Filling the Table for Kids Like Annie and Lee

An Impossible Choice

What would you do if you had to choose: pay for your cancer treatment or put food on the table for your family? For one Brooklyn Center family, that impossible choice became reality earlier this year when a cancer diagnosis changed everything.

Name and likeness changed to protect privacy.

Annie and Lee’s father had always been their family’s provider, but treatments and recovery suddenly consumed his time and energy. Unable to work, he faced not only the emotional and physical toll of cancer but the crushing weight of financial uncertainty.

That’s when their father talked with the social worker at his kids’ school, who reminded him of Every Meal—our program that provides food bags to ensure children have nourishing meals to bridge the gap from Friday afternoon through Monday morning. That Friday, Annie and Lee each came home with a bag of food in their backpack. For their family, it’s not just food, it’s a piece of stability during a very unstable time.

💬 “The meals have been essential to us during this time.”

Their story isn’t unique—it’s one of thousands we encounter each year. When Friday arrives and school meals end, many families struggle to fill the gap until Monday morning. This challenge becomes even more overwhelming when life takes an unexpected turn.

Filling the Table for More Kids

This past school year, Every Meal served over 12,000 children weekly, distributing over 1.5 million meals and pushing our facility and food storage to maximum capacity. With nearly 1 in 4 Minnesota children facing food insecurity, the need far exceeds what we can currently provide. Through our Setting the Table campaign, we’ve secured our full facility to help feed more children in our community.

New pallet racking installed in expanded warehouse space.

Thanks to the generosity of donors, we have made significant progress toward our $13.4 million goal, and now it’s time for the last step: Fill the Table. With less than $380,000 to go, all donations will go towards purchasing food and stocking our warehouse.

To help us reach our goal, the Joyful Noise Charitable Foundation is doubling every donation’s impact now through August 15. Together, we’re ensuring more children like Annie and Lee have the foundational stability of knowing where their next meal will come from.

Thank you for joining in our journey and helping make a lasting impact on the lives of children in Minnesota!