Million Meal Movement
Fighting Hunger at Home
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Hunger isn’t just a third-world problem. In Indiana alone, 1 million people - including 1 in 5 children - don’t know where they’ll get their next meal. The Million Meal Movement® has a two-fold vision: feeding the hungry and teaching the importance of volunteerism. We feed the hungry in our community by working with local food banks to deliver meals to more than 600 food pantries throughout Indiana. We empower volunteers of all ages and backgrounds to make a difference through hands-on, high-energy meal packing events. We exist for those who are hungry— hungry for a warm meal, hungry for a mission, hungry to make a difference. We pack more than meals. We pack compassion.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Million Meal Marathon
The annual Million Meal Marathon is our largest packing event of the year. We bring together approximately 2,500 volunteers to pack one million meals in one day.
The event raises awareness for our organization and distributes over 600,000 meals to food banks throughout Indiana and provides volunteer opportunities for corporations, youth organizations, schools, churches, and families.
The Marathon is a hands-on volunteer opportunity that people of all ages, both young children and the elderly, can come together and serve the community. The volunteers will be working together in an assembly line to fill bags with high-quality white rice, fortified crushed soy, a blend of six dehydrated vegetables, and a powder mix with 21 vitamins and minerals. Each filled bag provides six meals.
Meal Packing Program
Million Meal Movement hosts meal packing events in which volunteers work together via an assembly line process to package a Macaroni & Cheese or Rice & Soy Dinner. Volunteers measure and pour the ingredients that make up our nutritionally complete meals. The meals are then weighed, sealed, and packed in a box. Our volunteers can pack 100-150 meals per hour (depending on age). The meals are delivered to local food banks or food pantries. These shelf-stable meals are easy for recipients to prepare, require no extra ingredients aside from water, and are fortified with Vitamin D and Calcium. When cooked, each package feeds (4) individuals.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of food donation partners
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Meal Packing Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
97 food pantries / food banks were served throughout the year 2021 packed meals throughout of the state of Indiana.
Estimated dollar value of food donations distributed to community feedings programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Meal Packing Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Estimated value of food donated to food pantries/food banks throughout the state of Indiana.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Meal Packing Program
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We fight hunger at home by partnering with groups small and large to pack nutritious, shelf-stable meals. Our meals go directly to local food banks and food pantries, providing millions of meals to hungry Hoosiers every year. We package healthy, delicious ingredients into our meals designed to satisfy hunger while providing essential nutrients. Our impact extends far beyond packing meals. We believe volunteering is critical to community development, so we make it a priority to educate youth about the importance of serving their communities and the difference one individual can make. Since our founding in 2007, volunteers have packed over 33 million meals to feed families throughout Indiana and the region. Join us today and take a stand against hunger.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our current strategy revolves around two key initiatives:
Million Meal Marathon: This one-day meal-packing marathon held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in partnership with the Pacers Sports & Entertainment is our signature event. Thousands of Hoosiers gather in an attempt to pack one million meals in one day. We believe that bringing together a diverse group of people to work together towards the goal of fighting hunger at home has an incredible impact on the community. The 12th Annual Million Meal Marathon will take place on October 25, 2022. Sponsorships and contributions make this event a major success!
Sponsored Meal Packs: This hands-on, high-energy, team-building experience allows corporate, church, and school volunteers to pack meals to benefit hungry Hoosiers. Pack on-site at our Indianapolis headquarters, or let us come to you. In just two hours, a participant can pack 400 meals. We work with local distributors, including Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana and Midwest Food Bank, to deliver these meals to over 600 food pantries throughout the region.
Our strategic plan in the next 3-5 years is to:
• Grow into other cities and reach out to major national accounts.
• Increase our regional penetration and focus on different categories of meals.
• Expand into more corporate sponsorships, religious organizations, and educational institutions.
• More fundraising through charitable events, including the Swing Away Hunger Charity Golf Tournament.
• Encourage more individual donations through Venmo, Dipjar at events, and online donations.
• Grow recurring donations through our Hunger Fighting Champions program, a dedicated community of monthly givers.
• More marketing and website improvements as well as continue social media penetration.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Through our very talented staff, Board of Directors, and wealth of volunteers. We have the marketing, financial and organizational know-how to make this happen. However, in order to continue to support our growth, we will have to grow in staff, volunteers, and outreach. We are looking to add 2 additional board members who will have high-level corporate contacts and fundraising knowledge to meet our increased expenses. We continue to develop our staff and just completed an extensive Human Resouces Audit with a local HR consulting company. We intend to increase our sales team and target them to more specialized sponsorship opportunities (divided by corporate accounts, schools/universities, and religious institutions). We also plan to institute a more formalized Sponsor Retention Program: Recognition (Plaques/trophies and thank you) and Retention (Letting them know where the food ended up). We have implemented a donor management CRM to help us grow, nurture, and retain our donors.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since 2007, we have packed over 33 million meals for the hungry in Indiana. We are self-sufficient, financially stable, and have strong corporate partnerships that continue to grow. We recently finalized the development of our new Macaroni & Cheese Meal. Our annual Million Meal Marathon is a significant media and food packing event in partnership with the Pacers Sports & Entertainment, with thousands of volunteers, and we believe we are helping to pave the way for a new generation of volunteerism. In 2021, we packaged 1.1 million meals and engaged over 6700 volunteers.
Every day we are making progress towards our vision: an Indiana where Hoosiers can hunger for something greater than their next meal.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Million Meal Movement
Board of directorsas of 10/30/2023
Mr. Dan Hintz
UBS Financial
Term: 2007 -
Nancy Hintz
Global BioAg Linkages
Bruce Blumberg
Blumberg Wealth Management
Chris Cimaglio
BEST Human Capital & Advisory Group
Chris Evans
American Century Investments
Dan Hintz
UBS Financial
Andrew Ackermann
MCM CPAs & Advisors
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 10/30/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.