MealTrain.com History (Wiki Article)

Official History of Meal Train

About:

Meal Train LLC, is an American company founded in 2009.[1] It is the parent company of MealTrain.com, a social planning site that allows for the organization of meals around significant life events like births, surgeries, illnesses, deployment, and deaths. Meal Train LLC is headquartered in Burlington, Vermont, USA[2] MealTrain.com is most famously known for inventing the term "Meal Train" which has become a common descriptor of the action of organizing meals around a significant life events. Meal Train LLC trademarked the service mark in 2010.[15]

History:

Meal Train LLC was formed in 2009 by Michael Laramee and Stephen DePasquale Jr and is registered in the State of Vermont.[3] After recognizing the complexity Kathleen Laramee was having organizing meals for the family of a new baby[4], Michael Laramee and Stephen DePasquale Jr developed MealTrain.com. The site went live on January 24 of 2010[5][6].

Site:

MealTrain.com allows members to organize a meal calendar for a friend after a birth, surgery, illness, etc [7]. This calendar helps organize friends and family members who want to sign up for a date and make and deliver a meal.[8] The organizer can add a story and a photo as well as make regular updates. Once the page is created, MealTrain.com allows users to share their page with friends and family through integrated social network links (Facebook, Instagram, etc.), e-mail, posters, sms, and an internal messaging tool. Invited participants can then view the calendar, review the recipients food preferences and sign up for a date to provide a meal.[9]

Social Impact:

September 2013: Over 2500 people receive a meal each night [10]

October 2016: Over 2 million people in 40 countries use MealTrain.com each month. [11]

June of 2018: MealTrain.com helps organize over 9,000 meals each night. [12]

January 2019: MealTrain.com organizes 300,000 meals each month. [13]

April 2020: MealTrain.com organizes over 1.5 million pages and has facilitated the delivery of some 42 million meals averaging 10 meals per recipient. [14]

Legal:

Meal Train LLC is the owner of the service mark MEAL TRAIN (Serial Number 77862045), registered on 7/13/2010. [15]

Notable Meal Train pages:

Mother of Triplets featured on NBC Nightly News

Meal Train recipient, Jessica Plorde, mother of triplets Alex, Asher and Jackson profiled on NBC Evening News. [16]

MealTrain.com helps arrange food deliveries to the frontline health care workers

Meal Train users use the service to bring together frontline workers, whom communities want to support, and restaurants that need business. [17][18]

Meal Train Dad

A father-to-be was dubbed the “meal train dad” for misusing a community strengthening website with picky request as he and his wife are expecting the birth of their newborn. [19][20][21]

Broadway Feeds Bellevue

Celia Keenan-Bolger and Gideon Glick use MealTrain.com to organize meals and donations for the hospital staff at Bellevue Hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic. Andrew Rannells joins Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight with Jimmy Fallon to discuss how the site is helping support a NYC hospital.[22]

Bodie Miller and Morgan Miller

Meal Train page organized after the passing of their 19-month-old daughter, Emeline Grier Miller. [23]

Sarah Michelle Gellar organizes a Meal Train page in Support of Selma Blair

In support of Selma Blair, Sarah organize a Meal Train page which had participation from Reese Witherspoon and Constance Zimmer and was profiled in People Magazine.[24]

New Jersey Man Fakes Cancer

Man is accused of lying about having an illness to steal from those who offered to help him. [25]

MealTrain Around the World

Mother battling cancer New Zealand featured on the television show, The Project [38]

Notable Mentions in Popular Culture:

Married, FX, Episode: "Koreatown", 2015

Judy Greer's character, Lina Bowman is asked by a neighbor, “So you want to sign up for the Meal Train?”[26][27]

Transparent, Amazon, Episode: "Off the Grid", 2016

Jeffrey Tambor as Maura Pfefferman “Is this a postponement? Because I'm with this thing called Meal Train and I already put out my emails.”[28][29]

