After over 30 years in the bakery business, nearly a decade at The House of Bread and a lifetime of serving his neighbors in need through volunteer efforts at St. Vincent de Paul, Bill Evans sought his next opportunity to help. In 2015 he started a non profit called Set the Banquet Table. The original purpose was to create baking, cooking and dining opportunities with a ticket price that benefitted the food related charity of the purchaser’s choice. Bill was initially joined in this venture by fellow board members Bill Sibbing, Chef Matt DeAngulo and Stan Troha.
In 2018 the board added Tom Bensman as a member and carried on with the informative and entertaining mission. When the tornadoes of 2019 hit, Bill and Chef Matt discussed ways to make a bigger impact, thinking specifically of preparing chef-quality meals for those in need. By the time the COVID pandemic reached us in March of 2020, their dialogue expanded to include Amanda DeLotelle and other past colleagues. This group developed a new project under Set the Banquet Table: Miami Valley Meals.
Miami Valley Meals is now our nonprofit’s major focus with over 4,500 meals produced weekly from recovered Foodbank food for distribution through organizations that feed the hungry. This would not have been possible without support from a coalition of established local nonprofits combating food insecurity. This group of partnering organizations helped us acquire major funding, enabling us to scale up and feed more people.
As our operations expanded, so did our leadership team: Paula Joyce, Daryl Adkins and Bonnie Baker-Tattershall joined our board.
Our production, operations and administrative staff at Miami Valley Meals are second to none. They work hard to provide chef-prepared meals that are both delicious and nutritious. Not only do we adhere to strict USDA standards, but we are ServSafe Certified, and we follow an extensive HAACP plan.
We hold our history close to our hearts as we stride with unwavering dedication to our mission and the people we serve. We appreciate our supporters and partners who have joined us in our ongoing efforts to address food insecurity in the Miami Valley.
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Miami Valley Meals Board Members include citizens with experience in culinary arts, business, and education.