Where Research Meets Heart
Insights from our partnership with The Search Institute on what drives youth wellbeing.
At Healing Meals Community Project, youth don’t just volunteer—they grow. In partnership with the Search Institute, we conducted a 2025 Youth Survey to better understand how service, mentorship, and teamwork impact the emotional and social well-being of our youth volunteers. Using the Developmental Relationships Framework, the survey measured how young people experience care, support, and belonging while working in our kitchen and garden. The results speak for themselves. Youth rated their Healing Meals experience 95.6 out of 100, describing it as welcoming, joyful, and deeply meaningful. They shared that they feel more confident, more connected, and more aware of the difference they make.
“Healing Meals is a community like no other. Every time I leave, I have a smile on my face.” “It’s meaningful to see the impact we’re making—you can really feel how much it helps families.”
Their reflections validate what we see every day in our kitchen: compassion and mentorship are powerful catalysts for confidence, empathy, and lifelong wellness. Through hands-on learning, youth aren’t just cooking meals—they’re building resilience, leadership, and purpose.
Read the full 2025 Youth Survey Results to see how community, belonging, and purpose help our youth thrive.
