Feeding people is the mission: How we do it must evolve

For more than four decades, Loaves Fishes has worked to make sure Minnesotans have access to a healthy meal. Our community meal sites remain at the heart of that work. They re places where people can sit down, enjoy a meal and feel part of a community. That hasn t changed. But how we deliver on that promise has. Today, we also rescue food, distribute it directly into communities and make it available to smaller nonprofits through our HUB program, where partners select from what we have on hand. Together, these programs account for millions of meal equivalents each year. They reach people in different ways, but each comes with its own demands on staff, transportation, storage and equipment. At St. Matthew s, our busiest meal site, we ve served roughly 7,500 meals in a month. On a busy night, hundreds of guests may arrive, even when a few volunteers don t. The protein we planned to serve might not be available. A dishwasher might break. At another site, the kitchen is smaller or