The Hope for the Hungry 2025 event team quickly agreed on which meal-packing options from Meals of Hope they liked best. However, it took a bit of serious consideration and deliberation to finalize which meal we’d be packing on Saturday, April 26th.
Among the array of seven meal choices, Chicken-flavored Veggie Rice Soup, Pasta & Tomato Sauce, Lentils & Rice, Soy Chicken, Mac’n Cheese, Oatmeal, and even Beans & Rice, each had its pros and cons. Textures, ingredients, and spice flavoring were discussed, but only briefly. Ultimately, the one overriding decision factor was taste
There was one other consideration: the fact that it wasn’t us who would eventually be eating the meal; it would be those in surrounding communities struggling with food insecurity. And that’s why we turned to the Merrimack Valley Food Bank experts for their opinion of which meal would be most liked by recipients in the 30-plus communities they supply. An MVBF representative who had also tasted the options with us gave us our hoped-for agreement with our choice.
The winner – MAC ‘N CHEESE!