Prayer & Pasta: Make a Difference by Making a Meal – Italy & Louisiana Disaster Assistance

August 26, 2016 - by Teresa Tomeo

There is much to say about the importance of breaking bread together as a family. Catholics, of course, have a deeper understanding of the many connections between of food and faith because of the Eucharist. Jesus is “the bread of life” and in the Church we take that quite literally. But the idea of “family meal time” is also a great way to witness to the secular world about the love of God.

Case in point would be the two disasters that have been making international headlines: the earthquake in central Italy and the flooding in Baton Rouge.

I came across an interesting article on a favorite Italy travel website of mine which suggested folks whip up a pasta dish, Amatriciana, named after the town most impacted by the quake – Amatrice. The writer suggested snapping photos of the pasta prep, and then sharing the pictures online with a link to a charity supporting the victims especially since the town was scheduled this weekend to have their annual Amatriciana festival.

Think about the impact, first of all, this could have on your immediate circle of relatives and friends.  What a great message to send to your children as you are cooking and talking about reaching out to those impacted by the disasters. And think about how touching this will be for those seeing your images on Pinterest, Facebook, or Twitter. I’m including some recipes in this blog as well as some other helpful links. Make a meal and make a difference. Sounds like a good plan to me. Now get cooking.

Here is an amazing collection of Cajun recipes from Jeff Young, The Catholic Foodie, who is a native of Louisiana:

Excellent ways of helping the victims of the Great Flood of 2016 in Louisiana:

Choose one of these wonderful recipes for Amatriciana Sauce to show on your Pinterest or Facebook while promoting help for Italy.

Donate to help the earthquake victims: Caritas Italy