Baked Ziti and Big Hearts: A Casserole Challenge Tradition
October 22, 2024 | Jewish Traditions and Values, People in Our Neighborhood
By Alli Berger
Every year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (Giving Tuesday), volunteers in the Baltimore area donate hundreds of homemade casseroles to our annual Casserole Challenge, which helps provide much needed meals to individuals and families in need. But some volunteers truly go above and beyond.
For the last several years, Stacy Harvey, alongside co-host Amy Goldberg, has welcomed a group of neighborhood moms into her home to make delicious baked zitis to donate to our Casserole Challenge. While preparing the meals, the group enjoys spending some quality time together, strengthening friendships or forming new connections while making a difference for people experiencing food insecurity.
I asked Stacy about her love for Casserole Challenge and her commitment to giving back.
You co-host an annual casserole baking party. How did this tradition begin and how has it evolved?
Amy and I began having our casserole challenge event in my kitchen in 2018, shortly after moving into our house. I’m not sure we even had a kitchen table our first year participating. Our first year was probably our biggest with the highest number of women cooking. Since then, we’ve had less cooks in the kitchen, which has allowed for more meaningful connections to form and less stepping on toes! Our husbands, Justin, and Ben have also become involved. They have a more difficult time recruiting men to join them in the kitchen on their day, but usually have success and more patience including our kids in their process!
What is your favorite part about your annual casserole baking party?
Amy will likely laugh that I’m sharing that it’s my competitive nature that comes out for this event. Each year, I am able to feed additional families through our effort. I always strive to make more casseroles of equal quality than the prior year even if it means making a bunch in advance. Freezer space is often the biggest challenge!
I also love watching the magic happen as everyone seamlessly organizes themselves in my kitchen into roles, pairing up for efficiency. All while chatting away about life. Jewish women have an incredible ability to multitask!
If you could invite any celebrity to your casserole baking party, who would it be?
Any celebrity that would gladly come to help us clean up or run to the grocery to retrieve whatever the latest ingredient is that we ran out of.
Casserole Challenge takes place on Giving Tuesday. Can you share the different ways your family gives back and why they are important to you?
I host Beth El’s Bi-Annual blood drive. Please join us to donate on Tuesday, November 26th! I’m also an 11-gallon blood and platelet donor. Less than 3% of eligible donors in the U.S. actually donate blood and the need is constant. I feel pretty elite to be part of this esteemed group of superheroes!
[My husband] Justin and I are both involved in volunteering in the Jewish community. The Baltimore Jewish community has made us feel welcome and at home since moving here 11 years ago. We aim to give back in meaningful ways to help Jewish Baltimore continue to be a safe, thriving community.
Justin is the true superhero in our family, volunteering to coach most of our 3 daughters’ sports, being their school PTA treasurer, and serves on multiple boards. I get to just show up with snacks most of the time!
While we volunteer our time in many ways, we direct most of our financial giving now to Jewish organizations like The Associated and anything related to Israel.