<p>^^^What considerate friends!</p>
<p>I also want to say that it is very kind of you to want to do something and to go to the trouble of asking for advice and to be culturally sensitive. Not to give you an assignment, but if you are a particularly close friend, and live nearby, you could offer to help pick up after the visitors leave. There is usually a lot of plates, cups, etc., and the mourners are usually kind of strung out from the whole process. When my mom died, a friend of mine was so helpful, people thought she must have been one of my relatives. I won’t forget that.</p>
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That’s a wonderful gesture, and very kind. Just note that shiva (the period of mourning) does not actually begin until after the burial.</p>