When friends or loved ones experience a loss, it’s in our nature to do everything we can to help and support them during this difficult time. Often, this means bringing something to the family to make their lives a little easier or to share in the remembrance of the loved one who was lost. If you’re unsure of what to bring a grieving family, here are ten ideas.
1. Fresh Prepared Meals
Grief can stop us dead in our tracks and make it difficult to carry out everyday tasks. Having to decide and make funeral plans can be emotionally and physically exhausting. Cooking and eating may fall to the wayside, but people still must eat and keep themselves nourished, even in times of great sorrow.
● Prepared Meals: Bringing prepared meals is a thoughtful way to help a grieving family. Even if the day is hectic or the family is too distraught to think about cooking, they will still have something to eat.
● Homecooked Comfort: Food is symbolic of love, and homecooked meals can bring comfort to the family. If possible, bring more than one meal.
● Freezer-Friendly Foods: Choose freezer-friendly foods and store them in disposable aluminium serving trays. This allows the family to heat up the meals and toss the tray away.
2. Care Packages and Groceries
Household necessities and care packages can ease the burden of everyday tasks and help the family focus on what truly matters.
● Household Necessities: Bringing the family household necessities will save them from having to make a trip to the grocery store during this difficult time. Some thoughtful necessities to bring include:
○ Paper towels and napkins
○ Toilet paper
○ Paper plates and plastic cutlery
○ Hand soap
○ Ziploc bags
○ Dishwasher detergent
● Care Packages: In times of grief, self-care often falls to the backburner. Bringing a care package with self-care items can help the family take a step back and take a little time for themselves. Include items like:
○ Soap or body wash
○ Body lotion
○ Snacks
○ Bath bombs
○ Face masks
○ Toothbrush and toothpaste
○ Deodorant
○ Mugs with teabags or coffee
○ Blankets, socks, or other comfort items
○ Journal
● Groceries: Another thoughtful idea is to bring groceries. Even if the family has received an abundance of meals from friends and loved ones, they may still need items like:
○ Milk or cream
○ Coffee and/or tea
○ Pet food
○ Bottled water or other beverages
○ Fresh produce and pantry staples (pasta, rice, canned vegetables, spices, sugar, flour)
3. Gift Card for Practical Needs or Self-Care
If you’re unsure of what to bring a grieving family or the family has already received so many meals or groceries, a gift card can be a thoughtful option.
● Practical Needs: Focus on gift cards they can use for practical needs, such as:
○ Grocery stores
○ Gas
○ Cleaning services
● Self-Care: Gift cards for self-care can also be a great option, such as:
○ Spa services
○ Restaurants
4. Sympathy Cards and Flowers
Cards and flowers are classic choices for sympathy gifts. A thoughtful card will show the family how much you care and appreciate them and are there to support them during this difficult time. Flowers can brighten up their home but also serve as a symbol of loss and love. Sometimes, it can be challenging to find the right words to express your sympathy, but you can never go wrong when you write from the heart.
5. Cremation Urns
Assisting your grieving loved one in finding a suitable memorial can help relieve much of the stress caused by planning for a funeral or celebration of life. It’s a sensitive topic, and it may take time to approach. Knowing how to speak with your loved one with a delicate touch can help with the process. Here are a few beautiful suggestions to help narrow down the search:
● Custom UV-Printed Cremation Urns: These urns convey a purity of grief and can give a sense of peace in the difficult process of accepting a loved one’s passing. Superior UV-Printing technology offers vibrant designs on a variety of different cremation urns.
● Heritage Wooden Cremation Urns: These urns are characterized by a modernization of the standard wooden box urn with a personalized brass plate. Fully customizable, they can be engraved to honour a loved one with a special and individual urn .
● The Legacy Collection by Mackenzie: These hand-sculpted cultured marble cremation urns are an artistic expression of sophistication. They can be customized with engraved brass plaques to make these memorials truly special.
● Butterfly Cremation Urns: Butterflies symbolize a beautiful balance of life and transformation. These urns are admired for their vibrant colours and resilient structure, representing a loved one’s journey and transformation.
