Millions of families across the country rely on school meal programs for their children year-round. When COVID-19 abruptly forced school closures, the Baylor University Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty quickly mobilized to meet considerable need, utilizing an innovative original program.
“Meals-to-You” began as a Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty pilot program in 2019 to provide nourishing, shelf-stable meals through the mail to families in rural areas across Texas. Many rural Americans, far away from the nearest community or school, cannot easily access food site programs when school is out. The unique Meals-to-You model led the U.S. Department of Agriculture to call on the Baylor’s assistance during the COVID-19 public health crisis. In partnership with the USDA, McLane Global and PepsiCo, the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty twice scaled the program nationally—now providing 5 million meals to rural schoolchildren in 38 states and Puerto Rico.