Atypical, Netflix, Episode: "Starters and Endings", 2017

Jennifer Jason Leigh as Elsa “For example, my way is to start a Meal Train for Donna and then sign up for the first six slots.”[34][35]

The Good Doctor, Hulu, Episode: "Two Ply or Not to Ply", 2018

Sheila Kelley as Debbie Wexler to Richard Schiff as Aaron Glassman, “I had signed up to bring you food at the hospital, the Meal Train that they set up?” Schiff: “The Meal Train, yeah…”[30][31]

Splitting Up Together, ABC, Episode: "Annie, Are you OK?", 2019

Jenna Fischer as Lena “Hey, you know what would be nice? If we organized a Meal Train for Lisa, that way she doesn’t have to worry about food when she gets home. I mean, I would have loved that.”[32][33]

New Amsterdam, NBC/Netflix, Episode: "The Island", 2019

Anupam Kher as Dr. Vijay Kapoor "Have you heard of Meal Trains? Perhaps I can conduct one." 33:10, [39]

Pivoting, Fox, Episode: "The Giving Tree", 2022

Eliza Coupe as Amy “Where did all this food come from?” to Colton Dunn as Brian “Meal Train…the women from our church.”; 9:38, Ginnifer Goodwin, as Jodie, to Eliza Coupe, as Amy, “Hey, shouldn't we be on the Meal Train?”; 15:33, Colton Dunn, as Brian, “Enjoy it because the Meal Train, it ends here.”[36][37]

The Simpsons, Fox, Season 34 E14, Episode 742: "Carl Carlson Rides Again", 2023

When Homer wakes up in the morning, he smells Marge cooking chili con carne. However, he is disappointed to find that Marge made it for Ned Flanders, who had broken his arm.

Marge: "Ned can't cook for a few weeks so I started a Meal Train for him."

Homer: "Meal Train?" (Homer imagines a train in the shape of a sandwich going into his mouth.)

Marge: "Homer! A Meal Train is when family and friends set up a schedule to bring homemade dishes to people in need."

Homer: "Hmm, coming up with a fake injury to get obscene amounts of free food you say."

The story line goes on to show Homer and his bar friends all receiving Meal Train meals for fake injuries. It's a fun little spoof on a wholesome concept and one we can laugh along with.

We hope you take as much pride as we do in knowing that Meal Train is not just a great way to support friends and family. It's a movement that is happening in every state, all over the world, and even on Evergreen Terrace in Springfield.

