Meals for Minneapolis

Meals for Minneapolis started eleven years ago. Since then, students, staff, and volunteers have packed over 366,000 meals that were delivered to local food shelves and help curb food insecurity. In addition, Maranatha families have connected with family and friends to help raise over $915,000 for Maranatha Christian Academy to help further the school's mission of developing co-creators of tomorrow, grounded in Christian faith. 

Click Here to Set Up Your Family's Fundraising Site

Click Here to Donate to Meals for Minneapolis

Click here to Volunteer for Meals for Minneapolis

Click Here to Download the Donation Tracker Form (Door-to-Door)

This year, we have a goal of packing 60,000 meals for local food shelves and raising $150,000 to support Christian education at MCA.

Get ready to join us for Meals for Minneapolis, October 10-11, 2024.

How Does It Work?

Starting September 16 until mid-October, Maranatha families have the opportunity to create their own fundraising site through our easy-to-use platform. In as little as ten minutes, our families can customize their own site and use the tools on the platform to invite their friends and family to support Meals for Minneapolis by making online donations. The entire MCA community is encouraged to participate and help us reach our goal of raising $150,000, which will help fulfill our mission of developing co-creators of tomorrow, grounded in Christian faith.

Then on October 10 and 11, MCA students will come together and pack 60,000 meals on our campus that will be delivered to local food shelves. 

Meals for Minneapolis volunteering

How Do I Get Involved?

In order to accomplish this lofty goal, we are asking all of our families to take a few minutes to make an eternal impact in one of the following ways:

  • Set up a fundraising site for your family using our easy-to-use platform (see instructions below)
  • Reach out to family and friends and offer them the opportunity to support the Meals for Minneapolis outreach and fundraiser with donations (There are many quick and easy ways to do this using our fundraising platform)
  • Pray for a successful Meals for Minneapolis
  • Volunteer to help make this year's event a huge success
  • Help find sponsors for Meals for Minneapolis
Instructions for setting up a Family Fundraising Site

Registration Details 

  1. Go to the Meals for Minneapolis fundraising home page   
  2. Click the "Register" button on the page and select how you would like to proceed (through social media or by email)
  3. As a parent, you will create one page for the entire family.
  4. Please enter each child's name, advisor/homeroom teacher, and T-Shirt size as this will be necessary for prizes and record keeping.
    Note: If you have a student in High School Sports or Theater at MCA, make sure to select the sport(s) to have a portion of your fundraised dollars go to that sport or the theater program this year! This does NOT include Co-Op sports.
  5. After completing registration, scroll down and click the set-up your page button.

 

Page Set-up

  1. On the "Set Up Your Page" screen, change the field "How do you want your name to appear on the page?" to your family name (ex. The Nelson Family / Nelson's Unite / The Nelsons: John, Stacy, David, & Jimmy)
  2. Feel free to customize the remaining fields with photos and videos.
  3. With your site set up, you can share the unique link with friends, family, and coworkers using the tools on the page or copy and paste it into your emails.
  4. Students can receive individual and class rewards as a thank you for donations. We have included a list of them here.

Prefer a visual overview? 

How to Volunteer

New! Volunteer Management System

To volunteer for the Meals for Minneapolis Outreach and Fundraiser, please follow the steps below. New this year! Maranatha is implementing an easy-to-use volunteer management system. More information coming soon.

Door-to-Door Donor Tracking Form

Door-to-Door Donor Tracking Form

While Meals for Minneapolis is designed to be an online and easy way to raise funds (see instructions for setting up your family's fundraising site), many parents requested to have a form for students to take with them around their neighborhood to ask for donations. We listened and have created a form. To access and download the Door-to-Door Donor Tracking Form, please click here. 

When Do the Students Pack Meals?

Meal-packing days for the 2024 Meals for Minneapolis Outreach and Fundraiser are Thursday, October 10, and Friday, October 11. To find out when different grade levels pack meals, please click on the appropriate drop-down menu below.

Lower School Packing Schedules (PK-Gr. 4)

The 2024 Meals for Minneapolis Packing Day Schedule for Lower School 

Once again, most of the lower school will be paired up with upper school students as we work toward the goal of packing 60,000 meals. New this year, the packing will be done in Living Word's Fellowship Hall.

Thursday, October 10

Session 1 | 8:20-9:10 a.m.

  • Kindergarten: Ladisa, Taylor (Packing with Grade 12 students)

Session 2 | 9:05-9:55 a.m.

  • ALL of Prekindergarten
  • Grade 4: Muri (Packing with Grade 11 students)

Session 3 | 9:50-10:40 a.m.

  • Grade 4: Peterson, Schwalbe (Packing with Grade 11 students)

Session 4 | 10:35-11:25 a.m.

  • No Lower School Students Packing

Session 5 | 11:20 a.m.-12:10 p.m.

  • Kindergarten: Valder (Packing with Grade 12 students)

Session 6 | 12:05-12:55 p.m. 

  • No Lower School Students Packing

Friday, October 11

Session 1 | 8:20-9:10 a.m.

  • Grade 3: Clausen, Obada, Szwaja (Packing with Grade 10 students)

Session 2 | 9:05-9:55 a.m.

  • Grade 1: Sanchez, Zappia (Packing with Grade 9 students)

Session 3 | 9:50-10:40 a.m.

  • Grade 1: Winn (Packing with Grade 9 students)

Session 4 | 10:35-11:25 a.m.

