Servants with a Heart

What Servants with a Heart does

Servants with a Heart (SWH) is a North Carolina-based nonprofit founded in 2011 that mobilizes volunteer labor to pack fortified rice-based meal packets for distribution to malnourished children and families both domestically and internationally. The organization has packed 31,570,042 meals and engaged 252,444 volunteers since inception, with approximately 1.93M meals distributed locally in the greater Charlotte area and roughly 30M meals shipped to countries including Nicaragua, Haiti, Cuba, Ukraine, Niger, and Guatemala. Its core product is a single-cup serving of long-grain white rice, crushed fortified soy (52% protein), a six-vegetable dehydrated blend, and a chicken-flavored vitamin/mineral powder containing 21 vitamins and minerals plus all 9 essential amino acids, formulated to deliver complete daily nutrition for a child. The product is intellectual property of the formulation rather than a software platform; the organization produces no digital product, app, or API.

SWH operates a fully event-driven, community-led business model. Groups such as schools, churches, and businesses host meal-packing events; SWH brings all equipment, ingredients, and trained operators to the venue and runs an assembly-line packing process. Standard events in the greater Charlotte area require a minimum of 50,000 meals (priced at $0.17/meal, totaling $8,500), with a 200+ volunteer workforce over two shifts. Public schools receive the first event free; private schools receive 50% off. Individuals and small groups can participate through SWH Impact Days at the Waxhaw, NC facility at $50 per person. The organization also offers optional paid shipping to non-Nicaragua destinations. Approximately 90% of packed food is shipped internationally through a network of distribution partners.

The organization is operated by an all-volunteer leadership team of six, co-led by founders Jeffrey and Suzanne Yoh as Co-Executive Directors, with no paid staff. Warehouse and event space in Waxhaw, NC is provided at no cost through a partnership with the Brown Family / Furniture Factory Outlet World, which structurally permits a zero-overhead cost recovery model. International distribution is channeled through Convoy of Hope (Nicaragua, Ukraine, Niger), Atulado Ministries (Cuba, since January 2025), Go Out Ministries (Haiti), Samaritan's International (Nicaragua), and Orphan Network. Marketing and demand generation rely on word-of-mouth, partner referrals, a blog, email newsletter, organic social, and earned local media.

Name

Servants with a Heart

Legal name

Servants With a Heart

Website

https://servantswithaheart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Servants with a Heart is a Charlotte, NC-based nonprofit that has mobilized 252,000+ volunteers since 2011 to pack 31.5 million fortified rice meals for malnourished children and families locally and internationally through schools, churches, and corporate hosts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hunger Relief Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Meal kits & subscription meal components manufacturing (AFAKAHAD), Corporate/Workplace Meal Programs & Bulk Prepared Meals (CRAHAJAJ)

Keywords

• Meal packing events
• Hunger relief services
• Volunteer coordination
• Nonprofit food aid
• Fortified meal packaging

Headquarters

HQ city

Waxhaw

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Participation Fees: Groups pay for the cost of food ingredients at $0.17 per meal for events in the greater Charlotte area ($8,500 for a 50,000-meal minimum). At the Waxhaw facility, individuals pay $50 per person to pack approximately 300 meals. Public schools receive the first event free; private schools receive 50% off ($4,250). Out-of-town events have a higher minimum with a small surcharge to cover extra costs.
2. Donations and Fundraising: The organization operates with no overhead — all funds go directly to food and its distribution. Revenue is generated through group fundraising efforts and individual donations. No paid staff exist, eliminating salary expenses.
3. Shipping Fees (Optional): Groups can pay additionally to ship their packed food to destinations other than the standard Nicaragua shipment. This covers international freight costs to countries including Haiti, Cuba, Ukraine, and Niger.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Servants with a Heart organizes volunteer meal-packing events where groups assemble nutritionally complete, fortified rice-based meals for distribution to hungry children and families. The organization supplies all equipment, ingredients, and event expertise on a turnkey basis, operating with a zero-overhead, volunteer-led model. Packaged meals are distributed locally in Northeast Ohio and internationally through partner organizations.