● Hearts symbolize love and are a beautiful way to represent the love you had for the one who has passed. Heart-shaped urns remind us of those we loved in life.
● Pet Cremation Urns: Pets bring immense joy to our lives, and their passing can teach us how to let go with gentleness and grace. Memorialize and celebrate your pet with a personalized pet cremation urn.
● Keepsake and Tealight Cremation Urns: These urns are a great way for families and friends to share the ashes of a loved one. The unique healing aspect of tealight urns is the candle, which produces a warm glow symbolizing the deceased loved one's life.
6. Cremation Jewelry
While cremation urns are the most common form of storage for ashes, some people may seek different ways to memorialize their cremated loved ones. Cremation jewelry is a great method to honor a lost loved one and keep them close always.
● Ashes Jewelry: Created with a small compartment that allows for a portion of ashes or personal mementos (lock of hair, sand/soil from the scattering/burial site, dried flower petals) to be stored. Jewelry to hold ashes offers the chance to always keep a loved one close in a subtle way, allowing for private mourning.
● Cremation Beads: These beads remind us that we are entwined with our loved ones forever. Cremation bead bracelets are designed to please the eye and comfort the heart.
● Cremation Bracelets: A cremation bracelet is a treasured keepsake and a powerful symbol, a way to keep your loved one close to you.
7. Engravable Granite Plaque
A granite plaque is another wonderful way to express your sympathy and share in the remembrance of the loved one. Our engravable granite plaque allows you to include up to four lines of text and a thoughtful clipart image or custom image. A plaque is a beautiful way to remember the lost loved one and can be placed anywhere in the home.
8. Photo Frames
An engravable photo frame, like our beautiful alder wood frame, is a thoughtful way to commemorate the life of a loved one. Choose a photo that will help the family remember the joyful times spent with their loved one. With the option for custom engraved urns, you can genuinely personalize this gift.
9. Offer to Watch the Children
When visiting a grieving family, bring your time. If they have children, offer to watch them for a few hours or even overnight. Grief can be overwhelming and difficult. Even though some children may be sensitive to what’s going on, toddlers, infants, and very young children may not understand. It can be helpful to take the kids for a while to do something fun and give the parents some time to grieve or take care of arrangements.
10. Offer to Act as Chauffeur
When friends or family members are grieving, driving may not be ideal. However, if you have the time and a reliable vehicle, you can offer to chauffeur them around to handle arrangements, run errands, or just to get out of the house for a while. There are many ways to express your love and support during a time of loss. Simply picking up the phone to check in on the family or stopping by to bring a home-cooked meal can make a world of difference and bring a great deal of comfort. If you’re unsure of how to help a grieving family, these ten ideas should give you inspiration.
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FAQs
1. What are some thoughtful gifts to bring to a grieving family? Bringing prepared meals, care packages with household necessities and self-care items, gift cards, sympathy cards, flowers, cremation urns, and photo frames are all thoughtful gifts that can provide comfort to a grieving family.
2. Why are prepared meals a good idea for a grieving family? Prepared meals are a good idea because grief can make it difficult to carry out everyday tasks, including cooking. Bringing prepared meals ensures the family has something to eat without the added stress of meal preparation.
3. What should I include in a care package for a grieving family? A care package can include household necessities (like paper towels and toilet paper), self-care items (like soap, lotion, and snacks), and groceries (like milk, coffee, and fresh produce). These items help the family stay nourished and maintain their home during a difficult time.
4. How can cremation jewelry help a grieving family? Cremation jewelry allows family members to keep a small portion of their loved one's ashes or personal mementos close to them. This can provide a sense of comfort and closeness to the deceased, making it a meaningful and private way to honor their memory.
5. What is the significance of offering to watch the children for a grieving family? Watching the children gives grieving parents a break to process their emotions and handle arrangements. It provides the parents with much-needed time to themselves while ensuring the children are cared for and engaged in positive activities.
