The MK Foundation, founded by Mera Kitchen Collective

Support the MK Foundation

Food brings people together, no matter where you are from. It’s a ritual, we gather with our friends and family around the table, not only feeding our bodies but feeding our souls, connecting with people we care about.

On March 13, 2020, we launched our community meal commitment. As we all saw, the pandemic exacerbated the inequities faced by individuals in not only Baltimore, but our state, the nation and the world. We launched our Community Meal Commitment to ensure we could bring healthy and delicious meals to our neighbors during this time of need. As of October 2021, we've cooked and served over 150,000 meals, thanks to ongoing support from individual donors.

We love Baltimore. We also recognize that policies and systems can create structural barriers that make it harder for some individuals to gain access to resources and opportunities -- and easier for others. We focus on the empowerment of cooks and chefs from around the world by celebrating our skills and talents in the kitchen, highlighting the value newcomers bring to the fabric of our society. Your support will allow us to continue to pay workers a living wage with sick leave, while making delicious meals using the best products available.

Our commitment is simple, yet powerful: we cook the food we love for Baltimore residents; we provide consistent work and training to those in our kitchens, including those who do not have access to benefits; and we address the ongoing and now heightened issues of food apartheid our city. 

In October 2021, we moved into our own kitchen and restaurant in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood. This space will serve not only as a space where we can continue producing these meals, but also as a community gathering space where people can join new and old friends to enjoy our food.

Your donation will allow us to continue this community meal commitment, ensuring Baltimoreans have regular access to healthy and delicious meals, made from scratch. It will support our vision of building a sustainable business model which prioritizes our team, our neighbors and our customers.

Access to fresh, healthy meals in Baltimore has been a long term problem, and it demands long term, holistic solutions. Providing quality food is not a plan, it is a priority for our city.

Would you rather mail a check?
Payable to: Maryland Philanthropy Network
Memo Line: The MK Foundation
1600 W 41st Street
Suite 700
Baltimore, MD 21211