Meet Up and Chow Down

Volunteers hand children free bag lunches from a cooler at the Chisholm Meet Up and Chow Down site

Meet Up and Chow Down is United Way of Northeastern Minnesota's free summer lunch program for children on the Iron Range, provided through support from the USDA and Minnesota Department of Education's Summer Food Service Program. 

Volunteers handed out more 10,230 free lunches at public sites across the region June 3-August 29, 2024.

Thanks to the support of the Christopher and Sheila Jones Foundation, additional volunteers were at Meet Up and Chow Down sites on Thursdays handing out Summer Buddy Backpacks weekend meal kits!

For more information, contact UWNEMN Community Impact Coordinator Michelle Lampton.

Meet Up and Chow Down is not possible without the help of volunteers!

URGENT: June volunteers are still needed at the following sites:
Sites will not be able to open on time without sufficient volunteer coverage.

July Volunteer Needs

August Volunteer Needs

What to expect: Volunteers pick up coolers at a designated location in their community, transport coolers to Meet Up and Chow Down site, set up Meet Up and Chow Down signage, distribute and track lunches, and return materials to the pickup site for the next day's volunteers. All-told, expect about 1.5 hours/day.

The program is Monday through Thursday weekly. For site consistency, volunteers are asked to commit to one day per week for the summer. A basic training is required prior to volunteering. 

Thursday Meet Up and Chow Down volunteers will be joined by Summer Buddy Backpacks volunteers who will bring additional food for children to take home for the weekend.

Check out other UWNEMN volunteer opportunities!

Blonde girl in tie dye dress receives bag lunch handed to her by gray haired woman in a park.What is the need?

More than 900 children in the United Way of Northeastern Minnesota (UWNEMN) service territory on the Iron Range are enrolled in the Buddy Backpack Program each school year. Nearly a decade ago, UWNEMN's Board of Director and staff - and school districts - expressed a need for a summer feeding program to address childhood hunger when local youth could not rely on school lunches and/or Buddy Backpacks. 

Meet Up and Chow Down was piloted in 2016 in Chisholm; 1,680 meals were served.  Over the summer of 2023, 9,765 Meet Up and Chow Down lunches were served at 12 sites in Biwabik, Chisholm, Cook, Hibbing, Hoyt Lakes, Keewatin, Mt. Iron, Nashwauk, and Virginia. 

What is the impact?

"I have personally experienced a feeling of comfort and safety from United Way having the lunches in the summer where my kids went to socialize when we were new to the community. As a mom who came from a big city, seeing the impact your volunteers made on family and other families made a difference how I view the United Way organization and the impact in our community. I am going to make sure my contributions are set up as soon as possible to support this organization and what they continue to do every day."

- Local parent's feedback about Meet Up and Chow Down

How do I bring Meet Up and Chow Down to my community?

In order to host a Meet Up and Chow Down site, a community needs:

  • A safe public location (with rain option)
  • A USDA-approved kitchen willing/able to make meals following program guidelines four days a week
  • Enough volunteers to staff their community site from 12-1 pm Monday-Thursday June-August

Every site must go through a lengthy state approval process. If you are committed to bringing this program to your community next year, reach out to us now to start the process!

United Way of Northeastern Minnesota's Meet Up and Chow Down provides free summer lunches for children.

How It Works:

  1. UWNEMN applies for community sites to host Meet Up and Chow Down for the summer through the USDA and Minnesota Department of Education’s Summer Food Service Program. All sites must meet USDA/MDE requirements.
  2. UWNEMN and community sites spread the word through schools, libraries, newspapers, social media, and radio.
  3. Volunteers sign up to hand out lunches throughout the summer in each community.
  4. Lunches are available rain or shine Monday-Thursday throughout the summer.
  5. Sites are closed Juneteenth and the week of Independence Day.
  6. Any child aged 1-18 is able to receive a free lunch at any location. 

How do I bring Meet Up and Chow Down to my community?

In order to host a Meet Up and Chow Down site, a community needs:

  • A safe public location (with rain option)
  • A USDA-approved kitchen willing/able to make meals following program guidelines four days a week
  • Enough volunteers to staff their community site from 12-1 pm Monday-Thursday June-August

Every site must go through a lengthy state approval process. If you are committed to bringing this program to your community next year, reach out to us now to start the process!

 

In red, Reminder with arrow pointing to text

  • Lunches are served first come, first served and are available rain or shine.
  • Children must be present to receive lunches.
  • Summer Buddy Backpacks weekend meal kits are also available at Meet Up and Chow Down sites on Thursday. 
  • We ask families remember to be kind to the volunteers who are giving of their limited summer hours to hand out these meals out of the goodness of their hearts and care for our local children!
  • Please help keep Meet Up and Chow Down sites clean by picking up after yourself when you've finished your lunch. 

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA.

The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

(2) fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

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