a position to do that. The Lord blessed me with the funds to do it and the skill to make a meal I have perfected.”

In Delaware alone, 110 volunteer lasagna-makers

Lasagna Love was founded by Rhiannon Menn, a real estate principal who had an idea in April 2020 to help people who has lost their jobs after COVID-19 swept the country or were afraid to go to the grocery store in fear of the virus. She started making lasagnas, finding families in need through local Facebook groups.

Others saw what she was doing and offered to help, and unknowingly helped to spawn what has grown into an international non-profit that serves the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and Australia with 110 active lasagna-making volunteers in Delaware alone.

As the program inches toward its four-year anniversary, Lasagna Love’s neighbor-to-neighbor impact is undeniable: about 48,000 Lasagna Love volunteers worldwide make about 3,500 lasagnas each week. The non-profit estimates it has impacted more than 1.8 million lives through the delivery of more than 470,000 meals.

In Delaware, retired Lea Cassarino went from a Lasagna Love volunteer to the local leader for the non-profit’s First State operation after falling for its mission.

Pike Creek’s Cassarino, 69, discovered the program only a year ago after a friend mentioned it, becoming a volunteer chef before learning they needed a volunteer to spearhead Delaware’s program and accepting the position in May.

She didn’t put her ladle down now that she overseas the state’s program ― she still makes lasagna once a month, helping to lower the backlog of requests one lasagna at a time.

Delaware’s 110 volunteers made and delivered 1,039 lasagnas last year, feeding an estimated 4,322 people across the state at a rate of about 20 lasagnas per week. And they all pay for the materials out of their own pocket, in addition to volunteering their time to make and deliver the meals.

How to request a lasagna

The Lasagna Love website is built for three groups of people: volunteers, people looking to nominate someone in need and for those who want to request a lasagna for themselves.

If requesting for themselves, a person signs a waiver and fills out an online request form, giving their basic information and explaining to their matched volunteer how a lasagna would help, if they want to share. (It’s not required.)

They also alert volunteers to any food allergies with some volunteers agreeing to make vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free lasagnas. They also can ask for contactless delivery.

If requesting for someone else, a person nominates a friend or family member by passing along their name, e-mail or phone number. Lasagna Love will then contact them to ensure they agree to the Lasgana Love terms for volunteers to legally be permitted to deliver. A request is allowed to be done anonymously if requested.

Wait times vary based on demand, the number of volunteers in each area and how far they are willing to drive.

Current wait times are about 26 days in Wilmington, 19 days in Dover, 16 days in Rehoboth Beach and 10 days in Bridgeville. The average statewide wait time be matched is about two weeks.

Delaware volunteers needed to meet demand

As the program gains in popularity, especially in Delaware where deliveries have increased year by year, there is a need for more volunteers to help shoulder the lasagna load, Cassarino says.

There is a “Get Involved” tab on the website, leading potential volunteers to more information and a registration form where they can choose how often they want to bake (once a week, every other week, once a month or just for one time) and how many miles they are willing to drive to make a delivery. Participation is entirely based on the volunteer’s individual schedule and availability.

The core values of the program, which include being respectful, non-judgmental and empowering those you help, are what helped Cassarino make her decision to join last January.

“It’s not easy for people to ask for help, especially nowadays with some people experiencing financial and food insecurities for the first time,” she says. “I’ve delivered to many people who tell me they’re going to give back and pay it forward when they can ― that’s so inspiring.

“The rewards are immeasurable when you’re helping your neighbors, spreading love one lasagna at a time.”

The joy of giving

For those receiving a lasagna, the benefits are obvious: a free home-cooked meal with heaping side of love and support at a time when it’s most needed.

In the face of such selfless generosity, the recipients sometimes get a little choked up at the door or message back even before the volunteer has returned home to thank them or explain how much they are enjoying the volunteer’s cheesy creation.

Bellefonte’s Vickie Tully began volunteering in 2020 and goes the extra mile for her matches. Along with a lasagna she’s made in her tiny kitchen ― sometimes with the songs of Frank Sinatra playing in the background ― she will deliver a loaf of Italian bread and a dessert picked up at her local Acme to make it a full meal.

