Workers preparing fries in paper boxes in a kitchen setting.

Torn paper edge with a textured surface and white background

Collective IMPACT

Family Meal is an innovative, food security and nutrition program that has made a significant impact in Sacramento, CA and beyond.

Measured Impact

$5.4 Million*

ECONOMIC IMPACT

30+

growing partnerships

*Calculated based on the value impact of money invested directly in restaurants and the local economy as a result. It is estimated that the economic benefit has been more than $5 million using the local economic multiplier.

750,000

MEALS DISTRIBUTED

Testimonials

Family Meal Sacramento is more than a meal program—it’s a community lifeline. By bridging local restaurants and community-based organizations with those facing food insecurity, Family Meal creates a circular benefit of nourishment, dignity, and economic resilience. The testimonials below reflect the voices of chefs, restaurant owners, and nonprofit leaders whose lives and missions have been strengthened through this collaborative effort. Their words speak to the power of coming together, not only to feed people, but to sustain community.

“Family Meal continues to be a critical component of our ability to provide healthy food to folks in our community who are hungry. Each week our guests (clients) are astounded by the offering. Many working moms leave with a sense of relief, that dinner is ready, giving them more time to help their children with schoolwork. Many seniors in our area are on the waiting list for Meals on Meals and Family Meal means they receive enough food for four, ready to eat healthy dinners for the week. We are seeing more and more Seniors taking care of their grandchildren. One guest shared, “my grandkids now live with me and my gas has been turned off, I still have a microwave and this meal means I can feed myself and my grandkids.”
- Carrie Johnson, Executive Director, Rancho Cordova Food Locker

A person in a kitchen packing cardboard food containers.

“Family Meal Sacramento has touched the lives of many families in need of nutritious meals by partnering with local restaurants like ours. It has been an honor to be part of the group’s various feeding programs offered to assist in helping feed Seniors, students, and disadvantaged families with the aid of state and local funding.
We have received many compliments from program recipients of how much the program has helped them survive the everyday struggles, not just at the height of the pandemic, but on personal levels as well.
The many programs ran by Family Meal Sacramento have tremendously helped my family-owned and operated restaurant not just survive the pandemic, but also thrive during these tough times. If it were not for the opportunity presented to us by the Family Meal Sacramento, my staff would not have the opportunity to stay employed and keeping our small restaurant open would not have been possible. It would have been safe to say we would not be still standing today if we did not have the support of Family Meals Sacramento.”
- YOLANDA GARCIA, OWNER/OPERATOR, CAFE ELK GROVE