Meals Inc. looks to expand reach after serving more than 13,000 meals in 2025

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WNKY) – After delivering more than 13,000 meals to homebound and food-insecure residents in 2025, Meals Inc. is entering the new year with plans to expand its partnerships and increase its impact across the community.

The nonprofit, which has operated in Bowling Green for more than 30 years, provides free hot meals every Saturday through a network of volunteers, churches and community organizations.

“In 2025, we did approximately just over 13,000 meals delivered,” said Meals Inc. President Nissy Trombly. “We do about 265 meals a week, 52 weeks out of the year.”

While the numbers highlight the scope of the operation, Trombly said the heart of the mission is the people being served.

“Some of them don’t get a hot meal all week, you know, or that’s the hot meal that they get every week,” she said. “And they’re just really grateful.”

In recent years, Meals Inc. has expanded beyond hot meals to also provide family food boxes stocked with produce, eggs and other staples donated by local partners.

“We’re going to give them one meal a week, but we try to give them a box of food to help them tide them over for the rest of that week,” Trombly said.

The organization relies heavily on partnerships with local businesses, farmers and food suppliers, including bakeries and grocery partners that donate bread, desserts and other items each week.

Looking ahead to 2026, Meals Inc. is preparing to begin a new partnership with another local nonprofit, adding about 30 to 35 more meals to its weekly workload.

“2026 is really exciting because we have another nonprofit,” Trombly said. “We’re going to try to provide them with lunch every Saturday.”

The group is also planning to deepen its relationship with Feeding America following the opening of a new warehouse in Bowling Green.

“We’re really excited about deepening that partnership and seeing what that’ll bring to the table,” Trombly said.

Trombly said demand for the service can rise quickly during times of uncertainty, including periods when government assistance is disrupted.

“We just got some more phone calls and some more requests, and we do our best,” she said. “We don’t have unlimited resources, but we try to help everybody we can.”

As Meals Inc. moves into its next year of service, Trombly said the mission remains focused on providing stability and dignity to those in need.

“Meals Inc. is an organization that strives to help the homebound and the people that have food insecurities,” she said. “Just to have that hot meal every week, just to give them a little bit of security.”