A healthy soup (barley veggies, chicken noodles, beef veggie, etc.), sandwich fixings (deli tray), a special cake, baked pasta dish, most things easily frozen. Don’t send in a dish that needs to be returned.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about Edible Arrangements?

Personally I wouldn't send those bc they tend to have a lot of preservatives in them and that's not how my family (immediate and extended) or friends eat.

They’re also gross.

+1. Waxy chocolate and subpar fruit.

We get one every year at Thanksgiving. It is devoured in 15 minutes. I guess we like subpar fruit (no chocolate for us).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tbh. We appreciated the bottle of whisky.

I get it. You need to know the family well for this though.

+1 A friend gave me a bottle of very nice champagne when my mother died. Because I like champagne. It was not a celebration by any stretch of the imagination, so the gift really upset me.

Anonymous wrote:Tbh. We appreciated the bottle of whisky.

I get it. You need to know the family well for this though.

Another vote for Spoonful of Comfort. I like that their soups can be eaten right away or frozen.

I know this is controversial on DCUM, but my family (new baby, not grieving) really prefers homemade food over gift cards for takeout or packaged things sent to us.

A wonderful friend sent us a dozen cupcakes from local bakery, which was so nice, but we needed dinner more than dessert!

Tbh. We appreciated the bottle of whisky.

I’m the recipient in this situation now (loved one is not deceased, but terminal, and we’re getting a fair amount of deliveries already) so I can speak from my experience :
•gift cards to DoorDash/UberEats/etc OR a local restaurant group that offers takeout not just dine-in
•food that can be frozen if you know their tastes/that they have freezer capacity
•gift card to a housecleaning service. My house has gone to absolute sh*t, because I am always at my loved one’s, the hospital, appointments. But, like others have said, I know people will come by after (not so much now, because COVID is still a major concern with anyone immunocompromised/terminal) and I’m well aware that my house is not ready for company. Having someone else clean it while I was at hospital/appointments would be much appreciated.

Mac and cheese with bacon - if it is a household with kids
Home made tomato soup with a side of cream and deep fried croutons made of fresh white bread.
Chilli and cornbread
Banana nut bread, almond cookies and mango icecream for desserts
Mushroom ravioli in alfredo sauce
Chicken curry, dal, rice
Spicy idli
Japchae
Chicken gnocchi soup
Cornish hen with lemon risotto

Do you know them well enough to know any food allergies / diet restrictions etc? We have a house full of celiacs and when my MIL died we got the bagels, pasta dishes, desserts etc. All full of gluten which would make me and my kids very sick. What didn’t go to friends was thrown out.

Chick-fil-A tray. As someone else mentioned, it’s hard to eat those first few days and having something you can take a bite of here & there is helpful. It’s nice to have on hand if you end up with extra family at the house. It’s good hot or cold. Kids can make a meal of it. I also send individual snacks & juice boxes if there are kids. Stuff that people can grab without thinking.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about Edible Arrangements?

Personally I wouldn't send those bc they tend to have a lot of preservatives in them and that's not how my family (immediate and extended) or friends eat.

They’re also gross.

+1. Waxy chocolate and subpar fruit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about Edible Arrangements?

Personally I wouldn't send those bc they tend to have a lot of preservatives in them and that's not how my family (immediate and extended) or friends eat.

They’re also gross.

A compete meal. Chicken, potatoes, rolls, vegetables oe whatever your people eat

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about Edible Arrangements?

Personally I wouldn't send those bc they tend to have a lot of preservatives in them and that's not how my family (immediate and extended) or friends eat.

Its fresh fruit. From the website:
Edible Arrangements® products are made from fresh fruit with no added preservatives. (Our toppings may contain some preservatives). Please enjoy immediately, or refrigerate within 4 hours to ensure quality. Fruit Arrangements are typically made with a combination of strawberries, apples, melons, pineapples, bananas, oranges and other seasonal fruit. If you have allergies to any fruits, we recommend that you review the ingredients posted on our product pages.