Feeding Dreams and Communities: Steve Popper’s Innovative Approach with the Meals of Hope Franchise
Meals of Hope founder and CEO Steve Popper believes deeply in the importance of giving back in all aspects of business and life. And this is not just talk. His actions have proven that one person can make a big difference, especially with the help of franchising.
Popper was inspired to create the not-for-profit meal packing business after helping his mother with a charity event. “She was sponsoring a small school in Haiti and had discovered that the children could not learn because they did not have enough to eat. Mom asked if I could help secure and ship some food to the school,” he says. “About 500 volunteers helped us pack 135,000 meals in just two hours! It was truly life-changing experience for my wife, Charissa, and myself. That night we committed to packing 1 million meals in one year, all while running our own businesses. We beat that goal and never looked back!”
Established as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization in 2009, Meals of Hope was the first meal-packing organization in the U.S. to focus on distributing food within the same communities where it was prepared, instead of sending it abroad. As Popper learned more about hunger and food insecurity, he saw the importance of serving local communities. “No one was addressing hunger right here at home,” he says. In response, Meals of Hope has developed eight unique fortified meals tailored to the preferences and nutritional requirements of Americans experiencing hunger.
The decision to franchise Naples, Fla.-based Meals of Hope was driven by several factors. “We would be able to help people across the country realize their dream of self-sufficiency and business ownership at a reasonable price and with relatively little risk,” Popper says. He also recognized that local ownership was crucial for the community-centric company and its simple systems would be easy to adopt nationwide.
“Since Meals of Hope started franchising in 2022, it has become a $10 million business, providing a livelihood for dozens of people and literally feeding millions across the country. At the end of every day, we all can look back and know that we had a positive impact.”
At the end of every day, we all can look back and know that we had a positive impact.
Q&A: Steve Popper, Meals of Hope
To gain further insights into the vision and operations of Meals of Hope, Steve Popper shares more about his journey and ideals.
1. What does leadership mean to you?
Generally speaking, I think of leadership in terms of setting a strategic direction, then guiding and inspiring the team to achieve that goal. However, it is also about helping people reach their full potential, which includes ensuring that the team has what they need to achieve the objective and eliminating obstacles along the way.
2. How would you describe the culture at Meals of Hope?
I think of Meals of Hope as a family. In fact, we have several cases where multiple family members are employed at Meals of Hope, including our corporate controller, Salima Givens, and her son, Ryan. We are often asked if we are a faith-based organization. My response is that while we are not, we are an organization with a lot of faith!
3. What is your greatest career accomplishment?
We recently surpassed the milestone of packing 100 million meals, and looking back, I’m not sure that was ever an expectation! But that also goes to show the great spirit of giving back that exists in this country. We are both proud and humbled by this achievement.
4. Who do you admire in franchising and why?
Professor John Hayes from the Titus Center for Franchising at Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA) would have to be at the head of that list. What he has built at PBA is nothing short of amazing, and they continue to expand on that with each passing school year. Professor Hayes has built a program that, while not yet offered as a major, is in fact a tremendous value-add for any student coming out of the business school at PBA. In addition to curriculum development, Dr. Hayes has developed several impactful franchise industry events, including the Franchising Boot Camp and a video program — Franchise Hot Seat — that offers a ‘Shark Tank’ style panel of franchise industry executives who evaluate and provide advice (and sometimes capital) to aspiring franchisors.
For more information, visit https://mealsofhopefranchise.com/.
