Weekend Meal Affiliates are education sites that use Every Meal food bags but operate their own program to serve kids on the weekends. This affiliate program aims to close the weekend food gap for children, similar to our Weekend Meal Program, but in a different partnership model to help reach more communities in Minnesota.
Every Meal handles all logistics including food sourcing, inventory management, and delivering food bags to sites. Weekend Meal Affiliates run all other aspects of the program and reimburse Every Meal for the cost of the food bags.
| Weekend Meal Affiliates | Weekend Meal Program | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Weekend Meal Affiliates are education sites that use Every Meal food bags. |
Every week during the school year students enrolled in the program receive a 4-5 lb food bag in their backpack. |
| Time Frame | Year-round | School year |
| Every Meal’s Role | Every Meal handles all logistics including sourcing, inventory management, and delivering food bags to schools. | Every Meal handles all logistics including sourcing, inventory management, and delivering food bags to schools. Every Meal also provides support, including enrollment forms, marketing materials, food bag distribution, volunteers, and program evaluation. |
| Weekend Meal Affiliate’s Role | The affiliate runs all other aspects of the program including determining food distribution and placing food bag orders, as needed. | The school implements the Weekend Meal Program with support from an Every Meal Program Coordinator. |
| Cost | Affiliate covers subsidized costs of food bags. | Every Meal covers the cost. |
The benefit of partnering with Every Meal is an improved impact on the children being served. Students receive food bags that are tailored to various cultural dietary preferences or situational needs, and are appropriately sized to fit in their backpacks. Schools receive expert food sourcing and assurance that food provided meets our nutrition standards for children and youth.
To learn more or to start a conversation about how we can partner, please fill out this form.