Fighting hunger with hospitality
The Toast Changemakers Program will award $10,000 grants to 15 restaurants doing meaningful work to fight food insecurity in their local communities.
Read on for an exciting announcement about this year’s grant recipients!
$150,000 in grants
15 U.S. restaurants will each get $10,000 to support their community impact efforts.
Open to all U.S. restaurants
All U.S. restaurants are eligible to apply, not just Toast customers. For more info, click here.
Addressing hunger
Awarded to restaurants with a track record of addressing food insecurity, with plans for more.
Meet our 2025 grant recipients
Azalina’s
Azalina’s, a family-run Malaysian restaurant in San Francisco’s Tenderloin, blends Michelin-recognized cuisine with deep social purpose. They address local food insecurity by hosting free community dinners and distributing nourishing, culturally relevant meals. Their mission also creates jobs and training, building a circular system of care rooted in their neighborhood.
Check them out
Billie’s Diner
Billie’s Diner, a farm-to-table American diner in Washington, believes everyone should have access to local, nutrient-dense food. They source over 75% of their ingredients from local farms and run several community initiatives, such as the Giving Wall, a pay-it-forward program that provides meals to anyone in need, as well as food bank partnerships to reduce food waste.
Check them out
Eat Sprout
Eat Sprout was founded by a husband-and-wife duo who once relied on food stamps. Together, they built a company rooted in giving back to the community that supported them. Today, Eat Sprout provides free, chef-prepared, nutritious meals to families in need across Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Their guiding belief is simple yet powerful: Everyone deserves access to real, healthy food.
Check them out
Hideaway Cafe
Hideaway Cafe offers coffee, food, and catering while doubling as a local Winchester, Virginia meeting hall. They fight food insecurity with a three-pronged approach, including a pay-it-forward meal program, an annual World Food Day drive, and a Business BINGO sponsorship program that delivers meals to no-barrier refrigerators and ensuring neighbors get a reliable, dignified meal.
Check them out
Kamayan ATL
Kamayan ATL, a Filipino restaurant and community hub, celebrates tradition while fighting food insecurity. They close every Tuesday to dedicate the day to their weekly food packing events where they prepare and distribute nutritious Filipino meals with community partners across Atlanta. Since 2018, this commitment has ensured more families have a seat at the table of care and nourishment.
Check them out
The Kitchen Sink
The Kitchen Sink is a community-focused restaurant dedicated to addressing food insecurity in Wilmington, North Carolina. They provide free, nutritious meals multiple times a week and in their kitchen employ individuals facing homelessness, teaching culinary, customer service, and workplace skills to foster long-term independence.
Check them out
La Stella Pizzeria & Market
Connecticut’s La Stella Pizzeria & Market lives its core belief: Food is love. Their daily Lefty’s Special provides a free, no-stigma meal to anyone who walks in. This commitment, woven into the Italian restaurant’s operations, has delivered over 30,000 nourishing meals, proving kindness and hospitality are always good business.
Check them out
Lazy Daisy Beverly Hills
Lazy Daisy Beverly Hills, a family-run restaurant specializing in healthy American food, fights food insecurity by producing nearly 500 subsidized, nutritionally balanced meals daily for local homeless shelters and displaced youth. They also partner with employee-meal benefits platform, Sharebite, resulting in thousands of corporate-sponsored meal donations to Feeding America every year.
Check them out
Lola’s Modern Kitchen
Lola’s Modern Kitchen, built on fresh, creative food, is dedicated to fighting childhood hunger. Fueled by their co-founder’s personal experience, they offer free kids meal vouchers daily, no questions asked, and house a food pantry in their downtown Seymour, Indiana location. Lola’s is a welcoming spot for families — and a true community vehicle for change.
Check them out
Lunch Heroes
Lunch Heroes, a Chicago-based sub shop, fights food insecurity by donating a nutritious lunch to a child experiencing homelessness for every hero (sub sandwich) sold — over 6,000 meals to date. Their self-sustaining model and daily partnership with The Night Ministry’s youth shelter ensure that with each sub, unhoused youth get a reliable meal and a reminder of their potential.
Check them out
Max & Emily’s
The People Helping People program at Max & Emily’s provides free meals every Sunday — the day of the week their local soup kitchen is closed. Having grown from 31 to an average of 190 meals served weekly, this Mt. Pleasant, Michigan sandwich spot focuses on helping the working poor and students who are struggling. The program served 8,305 meals in 2024 and keeps dignity paramount for all guests.
Check them out
PAGU
PAGU, a Cambridge, Mass. neighborhood restaurant, draws on Japanese, Spanish, and Taiwanese influences to offer high-quality, inclusive dining. They fight food insecurity by distributing non-perishable goods and preparing holiday meals for over 70 families. Through monthly supper clubs and an annual festival, PAGU also provides income and exposure for refugee and immigrant chefs.
Check them out
The Porch Prescott
Arizona’s The Porch Prescott is a community-oriented coffee shop and cafe that uses its space as a hub to fight food insecurity. By partnering with local churches and food banks, they prepare and distribute meals, coffee, and essential items about three times a month. Their efforts are rooted in relationships, creating a culture of care where everyone feels welcome.
Check them out
Scratch Kitchen & Bistro
Scratch Kitchen & Bistro, a farm-to-table bistro, honors a family legacy of love through food. They are an “impact business,” ensuring neighbors have access to wholesome meals with their subsidized Heat & Eat program for seniors and an annual free Thanksgiving Lunch for newcomer students. They nourish both body and spirit in their Maryland community.
Check them out
Vegans on the Run
Vegans on the Run is a plant-based restaurant dedicated to making healthy, Louisiana-style vegan comfort food accessible. They fight food insecurity by hosting free monthly pop-ups — to date providing over 1,000 complimentary meals to seniors — and offering free cooking classes to youth. They ensure nutritious, culturally familiar food is available to everyone, regardless of income.
Check them out
We're hungry to help
The Toast Changemakers Program is designed to celebrate and support U.S. restaurants making a difference in the fight against hunger. Restaurants are the heart of our communities; they’re where we go for nourishment of every kind. Fighting food insecurity has long been core to our industry — one fundamentally built to feed and nourish local communities — which is why we’ve introduced this program as part of our $5 million, five-year commitment to fighting hunger.
Frequently asked questions
All eligible applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
Demonstrated track record of addressing food insecurity in your local community.
Clarity, feasibility, and anticipated impact of the plan for the proposed use of funds.
Creative or unique approach to addressing food insecurity.
Efforts that address the specific needs of their community in a measurable way.
Recipients will be selected after two rounds of reviews and scoring will be conducted by a panel of judges consisting of Toast, Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), Hello Alice, and/or their designees. For tips on crafting a strong application, please refer to these Hello Alice resources: Write a Winning Grant Application (guide) and Pro-Tips Workshop (video).