Food and Funeral Receptions

When planning funeral receptions at funeral homes in Burtonsville, MD, be sure to include food as part of your reception. Food brings people together and it gives those who attend an opportunity to relax and share warm memories and stories with each other, including the grieving family, about the loved one who has died.

There are many types of food that you can serve at a funeral reception. The funeral director may have caterers available to provide food, or friends may get together to provide it. Food selections can range from a full meal – usually, a potluck where each family brings a dish to be shared – or light snacks.

The timing of the funeral service or graveside service will usually determine what kind of food is served at the funeral reception afterward. If the funeral service or graveside service is held in the middle of the morning, a potluck or catered full meal is often served at the funeral reception. If the funeral service or graveside service is held in the early afternoon, often the food served at the funeral reception will be much lighter fare.

It’s easy to plan what type of food to serve at a funeral reception if it’s a full meal, but you may have a more difficult time deciding what kind of foods to serve if a full meal is not being served. Here are some suggestions that will make your planning easier.

For funeral receptions where a full meal won’t be served, it’s best to stick with a particular type of food instead of trying to provide a variety of different types of food.

Be sure, if you don’t have the funeral home cater the food, that you designate someone – either a friend or a church member, if you’re holding the reception at a church – to organize and assign people to bring the food so you don’t have to add this to your personal funeral tasks to complete.

One type of food that you can serve at a funeral reception is a salad bar. Include a wide variety of greens, fruits, vegetables, and cheeses, along with salad dressings. Having a salad bar is a healthy way to allow everyone to eat, and each person can choose how much they want to eat. For some people attending the funeral reception, this may be their lunch or main meal. For others, it may just be a healthy and light snack.

Another type of food that is popular at funeral receptions are dessert bars. Sweet food offerings bring comfort and they can encourage people to grab an extra couple of coffee and stay a little longer to provide comfort and support. Since many people love to bake, this will give them an opportunity to contribute to the funeral. There should also be fruit and

Sandwiches, chips, and vegetable plates are also a good type of food to serve at funeral receptions. Be sure to have enough varieties of sandwiches to feed children (think peanut butter and jelly) and people who may prefer not to eat meat (vegetable fillings). For sanitation purposes, having individual bags of chips is a good option.

Another idea for light fare at a funeral reception is to provide a fruit, cheese, and crackers bar. Have a variety of crackers, fresh fruit, and cheeses that can satisfy any palate (you can use more pungent cheeses like blue cheese and goat cheese, but the majority of cheeses should be mild in flavor).

If you’d like to know more about funeral reception foods at funeral homes in Burtonsville, MD, you can talk with our knowledgeable team at Donald V. Borgwardt Funeral Home, P.A.