What Mamas Kitchen does

Mama's Kitchen is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization (EIN: 33-0434246) founded in 1990 in San Diego, California, that provides free, home-delivered medically tailored meals to critically ill residents of San Diego County who are unable to shop for groceries or prepare meals themselves. The organization's core service is the Medically Tailored Meal Service, which delivers three daily meals plus snacks on Tuesdays and Fridays across a six-week menu cycle designed by registered dietitians and an executive chef following Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommendations, with 19 menu variations covering low-sodium, diabetic, lactose-free, vegetarian, and soft-food diets. The service is delivered across disease-specific sub-programs targeting HIV/AIDS, cancer, congestive heart failure, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and seniors, plus a Children's Nutrition Program and HIV Emergency Food Assistance pantry. Clients must be referred by qualified healthcare providers (MD, NP, PA, RD, RN, or LCSW), making healthcare provider referrals the primary client acquisition channel.

The organization is funded entirely through donations, foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, government contracts, and fundraising events — no fees are charged to clients. Revenue streams include individual donations (one-time and the Bread & Butter Club monthly giving program), corporate partnerships (Sun Life, Blue Shield California, Kaiser Permanente, Sycuan, Sysco), foundation grants (San Diego Foundation, Direct Relief, Life Science Cares San Diego), and government funding (HRSA via County of San Diego, CDBG, Ryan White Care Act). Annual fundraising events include Mama's Day (tasting event), Mama's Pies (Thanksgiving bake sale — $114,000 raised in 2023), and the Tree of Life World AIDS Day ceremony. Operations are run from a single City Heights facility at 3960 Home Avenue with approximately 50+ staff including drivers, cooks, dietitians, coordinators, and administrators, supplemented heavily by volunteer drivers using personal vehicles for home delivery. Since 1990, Mama's Kitchen has delivered over 14 million meals and currently serves approximately 2,600 individuals and families annually, delivering nearly 15,000 meals per week. The organization is the first on the West Coast and second nationally to earn Food is Medicine Coalition accreditation (May 2024).

Name

Mamas Kitchen

Legal name

Mama's Kitchen, Inc.

Website

https://mamaskitchen.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mama's Kitchen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1990 that delivers free medically tailored meals to critically ill San Diego County residents with HIV, cancer, diabetes, heart failure, or kidney disease. The organization serves 2,600+ individuals annually, delivering nearly 15,000 meals per week through healthcare provider referrals and volunteer drivers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medically Tailored Meal Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210)

akta.pro primary industry

Meal Preparation, Nutrition Support & Feeding Assistance (HLADAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Meal Preparation & Nutrition Support (Non-Medical) (HSABAAAC)

Keywords

• Medically tailored meals
• Home-delivered meals
• Disease-specific nutrition
• Food is medicine
• Chronic illness meal programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute through one-time donations, monthly recurring donations via Bread & Butter Club, and vehicle donations. Mama's Kitchen is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (EIN: 33-0434246).
2. Corporate Sponsorships & Partnerships: Corporate partners sponsor fundraising events, fund programs, volunteer in kitchen, and deliver meals. Event sponsorships at various levels.
3. Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations including Sun Life, Blue Shield California, Nailba Charitable Foundation, Meals on Wheels America, and others.
4. Government Contracts: Funded by Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) through County of San Diego, Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), and Ryan White Care Act funds.
5. Fundraising Events: Revenue from events including Mama's Day (tasting event), Mama's Pies (Thanksgiving bake sale), and Tree of Life ceremony. Mama's Pies 2023 raised $114,000.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Mama's Kitchen provides free, home-delivered medically tailored meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks) to critically ill San Diego County residents who are physically or mentally unable to prepare their own food. Eligibility is established through healthcare provider referrals, and the meals are designed by registered dietitians to address specific diagnoses including HIV/AIDS, cancer, congestive heart failure, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and senior nutrition needs, with dependent children of clients also receiving meals. Services are provided free of charge to qualifying clients, with operations funded through donations, grants, corporate sponsorships, and government contracts.

