On June 25, 2025, the Center for Community Health & Prevention at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) once again sponsored 100 Mission Meals at the Foodlink Community Café. This generous act not only provided nourishing meals to neighbors in need but also supported the café’s culinary apprentices and the broader mission of Foodlink.
The “Let’s Eat Together” event, invites neighbors to gather, share a meal, and build community. On this day, CCHP staff didn’t just fund the meals—they joined the community at the table, fostering conversation.
A Mission Meal is a $3, no-questions-asked meal that includes a freshly prepared entrée, a side, and bottled water. Anyone in need of food assistance can walk into the café and enjoy a meal made with care by Foodlink’s culinary apprentices. With food insecurity affecting thousands across our region, the Community Café offers a dignified, delicious solution—where cost is based on a sliding scale and everyone is welcome.
But the impact goes beyond the meal. The café also serves as a training ground for Foodlink Career Fellowship apprentices, equipping them with hands-on culinary skills and opening doors to long-term careers in the food industry.
When organizations like URMC sponsor Mission Meals, they’re doing more than addressing hunger. They’re investing in workforce development and community health. Every sponsored meal supports both the person receiving it and the apprentice who prepared it.
Want to be part of this movement? Here’s how:
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- Sponsor a Meal: Whether you’re an individual, business, or community group, your sponsorship can make a direct impact. To do so, email us at cafe@foodlinkny.org
- Dine with Us: Visit the café, enjoy a meal, and consider paying it forward.
- Support Our Fellows: Every meal purchased helps fund the training of our culinary apprentices—Rochester’s next generation of food leaders.
