Connecting Kids to Meals

What Connecting Kids to Meals does

Connecting Kids to Meals is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, that provides free hot, nutritious meals to children ages 18 and under in low-income and underserved communities across Northwest Ohio. Founded in 2002 (formerly known as Feed Lucas County Children), the organization operates a Summer Meals Program, an After School Meals Program, and a Weekend Meal Bags program, distributing meals through a network of 100+ partner sites including schools, libraries, community centers, parks, pools, and churches across Lucas, Wood, Hancock, Seneca, and Williams Counties. All meals are provided at no cost with no income verification required, and meals must be consumed on-site at the serving location.

The organization operates a state-of-the-art kitchen facility at Cherry Street Mission Ministries' downtown location (established 2017), where meals are prepared, packaged, and delivered to partner distribution sites. The operational model relies heavily on volunteer labor drawn from businesses, universities, community groups, and corporate sponsors, supplemented by a staff of 51-100 employees coordinating logistics, programs, kitchen operations, and volunteer management. Meals meet or exceed USDA Child Nutrition requirements, with steam-cooked preparations, no fried foods, and minimally processed ingredients.

Revenue is generated through four streams: individual and corporate donations (including one-time, recurring, employer matching, and cryptocurrency via PayPal), federal reimbursements under the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), corporate and foundation grants, and cause marketing programs (Kroger Community Rewards, AmazonSmile, Round Up App). Major funding partners include Fifth Third Bank, Huntington Bank, Taylor Automotive Group, City of Toledo, First Energy, Kroger, Promedica, Designetics, and Owens Corning. The organization does not charge fees to beneficiaries and does not conduct income verification, positioning itself as a barrier-free nutrition safety net for food-insecure children.

Name

Connecting Kids to Meals

Legal name

Connecting Kids to Meals

Website

https://connectingkidstomeals.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Connecting Kids to Meals is a Toledo-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2002 that provides free, nutritious meals to children ages 18 and under across five Northwest Ohio counties through 100+ school, library, and community partner sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Hunger Relief / Community Meal Service

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Food Service Contractors (72231), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs (BPADAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Child Nutrition & Meal Programs (CACFP/Snack Programs) (EDACAMAA), Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAF), School Feeding & Social Protection Partnerships (Conditional Cash Transfers, etc.) (EDADALAL)

Keywords

• Child hunger relief
• Summer meal program
• After school meals
• USDA child nutrition
• Community meal service

Headquarters

HQ city

Toledo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual and corporate donations from the community, including one-time and recurring donations via PayPal, cryptocurrency, gift card donations, and employer matching programs. Major funding partners include Fifth Third Bank, Huntington Bank, Taylor Automotive Group, City of Toledo, First Energy, Kroger, Promedica, Designetics, and Owens Corning.
2. Federal Child Nutrition Program Reimbursements: Reimbursement funds received under the Federal Child Nutrition Programs including the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). These funds cover a portion of meal costs but do not cover the full cost of meals.
3. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Grants from foundations and corporate giving programs to support operations and specific programs such as the Children First Relief Fund.
4. Cause Marketing Programs: Revenue generated through Kroger Community Rewards, AmazonSmile, and Round Up App where a percentage of purchases or transaction round-ups are donated to the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Connecting Kids to Meals is a nonprofit organization that provides hot, nutritious meals at no cost to children ages 18 and under in low-income and underserved areas of Northwest Ohio throughout the entire year. Its core services are the Summer Meals Program and After School Meals Program, which deliver USDA-compliant meals through a network of schools, libraries, community centers, and other locations where children gather during out-of-school time. Meals are prepared at a centralized state-of-the-art kitchen in downtown Toledo and distributed across Lucas, Wood, Hancock, Seneca, and Williams Counties; no income verification or ID is required.

