Wisconsin-Based Nonprofit, Meals Matter, Earns Youth Award for Outstanding Fundraising Efforts

The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) is excited to announce that Meals Matter, represented by current co‑presidents Rohan Dileep and Beatrice Norman, is the recipient of the 2026 William R. Simms Award for Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy, Group, sponsored by Carter.

The award, sponsored by Carter through the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy, honors young people with a proven record of exceptional generosity, who demonstrate outstanding civic and charitable responsibility and whose philanthropy encourages others to engage on a community, national, and/or international level. Meals Matter was nominated for the award by the AFP Greater Madison Chapter. 

“This recognition means so much to us, not only because it celebrates our organization’s impact, but because it shines a light on the urgent issue of food insecurity that so many families face every day,” said Dileep and Norman. “While we are incredibly proud of our accomplishments, we also recognize the reality that food insecurity is a growing global issue. Our successes are worth celebrating, but they also remind us that the need is greater than ever, and our mission is far from finished. This award is not just a reflection of our work, but of the countless students, educators, families, donors, and community members who believe that young people can lead meaningful change. We are so grateful for their trust and support, and we are excited to continue building a future where everyone has access to nutritious food and the opportunity to thrive.”

Meals Matter began in 2024 when two Middleton High School students, moved by the scale of food insecurity in their community, launched a grassroots food‑collection effort that quickly grew into a robust student‑led organization. Over time, the founders created a sustainable structure that allowed new leaders, including current co-presidents Rohan and Beatrice, to assume local leadership while continuing to expand the program’s reach. Today, Meals Matter has grown into a multi‑chapter movement spanning high schools across Wisconsin, Texas, and even Jeju, South Korea, working toward a shared vision: a community where no one goes hungry and everyone has access to nutritious, wholesome meals. 

Through monthly grocery‑store food drives, neighborhood collections, student‑run volunteer events, school engagement, and creative awareness campaigns, Middleton Meals Matter — now one chapter within the larger Meals Matter umbrella — has collected 63,870 pounds of food valued at more than $125,000, along with nearly $15,000 in funds for food pantries. Their work supports organizations including WayForward Resources, Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin, Sun Prairie Emergency Food Pantry, and Caring Closet at Middleton High School. Hundreds of youth volunteers, sometimes even elementary school students, participate in their drives and campus efforts each year. 

“The impact and adaptability Meals Matter has demonstrated in two short years to serve as many people as possible is a testament to the impressive talent and passion we are seeing in this next generation of philanthropic professionals,” said Steve Higgins, president & CEO of Carter. “We are proud to recognize the work of the founding Middleton chapter and its current leaders, Rohan and Beatrice, who understand the power of leveraging their community and voices to continue to meet the critical need for food security.”

“Meals Matter beautifully illustrates how local passion can grow into a global force for good,” said Art Taylor, AFP president and CEO. “Recognized first by the AFP Greater Madison Chapter at National Philanthropy Day, the students’ work now reaches across states and even countries, mirroring AFP’s own chapter based model, where local engagement fuels worldwide impact. The way Meals Matter empowers young leaders to create chapters, strengthen their own communities, and inspire others to join the movement is a powerful reminder that philanthropy scales one community at a time. AFP Global is proud to honor their extraordinary leadership and the far reaching ripple effects of their service.”

As co‑presidents, Rohan Dileep and Beatrice Norman coordinate large‑scale food drives across multiple grocery stores, each requiring 15–20 volunteers, logistics planning, community outreach, and partnerships with local businesses. They also lead neighborhood drives, engage younger students in hunger‑awareness education, manage social media, and speak at public events and on local television to encourage broad‑based participation. At the area’s 2024 National Philanthropy Day celebration, their acceptance speech — a reflection on compassion, hope, and community — received the ceremony’s only standing ovation. 

Under the Meals Matter umbrella, the organization has expanded rapidly, adding chapters at high schools across Dane County and beyond. Each chapter runs monthly food drives, builds partnerships with local food pantries, and encourages student leadership grounded in core values of service, innovation, leadership, and compassion. A comprehensive “Meals Matter Startup Guide” — created by the student board — provides step‑by‑step instructions for launching new chapters, ensuring that the model is replicable, sustainable, and youth‑powered. 

Meals Matter now includes twelve chapters, with plans to expand nationally and internationally. The organization’s goals for the coming year include donating 250,000 pounds of food and raising $100,000 for food banks across the country. The group is also in the process of applying for official 501(c)(3) status, establishing long‑term sustainability and increasing the potential for future growth.

The award will be presented in San Diego on April 28 during AFP ICON 2026, the largest gathering of fundraising professionals in the world. 

For more information about this award or AFP ICON, please contact Natalie Paskoski at (434)-236-5583 or [email protected]

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Co-founded by Bob Carter and Steve Higgins in 2011, Carter is a team of 50+ senior-level nonprofit professionals working in the areas of fundraising, governance and organizational planning to advance philanthropy worldwide.

Each Carter consultant brings decades of executive-level development experience to serve as an extension of an organization’s team, help maximize their potential and better serve their cause.

Carter has guided hundreds of organizations of all sizes, ranging from regional nonprofit agencies and national associations to international causes, in successfully planning for and implementing significant and transformational campaigns and organizational progress. For more information, visit www.carter.global.
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Since 1960, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) has been the standard-bearer for professionalism in fundraising. The association works to advance effective and ethical philanthropy by providing advocacy, research, education, mentoring, collaboration and technology opportunities for the world’s largest network of professional fundraisers. AFP’s more than 24,000 members in over 180 professional chapters raise over $100 billion annually for a wide variety of charitable organizations and causes across the globe. For more information, go to www.afpglobal.org.  

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