Equal Plates Project

In 2023, Equal Plates Project prepared 125,000 fresh, scratch-made meals that were shared with populations facing food access barriers including low-income elementary school students, public housing residents, and homeless shelters. . In 2023, Equal Plates Project sourced top-quality ingredients at fair prices from over 20 small, local farms including producers of fruits, vegetables, eggs, grain and meat.

Equal Plates Project continued its program to offer 6 area charter schools and early learning centers a nourishing lunch option for students with income eligibility for free/reduced lunch. In 2023, Equal Plates Project opened an additional kitchen in downtown Asheville to increase our capacity to purchase from small, local farms and scale meal production. This new kitchen has allowed us to sustain regular weekly purchasing from 20 local producers and build new meal partnerships with groups including Salvation Army, Safe Shelter, Homeward Bound, Asheville Poverty Initiative, Food Connection, United Way, Southside United Neighborhood Association, and Circle of Security Parenting to share our meals with populations navigating systemic inequities and food insecurity. In addition to preparing hot, scratch-made meals for partner organizations serving populations facing food insecurity, Equal Plates Project grew its production of fresh-frozen meals for home delivery to Medicaid clients via the Healthy Opportunities Pilot.