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“My heart breaks when I make deliveries sometimes,” she says, seeing firsthand the situation the lasagna-receivers are in, whether it’s living in poverty or a grandmother struggling to raise her six grandchildren. “A lot of time just need a little help and they’ll be back on their feet. And I hope by me giving now, they will give to someone else.”

Baker feels the same way as she goes from delivery to delivery, whether it’s for someone with an illness without the strength to make their own meals anymore, a woman with a broken leg recovering a hospital bed in her home or a family in a low income neighborhood just struggling to put food on the table each night.

“When we are trained, they tell us not to expect praise. It’s not about that. But there are time when you do get little nuggets of appreciation and it keeps you going,” says Baker, who also makes vegetarian lasagnas when requested, filled with zucchini, squash, peppers, carrots and more.

How to make lasagna with dry pasta

Try this affordable and easy lasagna recipe instead of the frozen stuff.

Problem Solved

‘Part of a larger universe’

Tully, who works in human resources for the Talleyville non-profit community center Siegel JCC, delivers within a 20-mile radius, bringing her lasagnas everywhere from Wilmington to Claymont, all the way south to Bear. She’s already made more than 60 and shows no signs of slowing down.

One of Tully’s deliveries was to a neighbor of hers, living only a couple of streets from Tully’s home tucked away in the quaint, tight-knit Bellefonte neighborhood east of Philadelphia Pike.

It was for a woman who just gave birth to her fourth child and her best friend had nominated her, leading to a neighborly moment as they met for the first time with a ready-to-eat dinner in Tully’s hands.

“It makes me so joyful to help like that. It’s my way of being connected to my community and being part of a larger universe, if you will,” she says, wearing a t-shirt with the word “LOVE” printed in capital letters across the chest. “I do this because I truly want to take a worry off the table for just one day and when I do, I feel like I’ve made a contribution.

“As you get older, different things matter to you. When I leave this Earth, no one’s going to remember me, but that’s OK because I left it a better place than before I started helping these families.”

Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and X (@ryancormier).

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Delaware

Supreme Court says local elections board must hear residency challenge

Published

11 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Supreme Court says local elections board must hear residency challenge

The Ohio Supreme Court has ordered the Delaware County Board of Elections to hold a hearing on a residency challenge.
The challenge questions whether board member Melanie Leneghan, who is running for reelection on the state GOP central committee, lives in Ohio.
A previous hearing could not proceed after three of the four board members, including Leneghan, recused themselves.

In the latest development in the ongoing challenge over where a Delaware County Board of Elections member actually lives, the Ohio Supreme Court has weighed in.

On March 27, the state’s high court ruled that the Delaware County elections board must hold a hearing about the challenge to Melanie Leneghan’s residency. Leneghan is running for reelection to the position of District 19 women’s representative for the Republican State Central Committee seat in the May 5 primary.

A March 5 elections board hearing could not proceed after the two Democrat members recused themselves, along with Leneghan, a Republican, and the board could not reach a quorum. After that meeting, Velva Dunn, a Delaware County Republican Party Central Committee member, asked the Ohio Supreme Court to force the board to act.

Democrat elections board members Ed Helvey and Peg Watkins both recused themselves from the March 5 decision, citing concerns that any action they took could be perceived as partisan. Leneghan also recused herself.

Dunn challenged Leneghan’s ability to vote in Ohio, claiming Leneghan lives in South Carolina. Leneghan has denied the allegations, saying she lives in Ohio but travels out of state for work and to visit her daughter, who attends college in South Carolina. Leneghan owns two homes there.

She sold her Delaware County home in 2025 and is registered to vote at a house in Galena, of which she became a listed co-owner March 12 through a deed transfer that involved no monetary exchange, records from the county auditor’s office show.

Ohio does not have any known requirements about the amount of time a person needs to live in Ohio to be considered a resident. Voters must be a resident for at least 30 days before the election to be eligible to vote.

Ohio also does not have a process outlined in law for how recusals of elections board members should be handled. Those boards each comprise two Democrats and two Republicans.

In its ruling, the Ohio Supreme Court said Helvey, Watkins and Republican Steve Cuckler, the fourth board member, must hold a hearing about Leneghan’s challenge “forthwith.” It was not immediately clear when that meeting would take place.

Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.

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Delaware

50 boys outdoor track and field athletes to watch in Delaware in 2026

Published

23 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

50 boys outdoor track and field athletes to watch in Delaware in 2026

Since the start of 2025, Delaware boys track and field athletes have set 11 state records between the indoor and outdoor seasons.

After a winter season in which 17 performances reached the top five on the state all-time list, Delaware appears poised for another strong spring.

Our list of track and field athletes to watch (presented alphabetically) features athletes from 24 schools who compete in sprints, distance races, throws and jumps. They are the athletes we expect to be among the state’s leaders at the DIAA Championships at Dover High on May 15-16 although many new names could emerge by then.

After defending its indoor track and field state title, Middletown is in search of its second straight Division I championship. Saint Mark’s enters the season as the Division II winner in three of the past four seasons.

2026 Delaware boys track and field athletes to watch

Elijah Annan, sr., Dover

Jason Baker, sr., Cape Henlopen

Derick Belle, sr., Odessa

Suhayl Benson, jr., Howard

Shaun Bosman, sr., Christiana

Elijah Burke, sr., Saint Mark’s

Khalid Burton, sr., Laurel

Isaiah Charles, jr., Caravel

Chukwuma Chukwuocha, jr., Wilmington Friends

Timothy Claessens, jr., Newark Charter

Rodney Coker, so., Odessa

Jaheim Cole, sr., Dover

Josh Cox, sr., Archmere

Calvin Davis, fr., A.I. du Pont

James Dempsey, jr., Salesianum

Will DiPaolo, sr., Cape Henlopen

Logan Elmore, jr., Middletown

Dahani Everett, sr., Caesar Rodney

Jayden Feaster, sr., Middletown

Gabe Harris, sr., Caesar Rodney

Phoenix Henriquez, sr., Smyrna

Christian Jenerette, sr., Odessa

Brandon Jervey, jr., Middletown

Mekhi Jimperson, sr., Caesar Rodney

Benjamin Johnson, jr., Dickinson

Michka Johnson, sr., Hodgson

Trey Johnson, sr., Cape Henlopen

Amir Jones-Branch, sr., Middletown

Alec Jurgaitis, sr., Saint Mark’s

Gavin Leffler, sr., Tatnall

Elijah MacFarlane, sr., Caesar Rodney

Max Martire, sr., Tatnall

Dylan McCarthy, sr., Tatnall

Chase Mellen, so., Salesianum

Zamir Miller, sr., Middletown

Ryan Moody, sr., Sussex Academy

Wayne Roberts, jr., Appoquinimink

Elijah Tackett, sr., Dover

Kai Thornton, sr., Sussex Central

Marc Patterson, sr., Dover

Charles Prosser, so., Salesianum

Riley Robinson, fr., Middletown

Roan Samuels, sr., Salesianum

Douglas Simpson, jr., Cape Henlopen

Jessie Standard, jr., Middletown

Riley Stazzone, sr., Cape Henlopen

Jamar Taylor, jr., Salesianum

Jordan Welch, sr., Sussex Tech

Brandon Williams, sr., Charter of Wilmington

Xzavier Yarborough, jr., Dover

Brandon Holveck reports on high school sports for The News Journal. Contact him at bholveck@delawareonline.com.

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Delaware

DNREC’s decision to prohibit data center upheld by state board

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

DNREC’s decision to prohibit data center upheld by state board

A Delaware board upheld the state environmental agency’s decision to prohibit the “Project Washington” data center.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) ruled the project violated the 1971 Coastal Zone Act.
The developer, Starwood Digital Ventures, argued the project’s infrastructure did not fall under the act’s regulations.

Project Washington’s prospects in Delaware appear murkier after a board stood on the state environmental agency’s decision to prohibit the data center proposal.

The public hearings with the Coastal Zone Industrial Control Board kicked off in Dover on March 24 at the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Auditorium near Legislative Hall. It finished on March 26 after days of testimony from witnesses supporting and opposing the DNREC decision on the data center, which would be the largest in the state.

Project Washington was prohibited by DNREC in February because the agency said it violated the Coastal Zone Act, which was signed in 1971. Project Washington’s developer, Starwood Digital Ventures, filed an appeal of that decision soon after.

