At CKC Good Food, our relationships with our partners go far beyond contracts or meal counts. You are part of our beautiful community, and during moments like this, it feels especially important to say: we see you and we will navigate this together.
A Heartbreaking Reality
We know the unpredictability of federal immigration enforcement efforts has made it incredibly difficult to maintain routines that once felt steady. People are afraid to drive and go to work. Families are afraid to send their children to school. There is an overwhelming uncertainty about what tomorrow may bring and how long this will go on. It’s hard to continue “business as usual,” even as we strive to feed our community with consistency and care.
The Impact We’re Experiencing
Like many of you, we are experiencing the real impacts from this. Many of you have had to close buildings or shift to distance or hybrid learning, sometimes requiring quick changes to meal plans. We’ve been working closely and will continue to do so with each of you to stay in good communication about cancellations, adjustments or reschedules to meal orders as attendance fluctuates and the needs evolve. We also have team members who are afraid, which has impacted attendance. We are figuring out ways to support our team while navigating absences and ensuring your students’ meal services continue without disruptions.
Our Response & Commitment
Our response remains steady, guided by our values – Helping Others, Collaboration, Diversity, Meaningful Work and Innovation – which define who we are and how we show up for our partners and our communities, especially in these difficult moments.
- Prioritizing Safety and Rights: The safety of our team is essential. We are actively sharing information about employee rights and ensuring our commissary remains a safe place to work. We have standard operating procedures in place should ICE or any law enforcement come to our facility.
- Staying Informed and Proactive: We continue to reach out to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) to stay informed on changes as they unfold, allowing us to respond thoughtfully and proactively alongside you.
- Supporting Changes in Meal Service: We have processes in place to manage meal cancellations and changes efficiently, and will continue to support you as situations shift with timely communication and responsiveness.
- Sharing Food Support Resources: One of the top questions we’ve heard is: How can students access food when they’re not in schools? Below are trusted resources you can share with families:
- Meals for Kids app: Created by Hunger Impact Partner with support from MDE to help kids under 18 find free meals at Minnesota schools and other sites. Download in Apple App Google Play.
- Hunger Solutions – Food Resources Map: Search by location to find various food resources near you or call their HelpLine.
- Second Harvest Heartland – Find Food: Call to get connected to get help finding free food (interpreters for Spanish, Somali and Hmong available) or search their map to find a food shelf near you.
- Check out MDE’s Nutrition Program Bulletin from 1/13/26 for additional resources
Moving Forward – Together
Please know our door is always open to you. We want to keep the lines of communication wide open – so please reach out with any questions, concerns or ideas for how we can better support you in this evolving moment. Communication is key and we are here to listen and act.
We have weathered difficult moments together before. While this feels uniquely different, I believe deeply in our collective resilience. We will continue to adapt, find creative ways to support one another and do the meaningful work of feeding people with care and dignity. That’s how we’ll find our way forward.
Thank you for your partnership and your courage in these times.
Lots of love,
CEO, CKC Good Food