Dear Mama’s Kitchen family of clients, volunteers, supporters, and advocates, For years, Mama’s Kitchen has recognized the March 31st César Chávez holiday to honor the significance of the farm worker movement and to affirm our support for the equality, dignity, and respect of dedicated farm workers who are at the heart of our food system…. Read the full article »
Celebrating Our 14 Millionth Meal
Client receiving 14 millionth meal. From left to right, April Heinze, Hal, Eva Matthews. Today, our CEO Eva Matthews was joined by U.S. Navy veteran, volunteer, and board member April Heinze to deliver Mama’s Kitchen’s milestone 14 millionth meal. This special delivery was made to U.S. Army veteran Hal, an 84-year-old Mama’s Kitchen client who… Read the full article »
Announcing a Menu Change
New meals from left to right: chicken salad, brisket with beans and cornbread, glazed umami salmon. In January, Mama’s Kitchen launched a new client menu featuring 40 new recipes, including Miso Salmon, Beef and Vegetable Burrito Bowl, Chicken Korean-Style Meatballs, Pork Tenderloin, and more. This new menu was created by our culinary operations team in… Read the full article »
2026 Tax Law Changes and Year-End Giving
With the end of the year already upon us, we are providing some resources on the tax law changes that go into effect in 2026, which may affect how you plan your year-end giving and taxes. Regardless of where you plan to give, our team at Mama’s Kitchen always hopes to be a beneficial resource… Read the full article »
Welcoming Our New Board Members
We are pleased to welcome our newest members to the Board of Directors. You can learn more about them below: Aida Van Herk, MSN, Esq. How did you first learn about Mama’s Kitchen? I first learned about Mama’s Kitchen through my work as a registered nurse and first started with the organization as a volunteer,… Read the full article »
What Exactly is Food is Medicine?
You may have heard us talk about “Food is Medicine” before (in fact, probably many times) and thought, “What exactly does that mean?” So, we would like to provide more details on this topic. “Food is Medicine” (FIM) is both a concept and a movement that recognizes the link between nutrition and health. The… Read the full article »
Mama’s Kitchen Update After Passage and Signing of H.R.1 (the Big Beautiful Bill)
On Friday, July 4, 2025, the federal budget bill H.R.1 (known as the Big Beautiful Bill Act) was signed into law. As an organization that relies on federal funding to care for low-income critically ill San Diegans, I want to share what this means for Mama’s Kitchen. The signed legislation includes devastating eliminations of funding… Read the full article »
If You Want to Develop Healthier Eating Habits in 2025, Follow These Helpful Tips
By Lexi Eisele, Director of Nutrition Services, Mama’s Kitchen There’s never a bad time to change your eating habits, and with February being Heart Health Month, it’s a great opportunity to commit yourself to healthier habits. The key, though, is developing healthy habits that will last long-term. Changing your eating habits can be a rewarding… Read the full article »
A Statement on the Rescinded Pause of Federal Funding: Live Updates
Updated: 1/29/2025 As you may be aware, this morning, the Federal Office of Management and Budget, issued a new memo rescinding the office’s previously announced temporary pause on federal grant, loan and other financial assistance programs. Mama’s Kitchen is grateful for this news and the termination of the imminent funding pause that could have had detrimental… Read the full article »
Celebrating Our Volunteers
Recently we hosted a Volunteer of the Year Appreciation event to recognize some of our outstanding volunteers. Eight volunteers and two corporate groups were celebrated for their commitment, action, and care to our organization. This group represents some of the many volunteers who allow us to provide love and care for critically ill San Diegans…. Read the full article »
Celebrating Dedication and Compassion at Our 33rd Annual Tree of Life Ceremony
Last Sunday, at our 33rd Annual Tree of Life Ceremony to commemorate World AIDS Day, we had the honor of giving two awards in recognition of outstanding individuals who have been crucial in supporting the continued work of Mama’s Kitchen. This heartfelt celebration allowed us to recognize some remarkable volunteers whose commitment has been the… Read the full article »
Skip the Latest Summer Fad Diet – Try These 5 Nutrition Tips Instead
By Lexi Striler, Director of Nutrition Services, Mama’s Kitchen Everyone always assumes the holiday season is the most challenging time for maintaining healthy eating habits, with all the sweets and hearty meals around. But it’s common to overlook how challenging summer can be too. Your home may not be littered with Halloween candy or overflowing… Read the full article »
Mama’s Kitchen Earns Accreditation from the Food is Medicine Coalition
San Diego’s largest non-profit provider of home-delivered meals, and only non-profit provider of medically tailored meals becomes the first organization on the West Coast to receive accreditation, and second in the nation. Mama’s Kitchen, the San Diego non-profit dedicated to providing medically tailored meals (MTM) to people living with critical illnesses, is the first… Read the full article »
Announcing our new CEO – Eva Matthews, MPH
Mama’s Kitchen’s Board of Directors is thrilled to announce and welcome the organization’s incoming Chief Executive Officer, Eva Matthews, MPH. Eva joins Mama’s Kitchen with 27 years of public health, non-profit, and research experience having worked in public health and medical research at Yale University, the University of Arizona, Family Health Centers of San Diego,… Read the full article »
Celebrating Our Amazing Pie Sellers!
Thanks to the spectacular efforts of our pie sellers, this year’s Mama’s Pies Thanksgiving Bake Sale raised $114,000! Our gracious sellers assisted with the sale of over 2,500 freshly baked pies throughout San Diego County, but most importantly, helped provide 41,360 meals to our clients and neighbors in need. Thank you to all who participated!… Read the full article »
Celebrating Dedication and Compassion at Our 32nd Annual Tree of Life Ceremony
Last Friday, at our 32nd Annual Tree of Life Ceremony to commemorate World AIDS Day, we had the honor of giving two awards in recognition of outstanding individuals who have been crucial in supporting the continued work of Mama’s Kitchen. This heartfelt celebration allowed us to recognize some remarkable volunteers whose commitment has been the… Read the full article »
Mama’s Kitchen Wraps Another Record-Breaking Year
As we wrapped up June, along with our 2022-2023 fiscal year, we are shocked by the total number of meals we delivered. Mama’s Kitchen home delivered a record-breaking 816,920 medically tailored meals – a 22% increase over the prior year. While this number may not seem surprising to all our amazing volunteers who help us… Read the full article »
A New Name for the Home-Delivered Meal Service
Mama’s Kitchen is thrilled to share we have renamed our primary program (formerly the Home- Delivered Meal Service) to the Medically Tailored Meal Service. As San Diego’s only provider of medically tailored meals (MTM), it was time to give the program a name reflective of the quality and distinction that service provides. What exactly is… Read the full article »
Mama’s Kitchen CEO Alberto Cortés Announces Retirement After 21 Years at the Helm
Respected leader set to retire in January 2024 after successfully building the organization into the largest nonprofit provider of home-delivered meals in San Diego County. Alberto Cortés announces that after 21 years of dedicated service, he will be retiring from his position as Chief Executive Officer of Mama’s Kitchen, after elevating the organization into a… Read the full article »
An Homage to the Mama’s Kitchen Palentines
Extravagant red rose bouquets, heart-shaped boxes filled with decadent chocolate truffles, fancy dinner outings. These are just a few of the many grandiose gestures that come to mind when we think of the day to celebrate love. A day to sweep your partner off their feet and show them your infinite and undying love to… Read the full article »
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