Meals-to-You (MTY), funded by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty (BCHP), sought to alleviate the increased food insecurity among children without access to school meals during out-of-school periods. The pilot program tested a home-delivered food box model, specifically targeting children in rural areas with high rates of food insecurity and without reliable access to summer meal sites.

Program Timeline and Expansion

The initial three-year plan for the Meals-to-You pilot, scheduled from 2019 to 2021, included testing in multiple Texas school districts during its first year. In 2020, USDA expanded the program to include school districts in parts of Alaska and New Mexico. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a temporary nationwide expansion in the same year. BCHP continued the original pilot in 2021 in parts of Alaska, New Mexico, Texas, and one district in Utah. USDA then extended the pilot through 2022 and 2023, maintaining operations in Alaska, New Mexico, and Texas.

Evaluation and Insights (2019–23)

From 2019 to 2023, the Urban Institute was contracted by the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty to evaluate MTY. Using a mixed-methods approach, researchers developed insights and recommendations through surveys, interviews, and advisory groups with program participants and school district personnel. They also conducted interviews with vendors and site visits to four school districts in Alaska, New Mexico, and Texas.