Product overview

Mama's Kitchen operates as a single unified service model providing medically tailored home-delivered meals to critically ill San Diegans. The core offering is the Medically Tailored Meal Service, which is delivered across multiple specialized sub-programs targeting specific health conditions: HIV Nutrition Program, Cancer Nutrition Program, Children's Nutrition Program, Congestive Heart Failure Nutrition Program, Type 2 Diabetes Nutrition Program, Chronic Kidney Disease Pilot Nutrition Program, Senior Nutrition Program, and Extended Eligibility through Health Plans. Supporting programs include HIV Emergency Food Assistance (grocery bags) and Nutrition Education (one-on-one dietitian sessions). The organization funds operations through events (Mama's Day tasting event, Mama's Pies bake sale, Tree of Life ceremony) and donation programs (Bread & Butter Club monthly giving, Corporate Partnerships, Legacy Club estate giving, and Vehicle Donations).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medically Tailored Meal Service Core free, home-delivered meal service providing breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks daily to individuals with critical illnesses who are physically or mentally unable to prepare meals themselves. Features a six-week dietitian-designed menu cycle following Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommendations, with 19 menu variations tailored to diagnoses. Eligibility is established through a signed healthcare provider referral and meals are delivered on Tuesdays and Fridays within San Diego County.
• HIV Nutrition Program Free daily home-delivered medically tailored meals for HIV-positive individuals in San Diego County who are mentally or physically unable to prepare meals, with meals also provided to dependent children. Funded by HRSA through the County of San Diego.
• Cancer Nutrition Program Free daily home-delivered meals to San Diego County residents with any type of cancer that impairs their mental and/or physical capacity to prepare meals, with 19 menu variations including low-salt, diabetic, lactose-free, vegetarian, and soft options.
• Children's Nutrition Program Provides nutritious meals to dependent children of parents with HIV, cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, or chronic kidney disease who are too sick to cook, ensuring proper nutrition for the whole family unit. The program delivered 16,942 meals to children in 2024.
• Congestive Heart Failure Nutrition Program Free home delivery of three nutritious meals daily for San Diego County residents with a congestive heart failure diagnosis who are physically or mentally unable to prepare meals themselves, with menus aligned to heart-healthy dietary guidelines.
• Type 2 Diabetes Nutrition Program Free medically tailored meals and individualized medical nutrition therapy for adults with type 2 diabetes who are unable to prepare their own meals, designed to improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs over a 3-month intervention.
• Chronic Kidney Disease Pilot Nutrition Program Pilot program providing medically tailored meals and individualized medical nutrition therapy for individuals with Chronic Kidney Disease (Stages 3 or 4, or who started dialysis less than 1 year ago), aligning with renal-friendly dietary requirements.
• Senior Nutrition Program Home-delivered meals for adults 60 years or older residing in specific San Diego zip codes who meet additional eligibility criteria, providing up to two medically tailored meals per day.
• HIV Emergency Food Assistance Provides up to 12 weekly grocery bags (equivalent to 21 meals per bag) per 12-month period to HIV+ San Diego County residents experiencing a sudden need for groceries, funded by the County of San Diego with Ryan White Care Act funds.
• Nutrition Education One-on-one sessions with registered dietitians for clients to learn healthy eating, cooking, and disease self-management, available to meal recipients and HIV-diagnosed individuals referred by healthcare providers.
• Extended Eligibility through Health Plans Extended eligibility program for clients with chronic conditions (diabetes, CHF, stroke, HIV, cancer, etc.) or who have recently been discharged from a hospital, referred in through Mama's Kitchen's health plan partnerships (including Blue Shield California and Community Health Group).

Quantifiable outcome

• 816,920 medically tailored meals delivered in FY 2022-2023 (22% increase)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Meals on Wheels AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational affiliation with Meals on Wheels America network, providing support and resources for home-delivered meal programs.
• Shamrock FoodscoreOthersFood supplier partner providing food products for meal preparation.
• Kaiser PermanentecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner featured in 'A legacy of healing' article. Sponsor of Mama's Day 2026 event. Collaborative approach to food is medicine.
• EncoreminorOthersIn-kind donor providing services or products to support Mama's Kitchen operations.
• Hyatt Regency La JollaminorOthersIn-kind donor, hosting events and providing support for Mama's Kitchen fundraising activities.
• SyscocoreOthersFood service distributor and sponsor of Mama's Day 2026 event.
• Family Health Centers of San DiegocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLargest FQHC in San Diego. CEO Eva Matthews previously served as Director of Grants Management. Dr. Christian Ramers from FHCSD serves on Mama's Kitchen Board of Directors. Healthcare referral partner.
• United for San DiegomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition with Prebys Foundation and Price Philanthropies to address federal funding gaps. Mama's Kitchen part of this collaborative response to funding cutbacks.
• Community Health GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner offering extended eligibility for medically tailored meals through health plan programs.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• God's Love We Deliver: NYC-based nonprofit founded in 1985 providing medically tailored meals to people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other serious illnesses. Directly comparable as one of the founding Food is Medicine Coalition members offering home-delivered MTM.
• Open Arms of Minnesota: Minneapolis-based nonprofit providing medically tailored meals to people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, MS, and ALS. Comparable in MTM delivery, FIMC affiliation, and disease-specific programming.
• MANNA (Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance): Philadelphia-based nonprofit delivering medically tailored meals to individuals with serious illnesses. Comparable in FIMC affiliation, dietitian-led meal design, and disease-specific program structure.
• Moveable Feast: Maryland-based nonprofit providing home-delivered medically tailored meals to people with serious illnesses including HIV and cancer. Comparable in mission, MTM model, and FIMC membership.
• Project Open Hand: San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit providing meals and groceries to people with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other critical illnesses. Closely comparable mission, MTM model, and founding-era origin as a community response to the AIDS epidemic.
• Community Servings: Boston-based nonprofit providing medically tailored meals to individuals and families affected by critical illness. Closely comparable in operating model, FIMC accreditation, and disease-specific nutrition programming.
• Food & Friends: Washington DC-area nonprofit delivering meals and groceries to people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-challenging illnesses. Directly comparable in MTM delivery model and FIMC membership.
• Ceremony of Roses / Project Angel Food: Los Angeles-based nonprofit delivering medically tailored meals to people affected by HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other serious illnesses. Closely comparable in MTM mission and home-delivery model.

Others

• San Diego County Health & Human Services Agency: Government partner funding Mama's Kitchen through HRSA, CDBG, and Ryan White. Indirect peer in the community food services and public health nutrition space; relevant as a funder and policy counterparty rather than a service competitor.

Regional players

• Meals on Wheels of San Diego County: San Diego's largest home-delivered meal provider focused on seniors. Operates in the same geography as Mama's Kitchen with overlapping senior nutrition services but a different primary mission (senior hunger vs. critically ill MTM).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/sdmamaskitchen
• Facebookfacebook.com/mamaskitchen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/about
• Instagraminstagram.com/mamaskitchensd
• Xx.com/mamaskitchensd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mamas Kitchen