Food Outreach

Name

Food Outreach

Legal name

Food Outreach Inc.

Website

https://foodoutreach.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medically Tailored Meals and Nutrition Services (Nonprofit)

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Medically tailored meals
• Nutrition counseling services
• HIV and cancer nutrition
• Food is medicine
• Meal home delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Louis, Missouri

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Monetary contributions from individuals via one-time or recurring donations. Monthly Giving Club (314 Monthly Giving Club) offers ongoing support options. Donors can contribute via website, phone, mail, or at events.
2. Planned Giving and Estate Gifts: Donors include Food Outreach in estate planning. Accepts donations of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Accepts Required Minimum Distributions (RMD) from IRAs.
3. Corporate Partnerships and Grants: Business donations through Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) tax credits ($249,000 available in 2025). Missouri Food Pantry Tax Credits for individual donors. Foundation grants including $50,000 from American Cancer Society and $50,000 from Washington University Center for Diabetes Translation Research.
4. Government Funding: Support from City of St. Louis Community Development Administration (ARPA funding), Community Development Block Grant, St. Louis Area Agency on Aging (Title III Older Americans Act), St. Louis Senior Fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Food Outreach prepares and distributes medically tailored meals, groceries, and nutrition counseling at no charge to income-eligible (at or below 300% Federal Poverty Level) individuals diagnosed with HIV or cancer in the St. Louis region. Services are designed collaboratively by Registered Dietitians and an on-staff Chef, using scratch-prepared, flash-frozen, three-compartment meals with nutrition labels that follow heart-healthy and blood-sugar-regulating guidelines. In 2025, the organization served 1,807 clients and provided 540,750 medically tailored meals across 144 Missouri and Illinois zip codes.

Product overview

Food Outreach operates as a single unified nonprofit service organization providing medically tailored nutrition services exclusively to individuals living with HIV or cancer in the St. Louis region. The service portfolio consists of five integrated programs that work in concert: the Medically Tailored Meals Program (scratch-prepared frozen entrees and sides designed by an on-staff Chef and Registered Dietitian), the Groceries Program (fresh produce and pantry staples), Nutrition Counseling (individualized dietetic services by Registered Dietitians), the Meal Home Delivery Program, and Nutrition Education classes. Clients receive two meals per day through a combination of prepared meals and groceries, combined with nutrition counseling and monitoring. All services are provided at no charge to qualifying clients who live at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medically Tailored Meals Program Scratch-prepared frozen entrees and sides designed by an on-staff Chef and Registered Dietitian, cooked from scratch in a commercial kitchen, then flash-frozen for clients to store at home and reheat in a microwave. Menus include chicken, pork, fish, and beef options and accommodate dietary restrictions through diabetes boxes, vegetarian boxes, and no beef/no pork boxes. Provided at no charge to eligible HIV/cancer clients.
• Groceries Program Provision of fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen proteins, and pantry staples including canned fruits and vegetables, oats, beans, rice, and pasta. Menu selections are heart-healthy and support blood-sugar regulation. Provided at no charge to eligible clients.
• Nutrition Counseling Individualized nutrition counseling by Registered Dietitians using the Nutrition Care Plan model and evidence-based guidelines. Includes a comprehensive nutrition assessment at intake and ongoing follow-up assessments with personalized nutrition plans tailored to each client's health status, secondary illnesses, and treatment side effects.
• Meal Home Delivery Program Home delivery of medically tailored meals and groceries to homebound clients who are too sick to visit the Nutrition Center, lack transportation, or have no one to pick up food on their behalf. Delivers within a 35-mile radius of the midtown St. Louis facility on a monthly or biweekly cadence.
• Nutrition Education Nutrition and cooking education classes designed to help clients make informed dietary choices, understand disease-specific diets, and develop cooking skills that complement their treatment and health management needs.
• Kitchen Appliance Assistance Provision of essential kitchen appliances including microwaves, refrigerators, and can openers to clients identified during their Registered Dietitian intake assessment as lacking access to items needed to safely store and reheat delivered meals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Never waitlists clients - all eligible clients are served immediately
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Washington University Center for Diabetes Translation ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024$50,000 grant to conduct formal evaluation of the diabetes pilot program. Evaluation led by researcher and WashU Brown School Assistant Professor Dan Ferris, assessing impact and implementation using patient health data, surveys, and participant interviews.
• AmeriCorpsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership with AmeriCorps to recognize dedicated volunteers with the President's Volunteer Service Award annually. Volunteers meeting 100+ hour threshold by December 31st are automatically nominated for the award.
• SSM Health and Mercy HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20232023 pilot program partnership with SSM and Mercy Health to demonstrate how nutrition services support positive clinical health and quality of life outcomes in patients diagnosed with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (HbA1C>8.0). Enrolled 150 new clients for 12 months with positive results.
• VA Hospital System of St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Pilot program launched in 2021 to support veterans living with uncontrolled Type II Diabetes. The program's goal is to learn how Food Outreach's nutrition and education can improve health outcomes for this vulnerable population.
• Harkin Institute at Drake UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Food Outreach was selected as a 'Harkin on Wellness Designee' by the Harkin Institute at Drake University, recognizing innovative wellness and nutrition initiatives that utilize a Food Is Medicine approach.
• Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Following a pilot program, Food Outreach expanded its mission in 2006 to provide services to individuals diagnosed with cancer through partnership with Siteman Cancer Center.
• Dan Ferris (WashU Brown School Assistant Professor)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearcher leading evaluation of the diabetes pilot program, assessing impact and implementation using patient health data, surveys, and participant interviews. Study aims to fill gaps in policy, cost-effectiveness, and implementation science.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Mom's Meals: For-profit national provider of medically tailored meals for Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and dual-eligible populations. Represents the commercial MTM model that Food Outreach may eventually need to compete with as payers directly contract MTM services, bypassing nonprofit providers.

