Budget

A partnership with a local public high school’s CA-CTE program or a nonprofit can keep costs low and provide service to local families with low income. These partnerships can provide access to resources such as kitchen facilities, staff or volunteers, supplier relationships, and storage space, which can reduce the costs associated with ingredient procurement, kit preparation, and pick-up site identification. In addition, these partnerships can also help to build community support for the program including raising awareness about the program through outreach and marketing efforts, as well as leveraging existing networks to identify and serve families in need.  By leveraging existing resources and community support, the program can be more effective and sustainable over time. 

Funding Sources

The funds required to develop and implement a meal kit program can be obtained through a variety of sources, including:

• Federal and State grants

  Federal agencies such as the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and State agencies such as the Department of Health or Department of Health and Human Services offer grants to organizations to ensure food safety and security and enhance human nutrition.

• Private donations

  Private individuals and organizations can donate funds to support meal kit programs. This can be done through fundraising campaigns or direct donations to the organization providing the meal kits. Charitable contributions can be considered as an itemized deduction on annual tax returns. Private donors can verify any applicable limitations.

• Corporate sponsorships

  Companies may sponsor meal kit programs as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives. This can include providing financial support, as well as in-kind donations such as packaging or ingredients. This iteration of the meal kit program was funded by Walmart Foundation.

• Crowdfunding

  Meal kit programs can also be funded through crowdfunding campaigns, where individuals contribute money to support the program.

• Non-profit organizations

  Non-profit organizations that focus on food security or hunger relief may provide funding to support meal kit programs. This program partnered with 4Roots ( a non-profit in Orange County) to prepare the kits, which reduced the labor costs.

• Partnerships with grocery stores or food suppliers

  These partnerships can provide access to discounted or donated ingredients, which can help reduce costs and make the program more sustainable.

• Partnerships with educational programs

  A partnership with a local public high school’s CA-CTE program or a nonprofit can keep costs low and provide service to local families with low income by decreasing the costs for the intervention through ingredients procurement, kit preparation and serving as a pick-up site.

It may be necessary to partner with multiple entities to secure the resources required to sustain the program long term.