Sending a meal: how it works

All our meals are fully prepared and only require reheating. They are shipped frozen and may arrive frozen, partially thawed, or cool to the touch. They may be refrigerated and eaten within several days or your recipient can re-freeze them until convenient to enjoy.

All meals can be kept (refrigerated) for up to 7 days. Instructions for thawing and/or heating each meal are included in your order when it ships.

Heating meals in the oven produces the ideal result, but a microwave can be used as well with the exception of our cookie dough desserts.

Food is a simple, tangible, and meaningful way to show you care.

Anyone! Your recipient does not have to have a meal schedule through our website. You can send anything in our store to anyone for any reason. So if you're not a great cook or if you live miles away, you can show your support by sending love from our web store.

From our main store page, click on the photo of the item you'd like to purchase. Click the 'Add to Cart' button on the item's page. The item will be added to your shopping cart. You can then continue shopping for additional items or proceed with the check-out process.

Absolutely. Just email us (at store@takethemameal.com) with your order number and any necessary changes or your preferred shipping date and we'll make the changes for you.

Email us (at store@takethemameal.com) with your order number and the recipient's name. We will return your message as quickly as possible with confirmation of the cancellation and refund.

At this time, we offer only the items listed in our store in the quantities listed. You are welcome to purchase more than one item if you need additional quantities.

We can make a nut-free dessert substitution in your order. Just email us (at store@takethemameal.com) with your order number and the recipient's name and indicate that there is a nut allergy. We'll make sure the nut-free dessert is substituted when your order ships.

Please note that, while every precaution is taken to prevent cross-contamination, the kitchen where meals are prepared is not 100% nut-free. If your recipient has a severe nut allergy, you may want to consult them (or the meal schedule's coordinator) to make sure our meals are a good fit.

Select a meal that is labeled gluten-free from our store.

Please note that, while every precaution is taken to prevent cross-contamination, the kitchen where meals are prepared is not 100% gluten-free. If your recipient has a severe gluten allergy, you may want to consult them (or the meal schedule's coordinator) to make sure our meals are a good fit.

Our meals are not certified kosher. You can, however, order vegetarian meals through our web store, if those are a good fit for your recipient.

Meals are packed in dry ice and shipped frozen via FedEx.

No. All meals are shipped frozen via FedEx and are in transit for several days, depending on your recipient's location. To allow for both transit and thawing time, we recommend that your recipients plan to enjoy the meal any day after the delivery date.

Each meal has its own shipping cost. You can see the shipping charges once you've added items to your shopping cart.

Delivery is only available to recipients with an address in the 48 contiguous United States. If your recipient lives outside these 48 states, we suggest contacting the meal schedule's coordinator (whose name and contact information are listed at the top of the meal schedule page). The coordinator can likely provide ideas for restaurants that are local to the recipient.

No. FedEx will leave the package at their doorstep. No signature is required.

Our meals are shipped frozen via FedEx so we strongly recommend not shipping meals to hospital addresses. Many hospitals do not have the available resources for recipients to heat and serve the meal. Instead, we suggest shipping the meal to a nearby friend or family member. They can then receive the delivery, prepare the meal in their own kitchen, and then take it to those at the hospital.

If your meal is not reflected on your recipient's schedule, you can click the 'Take' link on the far right side of the date you'd like to provide a meal.

Meals are shipped frozen via FedEx with the time frame outlined during the check out process. We suggest signing up for any date after the delivery date. Doing so ensures that the meal has been received and has had time to thaw.