FeedWells partners with Memphis & Shelby County Schools to help keep kids fed over the summer. Photo by Flyght Studios
While summer vacation brings fun and excitement for many students, for some it also brings the worry of where their next meal will come from. But students in Memphis-Shelby County Schools in Tennessee will be able to keep eating this summer thanks to a school lunch program run by Memphis-based food service provider FeedWells.
FeedWells began working with Memphis Shelby in the early days of COVID-19, providing emergency meal services while the district was closed.
“We got a call from their leadership team asking for help, and that’s what led us to get into charter and private schools,” Feedwells CEO Breanna Boyd said.
Currently, the food service provider continues to work with the school district to provide meals to students over the summer and also partners with other local organizations to combat food insecurity.
Putting students at the center of menu planning
When FeedWells began developing menus for its summer school meal program, they decided to base their menu offerings on student feedback.
“We’ve actually found that involving students in planning the menu is extremely beneficial,” Boyd says.
Students are asked to complete a short survey asking about their menu preferences, and Boyd said one of the questions that has been most helpful to the team is one that asks students to choose one country whose cuisine they would like to see on the menu.
“It’s been the most powerful tool we’ve ever had,” Boyd says.
For example, when a survey revealed that most students chose Mexico as their answer, the team decided to serve a Mexican-themed meal, complete with a mariachi band playing and passports that students would receive when entering the cafeteria.
Each month, we provide students with a globally themed menu based on survey data.
Direct from the farm
New to the program this year is fresh produce sourced from two 10-acre farms in Ripley, Tenn. FeedWells decided to invest in these farms earlier this year to make local ingredients more readily available.
“In the foodservice industry, it can be hard for some operators to get fresh ingredients, so we wanted to start our own initiative,” Boyd said.
The farm provides foodservice providers with access to fresh leafy vegetables, berries, oranges and more. This summer’s produce is already being incorporated into meals and has been well received by students.
“Our students are very vocal, that’s for sure,” Boyd said. “They noticed the difference right away.”
In addition to receiving fresh produce, the farm also allows students to participate in farm-to-school activities, such as visiting farms to meet farmers and learn how to grow their own food.
Combating food insecurity
Feedwells is based in Memphis, but Boyd said the company already has a presence in New Orleans and continues to look for other opportunities for growth.
One area of potential growth is a before- and after-care meal program that was launched in partnership with the Memphis YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club to provide meals for students before and after care.
“We added over 5,000 more meals last week,” she said. “It’s a good program we have and we hope to expand it to other markets.”
No matter where the Feedwells team goes next, Boyd says the company’s core goal of fighting food insecurity will remain the same.
“Our focus is really to serve as another resource to address food insecurity,” Boyd said, “because, you know, not every child has access to meals at home, and that’s why we started the company to really serve as a resource and to combat food insecurity.”