Direct peers

• Project Angel Heart: Denver-based nonprofit that prepares and delivers medically tailored meals to individuals living with life-threatening illnesses including HIV and cancer. Operates a comparable referral-based, dietitian-designed meal program serving a defined metro region.
• Moveable Feast: Maryland-based nonprofit providing medically tailored meals and groceries to individuals with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other critical illnesses. Closely mirrors Food Outreach's mission, eligibility model (income + diagnosis), and home delivery approach.
• Open Hand Atlanta: Atlanta-based nonprofit preparing and delivering medically tailored meals and groceries to individuals with chronic diseases including HIV, cancer, and diabetes. Similar disease-state portfolio and home-delivery distribution model.
• Community Servings: Boston-area nonprofit providing medically tailored meals to individuals and families living with critical and chronic illnesses including HIV and cancer. Comparable scratch-prepared, dietitian-designed, home-delivered model with FIMC accreditation.
• Ceres Community Project: California-based nonprofit providing medically tailored meals to people facing cancer, heart disease, and other serious illnesses, with strong youth volunteer engagement model. Comparable cook-and-deliver MTM approach with a healthcare-referral pipeline.
• God's Love We Deliver: New York City-based nonprofit providing medically tailored meals to people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other serious illnesses. Most directly comparable MTM nonprofit operating model, with similar cook-and-deliver structure and FIMC member status.
• MANNA (Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance): Philadelphia-based nonprofit providing medically tailored meals and nutrition counseling to individuals battling life-threatening illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and cancer. Operates a comparable regional, cook-from-scratch, dietitian-supervised model.

Broad incumbents

• Meals on Wheels of America (national network): National umbrella organization supporting a network of 5,000+ local senior nutrition programs. While broader (senior-focused rather than disease-specific), MOW programs increasingly incorporate medically tailored elements and compete for similar federal/state funding streams.
• Feeding America: Nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization with a network of 200+ food banks. While operating a broader food distribution model rather than scratch-prepared MTMs, it competes for federal nutrition funding, USDA programs, and corporate donations relevant to Food Outreach's fundraising base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/foodoutreachstl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/food-outreach

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Food Outreach