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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: May 2026 Expires: May 2028

Meals from the Heartland

Accredited Charity
Accredited Charity

Meets Standards
(515) 473-9530
357 Lincoln Street
West Des Moines, IA, 50265
https://mealsfromtheheartland.org/
📄 Full Report 🖨️ Print 📋 BBB Charity Standards

Standards For Charity Accountability

Governance

  1. Board Oversight
  2. Board Size
  3. Board Meetings
  4. Board Compensation
  5. Conflict of Interest

Measuring Effectiveness

  1. Effectiveness Policy
  2. Effectiveness Report

Finances

  1. Program Expenses
  2. Fundraising Expenses
  3. Accumulating Funds
  4. Audit Report
  5. Detailed Expense Breakdown
  6. Accurate Expense Reporting
  7. Budget Plan

Fundraising & Info

  1. Truthful Materials
  2. Annual Report
  3. Website Disclosures
  4. Donor Privacy
  5. Cause Marketing Disclosures
  6. Complaints

Meals from the Heartland meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:
"to empower people to save starving children."

Year, State Incorporated:
2008, IA

Meals from the Heartland is a faith-related organization that promotes prayer, volunteer service and financial giving to help save starving children. The organization states that it is made up of volunteers from businesses, schools, churches, community organizations and others who package meals for delivery to malnourished people in Iowa, across the United States and around the world. In 2025, Meals from the Heartland reports it distributed over 21 million meals and fed approximately 82,229 children in school every day.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, Meals from the Heartland's program expenses were:

Program services $3,628,974
Total Program Expenses $3,628,974

Chief Executive
Chuck Current, Executive Director

Compensation*
$80,000

Chair of the Board
Dan Koestner

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Retired

Board Size
15

Paid Staff Size
21

*2025 compensation, as reported by the organization, includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Note: Chuck Current became Executive Director in January 2025. In 2024, the previous Executive Director, Greg Dehaai, received $86,728 in compensation.

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Invitations to fund raising events, Grant proposals, Internet, Planned giving arrangements, Workplace Giving

Fundraising costs were 6% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $4,526,959, are donations received as a result of fundraising activities.)

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on Meals from the Heartland's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024.

Source of Funds
Contributions and grants $3,154,093
In-kind contributions $1,146,966
Special events $225,900
Interest and other income $22,381
Total Income $4,549,340

Programs: 88% Fundraising: 7% Administrative: 5%

Total Income $4,549,340
Total expenses: $4,136,346
  Program expenses $3,628,974
  Fundraising expenses $280,108
  Administrative expenses $227,264
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $412,994
Beginning Net Assets $3,204,059
Other Changes In Net Assets $32,382
Ending Net Assets $3,649,435
Total Liabilities $185,164
Total Assets $3,834,599

Note 1: As noted in the financial section above, “other changes in net assets” refers to income on beneficial interest endowment fund, net of investment fees ($29,085) and income on beneficial interest - agency fund, net of investment fees ($3,297).

Note 2: According to the organization's 2024 audited financial statements, Meals from the Heartland received in-kind contributions totaling $1,146,966 in the form of meal production labor ($1,050,365), freight ($71,780), marketing ($13,622), supplies ($6,979), special events ($2,970), and equipment ($1,250).

An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.

RELATED CONTENT

Report completed by:
BBB Serving Greater Iowa, Quad Cities, and Siouxland Region