Advice on Helping a Neighbor Who Lost Her Husband

Start w/a sympathy card. Include your full name, kids names, phone number, email, etc. Try to hand deliver personally to meet her again. Let her know you'd like to help but don't want to be intrusive. She'll appreciate it.

Once confident in your friendship, offer playdates...a trip to McDonalds or bring in lunch. She might have family to help but sometimes girlfriends are better for conversation.
You are a true friend. Give it time, she'll come around but it might take a few months. She has a lot to sort out.

I agree with the others on making dinners, and I'd take it a step further and make a couple frozen dinners. Lasagna is easy to freeze, as well as Enchhiladas, Stuffed Shells...something she can store away for when she's having an especially hard day.

If her kids are young...maybe some coloring books, playdo or something they can play while she needs a moment.

This is tough, and you don't know her well yet - but that's how friendships start.

My bro-in-law was just diagnosed with cancer, and it's AMAZING how many of their neighbors have come over in support of my sister - they have cooked for 15days (she has 4 kids)...as well as given gas cards to get to/from the hospital.

This is a time she'll need support - old friends or new ones.

Best Wishes!
L

I would donate to the fund that was set up. Also, maybe you and a couple neighbors could each decide on a night of cooking for them. One neighbor could do Mondays, one Tuesdays... and simply deliver it in a cooler and leave it on the doorstep for them. I am so sorry to hear this happened. I will pray for their family.

I'm sure she's probably in shut down mode right now. Just like when someone is very sick or had surgery, cooking and delivering dinner is always a very nice offering and usually happily excepted. Check with some of the other families in your neighborhood and create a sign-up sheet where they can commit to cooking dinner and have a family deliver 1 meal per week. Something large enough that can be reheated and eaten over several days. So that way you have a weekly sign-up. Asking if she needs anything will probably just lead to her saying "no thanks" so when it snows just send your husband over to shovel and put down salt. Don't ask, just do it. Not that you want to clean her bathroom and run her errands but those little things will go a long way for her.