Fighting Hunger Nationwide Starts Close to Home for Mom’s Meals

It’s hard to believe that in a state that produces so much food, one in 10 adults and one in eight children in Iowa still goes hungry every day. But it is a reality for some Iowans. And we are not alone. Nationwide, more than 44 million Americans are food insecure.

Given those statistics, there is a new sense of urgency around addressing food insecurity in our state and around the country. Mom’s Meals® is striving to be part of the solution through its company mission to improve life through better nutrition at home. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Mom’s Meals is an Iowa-based company and a leading provider of home-delivered meals in the health care industry, delivering tens of millions of medically tailored meals to any address in the United States every year.

Donating 30,000 Meals

Mom’s Meals is increasing its efforts to reduce food insecurity in the communities it serves as part of its corporate social responsibility efforts.

Through Mom’s Meals Hunger Challenge initiative, in 2024 Mom’s Meals will donate 30,000 meals to eligible people who are food insecure. The Hunger Challenge initiative builds on the 47,000 meals the company has donated over the past four years and the $252,000 in food supplies it has donated to food banks in the last five years.

A Complicated Problem

Mom’s Meals Hunger Challenge focuses on those people who are food insecure and not part of a Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver or able to access meals through another state or federally funded program. That’s crucial because in the fight against hunger, inequities complicate the picture.

For example:

• 354,130 Iowans live in poverty
• Hunger affects people in each or our 99 counties
• Black and Latino individuals can experience food insecurity at a rate over 10 times that of white or non-Hispanic people
• Food insecure families spend 20% more in total health care expenditures compared to food insecure families
• Children facing hunger are more likely to have higher risks for conditions such as anemia and asthma, and have problems in school and social situations

Partnering for Better Outcomes

Mom’s Meals corporate social responsibility efforts also include partnering with health care organizations for better outcomes, providing industry insight and engaging its employees in making a difference.

The Mom’s Meals team works closely with health plans, health care providers, state and local governments and community-based organizations to continually expand access to good nutrition for vulnerable Americans.

The organization collaborates with these entities to develop innovative programs and policies to deliver nutrition to populations in need. That work results not only in reducing food insecurity, but also driving improved health outcomes, reduced hospital readmissions and lower total health care costs.

Engaging Employees to Make a Difference

Another piece of the company’s corporate social responsibility strategy allows employees to showcase Mom’s Meals’ core values in the communities where they live, work and play.

Over the past 10 years, more than 9,500 pounds of food have been donated during the company’s employee-led food drives. In addition, team members have dedicated over 500 volunteer hours supporting Meals from the Heartland. Extending beyond their local communities, Mom’s Meals employees have also helped to donate more than $15,000 worth of supplies and food to Puerto Rico for hurricane relief.

During our 25-year history, we’ve worked to reduce food insecurity wherever we can because it’s an integral part of why we exist as an organization. However, the need is greater than it’s ever been, and we remain committed to doing our part to end food insecurity in the communities we serve.

Improving the Greater Des Moines (DSM) community through volunteering and community service is a priority for many. Thanks to community engagement opportunities and leadership connecting local businesses to causes that provide services to improve the region, DSM continues to be a place that provides support for those who live, work and play here.