KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Personalized, meaningful gifts are the mission of one small business that is geared towards serving others through home-cooked meals.
"It gave my wife the confidence to be able to cook a meal for our family," said Mitch Case, recalling the experience he and his wife had when they gave birth to their first child three years ago.
"We had some friends that were really gracious to bring by some simple ingredients that they'd already chopped," Case explained.
That sparked an idea.
"The idea to be able to provide a really simple, fresh ingredient meal kit to the door was born from our experience of having a kid," Case said.
He's the co-founder of More than a Meal.
"We pre-chop, pre-dice all of the ingredients. Our goal was to make it as easy as possible," Case explained. "We simply put those ingredients together in a package box, then we go out and deliver it."
More than a Meal started as direct to consumer, then a business to business focus took off where employers can send meals to their employees.
"About 80 to 90% growth over the end of the 2020. And then this year already we brought on about five or six new businesses," Case said.
His head chef is Pamela Sanders, whose catering business dried up during the pandemic.
"I ended up writing out $30,000 in deposits in March and April, which is very significant. That's about half a year's profit," Sanders said.
Now, More than a Meal is a lifeline for her, as she provides a lifeline to others.
"I had cancer when I was 26 so the cancer patients are really important to me. And so when they call or or somebody's got COVID and I can go and give them a meal and help them feel better, that is like the most rewarding point of the day that you can get to," Sanders said.
The tag-line for the business is, "It's a beautiful day to be cared for."
They’re spreading that care with more than food in a box.
"There is a personal note that the buyer wants to pass along to the recipient," Case said.
He hand-writes all of them.
"Almost physically feel the emotion behind those notes that are going to those people because I don't always know what situation they've got going on in their life, but I can feel the heart from this person wanting to send love and care," Case said.
More than a Meal is also partnering with local non-profits. You can find the list online. They've also posted new specials if you're interested in sending meals to your loved ones.
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