A little more than 30 people attended the meeting on March 24. It was modeled more like a court hearing than a public government meeting. The next two days included testimony from witnesses from both Starwood Digital Ventures’ and DNREC’s attorneys.

The Coastal Zone board consists of nine members, five of which are appointed by the governor and approved by the state Senate. Four other members are the state director of the Division of Small Business and Tourism and the chairs of the planning commissions of each county.

It’s the first time this assembly of the board has been called to action. Board members said they are making decisions on a fact and law basis, and are trying to cut out the noise this project has caused on social media and in other public meetings.

Witnesses and experts explained a ton of technical definitions for generators and got into the nitty-gritty of emissions and infrastructure. It was up to the board to take those facts in stride and make their decision.

“What we have to do is come back to the purpose of the appeal,” said Willie Scott, a member of the board during a break between sessions on March 24.

They voted unanimously to uphold the DNREC decision to prohibit the project based on the Coastal Zone Act.

Courtroom-like arguments for and against the data center

The hearing on March 24 began with opening arguments. Attorneys for Starwood Digital Ventures, Project Washington’s developer, argued that Project Washington’s purpose and infrastructure fall outside of the Coastal Zone Act’s regulations, and that DNREC’s definitions of smokestacks and tank farms are flawed.

“It fails every element of the statutory definition, as interpreted by the Delaware Supreme Court and the Delaware Superior Court,” said Jeff Moyer, an attorney representing Starwood. “Its limited diesel infrastructure is not a tank farm within any reasonable meaning of that term, and each of the core three functions of Project Washington – data storage, electrical infrastructure and backup power – are all expressly not regulated.”

DNREC’s attorneys argued the data center campuses fall under heavy industry in a modern context, and it is the kind of project the act is intended to kill. They also argued it has a potential to pollute when backup generators are working if the power fails.

“The law requires that it be prohibited, not recharacterized, not broken into pieces and minimized, but prohibited,” said Michael Hoffman, attorney representing DNREC. “Over the course of the next few days, we will show that Starwood’s proposed hyperscale data center is one such project.”

Closing arguments on March 26 reiterated arguments from both sides, and the board voted to stand with DNREC.

How Project Washington and DNREC got here

The Coastal Zone Act prevents heavy industrial projects from developing along the Delaware River and Bay, Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, Atlantic Ocean, Indian River Bay and other Sussex County bays. The 14 projects that have been grandfathered include the Delaware City Refinery and the Port of Wilmington.

Project Washington’s proposed site falls within the defined coastal zone, which extends west to Dupont Highway in that specific spot. In February, DNREC said the massive data center is prohibited, stifling the project while it worked through state and county permits.

It would be 11 two-story data center buildings surrounded by electrical fields on two large land parcels north of Delaware City accessible by Hamburg Road, Governor Lea Road and River Road.

DNREC’s beef with the project is in the backup generators and their accompanying diesel tanks. The data center is proposed to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. If power goes out, it needs to use the backup generators to keep running. DNREC’s decision says the project includes some 516 double-walled diesel fuel belly tanks, each capable of storing some 5,020 gallons of fuel. That’s about five acres of tank farm.

There would be 516 backup generators with 516 smokestacks, which DNREC said in its original decision is the exact type of infrastructure the Coastal Zone Act targets by prohibiting “heavy industrial” projects.

Starwood Digital Ventures, appealed the decision, mentioning countervailing factors including avoiding wetlands, no direct surface water discharges and projected economic benefits.

Their appeal said the original DNREC decision “solely focuses on alleged environmental risk and worst-case emissions, and does not fairly weigh or explain these countervailing factors in light of regulating criteria.”

Jim Lamb, who is handling media communication for the project, said the backup generators would only run 37 to 45 minutes per month just to test if they are operational. Project Washington will also use a closed-loop cooling system, limiting its water intake.

The appeal required a hearing, which is the first time the board made a decision since 2021.

The developer of the project did not immediately respond to Delaware Online/The News Journal’s request for comment. New Castle County officials did not immediately respond to either.

Shane Brennan covers Wilmington and other Delaware issues. Reach out with ideas, tips or feedback at slbrennan@delawareonline.com.

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