Product overview

Servants with a Heart is a non-profit meal packing organization that operates a single core product: fortified rice meal packets distributed through organized volunteer packing events. The organization offers meal packing event hosting services at various venues (schools, churches, businesses), open SWH Impact Day events at their Waxhaw NC facility, and nutrition education programs. The fortified rice meals contain rice, crushed fortified soy, dehydrated vegetables, and vitamin/mineral powder. The organization operates as an all-volunteer led non-profit with no overhead costs, distributing food internationally through partnership organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Group Meal-Packing Events Private hosted meal-packing events for organizations (schools, churches, businesses, and community groups) in which Servants with a Heart provides the equipment, ingredients, and event expertise so that a group can pack a specified number of fortified rice-based meals. Tiered per-participant pricing applies, with discounted rates offered to public schools and community groups.
• SWH Impact Day Open public meal-packing sessions held at the Servants with a Heart facility, where individuals can sign up to participate in packing fortified rice-based meals, typically with a per-participant fee.

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

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

• Atulado MinistriescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Atulado Ministries is a Charlotte NC-based nonprofit established after its founder experienced the impact of training and resources on Cuban church leadership. They distribute SWH meals throughout Cuba via a network of local pastors. 'Atulado' means 'by your side.' Their first shipment of 70,000 SWH meals arrived in Cuba in January 2025. They work with churches and pastors to distribute meals as an evangelism tool.
• Go Out MinistriesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2023Go Out Ministries is a long-time partner that distributes SWH meals in Haiti. BeDoTell, a Baptist summer camp at Fort Caswell NC, packs meals specifically for Go Out Ministries. Shipments are funded by the Baptist State Convention of NC.
• Orphan Network (Eddie)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2022Eddie from Orphan Network worked with various nonprofits in Nicaragua during periods when SWH's primary partner was unable to receive shipments. He has a large network of schools and churches for food distribution in Nicaragua.
• Samaritan's InternationalmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019Samaritan's International is the distribution partner for Nicaragua that SWH worked with prior to Convoy of Hope. Patrick and his team receive and distribute SWH meals throughout Nicaragua. Despite government regulatory changes requiring detailed recipient lists during customs, they continue to serve SWH's distribution needs.
• Convoy of HopecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2014Convoy of Hope is the primary international shipping and distribution partner. They ship SWH meals to Nicaragua (their facility receives 30+ containers/year and serves ~80,000 children), Ukraine (since 2022), and Niger (via their Children's Feeding Program). Convoy of Hope has served over 200 million people globally since 1994 and has a team of 37 Nicaraguan nationals managing their Nicaragua operations.
• Furniture Factory Outlet World (Brown Family)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Partnership with the Brown Family from Furniture Factory Outlet World enables SWH to operate with no overhead. SWH's warehouse and event facility is hosted at their Waxhaw NC location at no cost, and they provide administrative support, enabling all donations to go directly to food and distribution.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Outreach Inc: Faith-based humanitarian aid organization that runs volunteer meal-pack events and ships food internationally. Comparable faith-affiliated, volunteer-driven packaging model.
• Kids Against Hunger: Volunteer meal-packing non-profit with packaged, shelf-stable fortified meals distributed to school children globally. Similar event-driven, donation-funded model with comparable host-group targeting.
• Rise Against Hunger: Formerly Stop Hunger Now; runs both hosted meal-pack events and shipping containers worldwide. Closely comparable model — schools, churches, corporations host events to pack fortified meals for international distribution.
• Meals from the Heartland: Iowa-based volunteer meal-packing non-profit running large-scale events with corporate, school, and faith-based groups. Similar model of packing shelf-stable meals for food-insecure populations domestically and internationally.
• Numana: Volunteer meal-packing organization running hosted events for groups (churches, schools, businesses) that pack fortified soy/rice meals for international hunger relief. Comparable volunteer-event business model.
• Feed My Starving Children: Largest U.S. volunteer meal-packing non-profit; operates fixed packing sites and MobilePack events with similar fortified rice/soy meal formulations. Direct competitor for volunteer-driven, donation-funded meal production.
• The Pack Shack: Hosts on-site 'party-pack' style meal-packing events for groups of 10+ in the U.S., producing mac-and-cheese-style meals for food banks. Comparable hosted event format and group-volunteer value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• Convoy of Hope: SWH's primary international distribution partner and a much larger humanitarian organization (200M+ people served since 1994). Comparable in mission focus on global child hunger but operates at far greater scale with disaster response capabilities.
• World Vision: Large international humanitarian organization providing food assistance, nutrition programming, and child sponsorship globally. Operates in similar recipient geographies (Nicaragua, Haiti, Cuba-adjacent, Ukraine) with far broader mandate and resources.
• Catholic Relief Services: International humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic community, providing food security and nutrition programming in similar recipient countries. Connected to SWH's Catholic church host network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Servants-With-a-Heart-210196849006963
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/servants-with-a-heart

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Servants with a Heart