Every Meal

Every Meal is on a mission to fight child hunger. We focus our efforts on filling the food gaps children face when they’re not able to access school meal programs. Through our multiple food gap programs, we provide children and families experiencing food insecurity with access to “good food” that is nutritious, delicious, and relevant, in approximately 368 schools throughout Minnesota.

Every Meal’s mission is to fight child hunger through community and school partnerships. We focus on filling the food gaps children face, especially on weekends. We provide children experiencing food insecurity who don’t have consistent access to enough food for an active and healthy life with “good food” that is nutritious, delicious, and relevant. Our Weekend Meal Program is currently offered in 368 schools across 39 districts throughout Minnesota, serving nearly 12,000 students each week.

Every Meal improves food access by providing free, nutritious meals during times when kids lack school food, such as weekends. No qualifications or personal info are required, and enrollment is quick and available in 8 languages. By delivering food directly to schools, they remove transportation barriers. They also focus on serving food deserts, areas with low income and limited access to healthy food, ensuring consistent support where it's needed most.

Every Meal is almost entirely community-funded and relies on the community to fullfil its mission. To meet nutritional standards and bulk needs, 96% of the food is purchased. It costs $440 for one student to receive meal bags for a school year, covering food, staff time, enrollment materials, and transportation. Each bag contains enough food for approximately four meals, helping ensure children have consistent access to nutritious food.

By providing reliable access to nutritious meals, the program supports family stability, enhances students’ ability to learn, and promotes long-term economic mobility. Between 2019 and 2024, food prices increased by 28% (The Food Group), forcing many families to choose between food and other essentials like housing, healthcare, transportation, and childcare. Our goal is to relieve some of those financial pressures, helping communities grow stronger and more economically secure,