By Patricia Hoffman
Tucked away in the southwestern corner of Roseville in an unassuming building is an organization with an ambitious vision: to end childhood hunger.
Every Meal’s founder, Rob Williams, said the nonprofit’s 25 staff members and nearly 5,000 volunteers are united by that same passion.
For Williams, a former supply chain manager, the vision began in 2010 when the principal of Sheridan Elementary School told attendees at Mill City Church that students were sneaking leftover cafeteria food into their backpacks before the weekend. They knew there would be little to eat at home.
The church, which met on weekends at Sheridan, brainstormed how to help. Members came up with a plan for volunteers to gather food to pack and distribute to children on Fridays. That first year, 27 children were helped.
Fast forward to 2025, and students at more than 400 schools across Minnesota now receive food discreetly placed in their backpacks before heading home for the weekend.
Katie Semersky, who has volunteered with Every Meal since retiring from a career in food manufacturing, said she was drawn to the work as a way to reconnect with her community. She has served in almost every role—from administrative work to packing food to delivering it to the school where her church partners.
“All the volunteers I meet are passionate about ending childhood hunger,” Semersky said, adding that the nonprofit offers a wide range of roles with flexible time commitments.
But the need continues to outpace Every Meal’s capacity. Currently, 172 schools are on a waiting list to participate.
Though the organization has recently expanded its facility, new tariffs and rising food costs have complicated plans to scale up. “The impact of that can’t be overstated,” said Williams. “Every school has kids who are food insecure.”
Every Meal receives no federal funding. Instead, it is supported by individual donations, grants, and organizational and church sponsors. A capital campaign aims to raise $2 million each year to purchase nutritious, nonperishable food. While cheaper options exist, Williams said the organization is committed to addressing more than hunger—they want to fuel children’s brain development and well-being.
All food items meet nutritional guidelines, are approved by registered dietitians, and are taste-tested by recipients.
Families can sign up to receive a free food bag every weekend and choose from five options tailored to dietary preferences:
- Green bags include a broad range of foods like chicken, tuna, pasta, rice, and fruits and vegetables.
- Purple bags reflect Southeast Asian preferences and may contain rice noodles, coconut milk, curry paste, green beans, or mandarin oranges.
- Orange bags reflect Latino preferences and may include rice, black beans, corn flour, enchilada sauce, or diced chiles.
- Yellow bags are ready-to-eat for families with unstable housing and contain items like dried fruit, tuna salad, sunflower seeds, granola, or soup.
From the beginning, Every Meal has used data to guide its decisions and maximize nutritional impact. After becoming an official nonprofit in 2013–14, it piloted programs in five schools to identify barriers in food sourcing, storage, packing, and delivery.
The organization found that building relationships with schools was key. Its model now pairs a church or volunteer group with a specific school to ensure food is packed and distributed directly to students’ backpacks.
More information is available at everymeal.org.
Asked about his hopes for the future, Williams said: “If everyone identified something they were passionate about and did something about it—most likely by joining an organization, because no one can do it alone—that would make a huge impact.”
Top photo: Photo courtesy of Every Meal.