Product overview

Connecting Kids to Meals operates as a nonprofit meal service organization providing hot, nutritious meals at no cost to children in low-income and underserved areas. The organization functions as a single, unified service model rather than a platform architecture. Its core offerings consist of the Summer Meals Program and After School Meals Program, which serve free meals to children ages 18 and under through a network of partner locations including schools, libraries, parks, community centers, and churches across Lucas, Wood, Hancock, Seneca, and Williams Counties in Northwest Ohio. Weekend Meal Bags provide supplementary nutrition on Fridays. The organization also conducts fundraising campaigns including the Children First Relief Fund and annual Hunger Action Superhero Campaign, which leverage matching donations to expand services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Meals Program Provides free, hot, nutritious meals to children ages 18 and under during summer months when school is not in session. Operates at partner locations including schools, libraries, parks, pools, churches, and community centers across Lucas, Wood, Hancock, Seneca, and Williams Counties. Meals meet or exceed USDA Child Nutrition requirements.
• After School Meals Program Provides nutritious meals to children ages 18 and under during after-school hours throughout the academic year. Partner sites include schools, community centers, and other locations where educational or enrichment programming is conducted.
• Weekend Meal Bags Pre-packaged meals distributed on Fridays to provide food-insecure children with nutritious meals over the weekend when school meal programs are unavailable.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 600,000 meals served in 2024; Over 8.5 million meals served since 2002
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United Way of Greater ToledocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2020Emergency partnership during coronavirus outbreak to provide meals while schools were closed. Created 15 sites for meal pickup and distributed weekend snack bags.
• Cherry Street Mission MinistriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2017Partnership to build and operate a new state-of-the-art kitchen facility at Cherry Street Mission Ministries' downtown location. The kitchen prepares and packages meals that are then delivered to partner sites across Lucas, Wood, Hancock, Seneca, and Williams Counties.
• Taylor Automotive GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner supporting the organization's mission to provide low-income and underserved kids with nutritious meals. Partnership announced September 2021.
• KrogercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner through Kroger Community Rewards program where shoppers can designate Connecting Kids to Meals as their charitable recipient. Also a volunteer source for meal preparation and packaging.
• University of ToledominorGTM or Marketing PartnerUniversity volunteers assist with meal packaging and distribution at the downtown facility.
• Toledo WalleyeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMinor league hockey team whose players and staff volunteer to pack food and condiments for meal kits.
• United Way of Greater ToledocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered during COVID-19 school closures to create 15 meal pickup sites and distribute 12,000 weekend snack bags to school-aged children.
• Toledo-Lucas County Public LibrarycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor13 library branches serve as meal distribution sites during summer months, meeting children where they are in the community.
• Toledo Public SchoolscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor partner school district with 90% of students qualifying for free or reduced meals. Multiple TPS sites serve as meal distribution locations.
• Washington Local SchoolscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner school district with 60% of students qualifying for free or reduced meals.
• 13ABC (WTVG)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal television station providing ongoing media coverage and support for the organization.
• WTOLminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal television station providing ongoing media coverage and support for the organization.
• NBC24 (WNWO)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal television station providing ongoing media coverage and support for the organization.
• Toledo BlademinorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal newspaper providing ongoing media coverage and support for the organization.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Gleaners Community Food Bank: Regional food bank serving Southeast Michigan. Comparable anti-hunger nonprofit operating model with corporate partner, volunteer, and USDA program funding mix; not a direct child-meal program peer but operates in the same policy and donor ecosystem.
• Greater Cleveland Food Bank: Ohio-based food bank serving Northeast Ohio. Comparable mission of addressing food insecurity, but operates as a regional food bank rather than a federal child nutrition program sponsor; useful benchmark for fundraising and operational scale.
• Boys & Girls Club of Toledo: Local youth-serving organization that is also a partner site and shares overlapping funders and volunteer pools with Connecting Kids to Meals. Comparable community-based service delivery to low-income youth in the same region.

Broad incumbents

• No Kid Hungry / Share Our Strength: National campaign and grantmaking organization focused on ending childhood hunger; recognized Connecting Kids to Meals' CEO in 2023. Operates in the same policy and funding space, including Dine Out, grants, and federal program advocacy.
• Feeding America: National network of 200+ food banks and the largest U.S. hunger-relief organization. Provides ecosystem context for federal child nutrition policy, donor overlap, and large-scale operating benchmarks.

Direct peers

• Children's Hunger Alliance: Ohio-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that sponsors federal child nutrition programs and delivers meals to children across the state. Closely comparable mission, federal program sponsorship structure, and child-focused meal distribution model.
• Hunger Free Vermont: Statewide nonprofit operating federal child nutrition programs and providing meals to children. Closely analogous operating model as a SFSP/CACFP sponsor at a statewide level.
• Food Bank of Northwest Ohio: Regional food bank serving the same Northwest Ohio footprint as Connecting Kids to Meals. Comparable geography and anti-hunger mission, though focused on food distribution rather than direct-to-child meal service.

Others

• Toledo Lucas County Public Library: Channel partner hosting 13 summer meal distribution sites; not a peer in the operating sense, but a critical distribution partner whose facilities and reach enable CKM's summer scale.
• Food Research & Action Center (FRAC): National anti-hunger advocacy and research organization that shapes federal child nutrition policy and supports program sponsors. Not a direct meal provider, but a key ecosystem participant shaping the rules and funding CKM depends on.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/connecttomeals
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FLCCinc1
• Facebookfacebook.com/connectingkidstomeals
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/connectingkidstomeals

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 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 Connecting Kids to Meals