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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: June 2024 Expires: June 2026

Meals from the Heartland

Accredited Charity
Accredited Charity

Meets Standards
(515) 473-9530
357 Lincoln Street
West Des Moines, IA, 50265
http://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 reports being 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. The organization reports packing 26 million meals during 2022.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, Meals from the Heartland's program expenses were:

Program services $4,342,086
Total Program Expenses $4,342,086

Chief Executive
Greg Dehaai, Executive Director

Compensation*
$83,714

Chair of the Board
Dan Koestner

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Partner, Ernest & Young LLP

Board Size
15

Paid Staff Size
18

*2021 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Grant proposals, Internet, Direct mail appeals, Radio, Special events, Print advertisements

Fundraising costs were 5% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $4,170,571, 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, 2022.

Source of Funds
Interest and other income $4,343
Special events $166,624
In-kind contributions $1,383,377
Contributions and grants $2,620,570
Total Income $4,174,914

Programs: 92% Fundraising: 5% Administrative: 3%

Total Income $4,174,914
Total expenses: $4,720,540
  Program expenses $4,342,086
  Fundraising expenses $226,283
  Administrative expenses $152,171
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $-545,626
Beginning Net Assets $4,093,272
Other Changes In Net Assets $-49,933
Ending Net Assets $3,497,713
Total Liabilities $138,209
Total Assets $3,635,922

Note 1: According to the Meals from the Heartland’s 2022 audited financial statements, the organization received in-kind contributions of $1,383,377, including professional labor ($1,066,232),  facility rental ($133,928), freight ($113,237), equipment rental ($37,380), fundraising ($11,000), special events ($10,455), supplies ($9,025), and printing ($2,120).

Note 2: In the financial summary above, "other changes in net assets" refers to net loss on beneficial interest investments. 

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 Wise Giving Alliance