Every Meal

In the fall of 2010, the principal at Las Estrellas (formerly Sheridan Elementary) told Mill City Church and Every Meal founder, Rob Williams, her students didn't have enough food on the weekends and asked if they could help. In response, they provided meal bags each Friday and the organization was born. Since then, the organization has worked tirelessly to remove the barriers to food access that so many children face. Every Meal has provided over 11.2 million meals to thousands of children who are living in food insecurity.Every Meal (formerly The Sheridan Story) works to fight child hunger in Minnesota by filling the gaps that children face during weekends, summers, and extended breaks when they are not in school to access meal programs. Through a network of over 791 partner organizations, Every Meal provides thousands of children with the food they need to learn and grow.A differentiator of Every Meal is the quality of food provided. Over 99% of our food is purchased from over 23 local, national, and global vendors. Food items and brands are determined through guidance from on-staff registered dieticians who analyze nutritional contents and taste to ensure that the food is nutritious, delicious, and relevant.Investing in technology and leveraging purchases at scale has allowed Every Meal to provide a greater variety of high-quality food while reducing costs. These efforts have resulted in a wider range of food options available to children including regionally specific beans, specialized grains and flours, and favorable vegetables and fruits for various cultural cooking needs. Regular taste testing, nutrition analysis, and feedback from families helps ensure children receive food that is nutritious, delicious, and culturally and situationally relevant.Every Meal revamped distribution methodology to enhance school support post-COVID-19. Program staff proactively trained partners on new more effective processes, and utilized emails, calls, and visits to ensure smooth food delivery to children while monitoring inventory.To combat inflation and supply chain disruptions, Every Meal stabilized and streamlined inventory, purchasing, and demand forecasting. This effort maintained consistent food costs while effectively addressing the high demand in fall 2022.Other innovative programs, like the Grow and Give program have continued. Produce grown in Every Meal Garden was combined with produce donated by individuals and Grow and Give partner organizations to be distributed weekly to children in Minnesota throughout the summer months.