For people who enter our building, we are known for many things. Along with our first-class service and wonderful event spaces, it might be our delicious food. Inside our kitchens, we are not just serving meals for banquets and galas or hungry conference goers at Headwaters Café. Starting in May, Morrissey Hospitality, our exclusive caterer, began partnering with Second Harvest Heartland on a program called Kitchen Coalition. For the last 25 years, one of our core missions as an organization has been to serve the community we are rooted in, and this initiative has been helping us achieve our goal.

 

According to Second Harvest Heartland, 15% of people in our metro community need a prepared meal versus groceries. And every week our chefs make 250 frozen meals that go out into the community and address that need for families. How Kitchen Coalition works is our kitchen, which is reimbursed for every expense for the program, will receive an order from Second Harvest Heartland and then will order the food and cook the meals, equipped with protein, vegetables and grains, for families who are food insecure and don't have access to make their own meals. From there, Second Harvest Heartland collects those meals and delivers them to the neighbors most in need. “It is a great program,” Morrissey Hospitality Assistant General Manager Jim Domagall said. “Everyone feels really good about participating in it. It is great when you can give back to the community. It is a win-win.”

 

Since the program began over three years ago, Second Harvest Heartland has served over four million meals to local families. And while we are currently making 250 meals per week, our goal is to one day reach 1,500 in the same timeframe. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary this year, our recent work with Kitchen Coalition is yet another way the community is touched for the greater good.