Mama’s!

Mama’s Kitchen is a nonprofit organization that provides free, medically tailored meals to people with serious illnesses. Founded in 1990 during the AIDS crisis, it began as a volunteer effort to help individuals who were too sick to cook for themselves.

Today, it serves people with conditions like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease by delivering meals designed by dietitians, along with nutrition education.

The organization’s mission is to improve health and quality of life by ensuring that vulnerable individuals have access to nutritious food. It has delivered millions of meals across San Diego and relies heavily on volunteers and community support to operate.

 

 

Mama’s Kitchen in San Diego hosts an annual Thanksgiving fundraiser called “Mama’s Pies” (formerly Pie in the Sky), which has become one of the region’s largest bake sales and a local holiday tradition. Each fall, supporters purchase pies in advance—typically priced around $30–$35—and pick them up just before Thanksgiving. The pies are generously donated by local bakeries, chefs, and restaurants, and volunteers help coordinate sales and distribution. Popular flavors include pumpkin, apple, pecan, and Dutch apple. Proceeds from the sale directly support Mama’s Kitchen’s mission of providing free, medically tailored meals to individuals with serious illnesses, and a single pie purchase can help fund multiple meals for someone in need. The event sells thousands of pies each year and has raised millions of dollars over time, making it a critical source of funding that helps ensure services remain accessible to clients without any financial requirement.