Click here to watch the video

Official Website

www.mealtrain.com

References

1. ^"Business Information". www.Bizfilings.vermont.gov. State of Vermont. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
2. ^"MEAL TRAIN LLC". www.opencorporates.com. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
3. ^"Business Information". www.Bizfilings.vermont.gov. State of Vermont. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
4. ^"Organizing Helping Hands". www.guideposts.org. Guideposts. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
5. ^"Chew Choo!". www.sevendaysvt.com. Da Capo Publishing, Inc. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
6. ^"Interview: Mike Laramee on Meal Train". www.VPR.org. Vermont Public Radio. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
7. ^"BFFs in Business". wwww.uvm.edu. University of Vermont. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
8. ^"When a Friend Is in Need, Show You Care With Food". nytimes.com. New York Times.
9. ^"Meal Train website helps friends and family schedule the gift of food". CBC.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
10. ^"Website helps loved ones members organize meals for family members". www.CityNews.ca. Rogers Media. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
11. ^"Volunteers Use Meal Train to Help Ease the Burden for Those in Need (min 1:09)". www.nbcnews.com. NBC universal.
12. ^"BFFs in business". www.uvm.edu. University of Vermont. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
13. ^"Changing the World". CostcoConnection.com. Costco. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
14. ^"Vermont's Frontline Food Restaurateurs Feed Hospital Staff". www.SevenDaysVT.com. Da Capo Publishing. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
15. ^"MEAL TRAIN - Trademark Details". www.justia.com. Justia.
16. ^"Volunteers Use Meal Train to Help Ease the Burden for Those in Need". www.nbcnews.com. NBC Universal. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
17. ^"Vermont's Frontline Food Restaurateurs Feed Hospital Staff". www.SevenDaysVT.com. Da Capo Publishing. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
18. ^"EMPLOYEE DRIVES MEAL TRAIN TO FEED HEALTH CARE WORKERS ON THE FRONT LINES". Cummings.com. Cummins Inc. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
19. ^"Momtroversy: Did 'meal train dad' go too far?". goodmorningamerica.com. ABC News Internet Ventures. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
20. ^"Is "Meal Train Dad" A Spoiled Jerk Or Just A Hungry Dude With Top-Shelf Taste?". www.romper.com. BDG Media Inc. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
21. ^"Couple expecting first baby wants free meals, therapy from neighbors". www.nypost.com. NYP Holdings, Inc. (News Corp).
22. ^"Andrew Rannells Discusses Meal Train, min. 7:13". YouTube.com. NBC Universal. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
23. ^"Bode Miller and his wife thank supporters for donating to GoFundMe campaign and delivering meals to the family after the shocking drowning death of their toddler daughter". www.dailymail.co.uk. DMG Media. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
24. ^"How Selma Blair's Friends Like Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jaime King Support Her During MS Journey". www.people.com. Meredith Corporation. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
25. ^"New Jersey Man Accused Of Faking Cancer To Solicit Donations". www.newyork.cbslocal.com. Viacom. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
26. ^"Married: "Koreatown" Season 2, episode 4, 2015 18:57 Episode List". Wikipedia.org. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
27. ^"Married: Transcript of "Koreatown" Season 2, episode 4,". SpringfieldSpringfield.co.uk. Springfield! Springfield!. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
28. ^"Transparent: "Off the Grid" Season 3, episode 9, 2016, 2:38". Wikipedia.org. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
29. ^"Transparent Transcript of "Off the Grid" Season 3, episode 9, 2016,". SpringfieldSpringfield.co.uk. Springfield! Springfield!. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
30. ^"Good Doctor: "Two Ply or Not to Ply" Season 2, episode 6, 2018, 11:43". Wikipedia.org. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
31. ^"The Good Doctor: Transcript of "Two Ply or Not to Ply" Season 2, episode 6, 2018". SpringfieldSpringfield.co.uk. Springfield! Springfield!. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
32. ^"Splitting Up Together: "Annie, Are you OK?" Season 2, episode 14, 2019". Wikipedia.org. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
33. ^"Splitting Up Together: Transcript of "Annie, Are you OK?" Season 2, episode 14". SpringfieldSpringfield.co.uk. Springfield! Springfield!. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
34. ^"Atypical: "Starters and Endings" Season 4, episode 4, 2021, 7:17". Wikipedia.org. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
35. ^"Atypical: Transcript of "Starters and Endings" Season 4, episode 4". SpringfieldSpringfield.co.uk. Springfield! Springfield!. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
36. ^"Pivoting: "The Giving Tree" Season 1 Episode 3 2022". Wikipedia.org. Wikipedia.
37. ^"Pivoting: Transcript of "The Giving Tree" Season 1 Episode 3". SpringfieldSpringfield.co.uk. Spingfield! Springfield!.
38. ^"The Project - Meal Train". www.discovery.com. Discovery New Zealand. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
39. ^"New Amsterdam: "The Island" Season 2 Episode 9, 2019 SpringfieldSpringfield.co.uk, Springfield! Springfield!. Retrieved January 28, 2023
40. ^"The Simpsons: Carl Carlson Rides Again" Season 34, Episode 14, 2023,  Springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=the-simpsons&episode=s34e14 Springfield! Springfield!. Retrieved March 8, 2023