  • No Lower School Students Packing

Session 5 | 11:20 a.m.-12:10 p.m.

  • Grade 2: Baune, Clausen, McQuade (Packing with Grade 10 students)

Session 6 | 12:05-12:55 p.m. 

  • No Lower School Students Packing
Middle School Packing Schedule (Gr. 5-8)

The 2024 Meals for Minneapolis Packing Day Schedule for Middle School 

Once again, MCA students will be working toward the goal of packing 60,000 meals. New this year, we will be packing meals in Living Word's Fellowship Hall.

Thursday, October 10

Session 1 | 8:20-9:10 a.m.

  • No Middle School Students Packing

Session 2 | 9:05-9:55 a.m.

  • No Middle School Students Packing

Session 3 | 9:50-10:40 a.m.

  • No Middle School Students Packing

Session 4 | 10:35-11:25 a.m.

  • All of Grade 5 will be packing

Session 5 | 11:20 a.m.-12:10 p.m.

  • No Middle School Students Packing

Session 6 | 12:05-12:55 p.m. 

  • All of Grade 7 will be packing

Friday, October 11

Session 1 | 8:20-9:10 a.m.

  • No Middle School Students Packing

Session 2 | 9:05-9:55 a.m.

  • No Middle School Students Packing

Session 3 | 9:50-10:40 a.m.

  • No Middle School Students Packing

Session 4 | 10:35-11:25 a.m.

  • All of Grade 6 will be packing

Session 5 | 11:20 a.m.-12:10 p.m.

  • No Middle School Students Packing

Session 6 | 12:05-12:55 p.m. 

  • All of Grade 8 will be packing
High School Packing Schedules (Gr. 9-12)

The 2024 Meals for Minneapolis Packing Day Schedule for High School 

Once again, high school students will be paired up with lower school students as we work toward the goal of packing 60,000 meals. New this year, the packing will be done in Living Word's Fellowship Hall.

Note: High School Students will be packing with their "D-Groups." 

Thursday, October 10

Session 1 | 8:20-9:10 a.m.

  • Grade 12: Kaihoi, Kerschner, Oehler, Vandenlangenberg (Packing with Kindergarten students)

Session 2 | 9:05-9:55 a.m.

  • Grade 11: Larson, Rossing (Packing with Prekindergarten and Grade 4 students)

Session 3 | 9:50-10:40 a.m.

  • Grade 11: Block, Coan, Diaz, Harshbarger (Josh), Nelson (Packing with Grade 4 students)

Session 4 | 10:35-11:25 a.m.

  • No High School Students Packing

Session 5 | 11:20 a.m.-12:10 p.m.

  • Grade 12: Eibes, Issacs (Packing with Kindergarten students)

Session 6 | 12:05-12:55 p.m. 

  • No High School Students Packing

Friday, October 11

Session 1 | 8:20-9:10 a.m.

  • Grade 10: Agrimson, Clarke, Raines (Packing with Grade 3 students)

Session 2 | 9:05-9:55 a.m.

  • Grade 9: Brommer, Harshbarger (john), Osberg, Thomas (Packing with Grade 1 students)

Session 3 | 9:50-10:40 a.m.

  • Grade 9: Pitman, Shepherd (Packing with Grade 1 students)

Session 4 | 10:35-11:25 a.m.

  • No High School Students Packing

Session 5 | 11:20 a.m.-12:10 p.m.

  • Grade 10: Krieg, Laing, Szwaja, Valder (Packing with Grade 2 students)

Session 6 | 12:05-12:55 p.m. 

  • No High School Students Packing

Sponsorship

If you would like to Sponsor the Meals for Minneapolis event and help make an eternal impact, please contact Chris Barber, Development Director at 763-488-7936.

Event Sponsor - Sold Out

Event Sponsor: $$10,000

  • 4x6 banner with your company logo that will be displayed in the MCA gym during the meal packing on October 10-11, then hung in the gym for the 2024-2025 school year.
  • Logo featured on the Meals for Minneapolis website
  • Photo and video opportunities during prearranged packing session with MCA students
  • 11"×14" plaque with your company logo on the Community Partners wall
  • Half Page, full-color ad in the special section of the Mane Edition
  • Featured logo on the back of Meals for Minneapolis t-shirt that will be distributed and worn by students, staff, and volunteers during the day of the event.
     
Gold Sponsor

Gold Sponsor: $$6000

  • 4x6 banner with your company logo that will be displayed in the MCA gym during the meal packing on October 10-11, then hung in the gym for the 2024-2025 school year
  • Logo featured on the Meals for Minneapolis website
  • 8"x10" plaque with your company logo on the Community Partners wall
  • Logo on the back of Meals for Minneapolis t-shirt that will be distributed and worn by all students, staff, and volunteers during the day of the event.
Silver Sponsor

Silver Sponsor: $$3000

  • Logo featured on the Meals for Minneapolis website
  • 6"x8" plaque with your company logo on the Community Partners wall
  • Recognition on one social media post
  • Logo on the back of our Meals for Minneapolis t-shirt that will be distributed and worn by students, staff, and volunteers during the event
Bronze Sponsor

Bronze Sponsor: $$1000

  • Logo featured on the Meals for Minneapolis website
  • 4"×6" plaque with your company logo on the Community Partners wall
  • Recognition on one social media post

 

Thank you to our sponsors:

M2 Financial Group

Legacy Toys

The Branding Wearhouse

Morries Subaru

Hear Why Families Love Meals for Minneapolis