Case Study: Hunger Solution Center Campaign
Problem
IN EARLY 2024, Hidden Harvest and East Side Soup Kitchen launched a joint capital campaign to double the size of their shared Hunger Solution Center. While their mission was clear, they lacked a cohesive brand and strategy to reach donors and the broader community.
The Hunger Solution Center, located in Saginaw, Michigan, serves as a collaborative hub where the two organizations work side by side to address food insecurity in the Great Lakes Bay Region. Hidden Harvest focuses on rescuing surplus food from grocery stores, restaurants, farms, and manufacturers, redistributing thousands of pounds of food each week to agencies serving individuals and families in need. East Side Soup Kitchen complements that work by providing hot meals, groceries, and support services to people experiencing hardship in the community.
As demand for food assistance continued to grow, the organizations recognized the need to expand the facility in order to increase storage capacity, improve distribution logistics, and create a more efficient environment for volunteers and staff. The capital campaign aimed to raise funds to significantly enlarge the building and enhance its ability to serve the region.
To support the campaign, the organizations partnered with Cardinal Solutions at Saginaw Valley State University. Students working through the program collaborated with nonprofit leaders to develop a unified brand identity and communication strategy for the campaign. The goal was to clearly communicate the mission of the Hunger Solution Center and inspire donors, foundations, and community partners to invest in the expansion.
Students researched the regional impact of food insecurity, analyzed existing outreach materials, and worked with leadership from both organizations to shape a consistent message for the campaign. The resulting strategy focused on helping the community understand how the Hunger Solution Center functions as a coordinated system for rescuing food, preparing meals, and distributing resources throughout the region.
Through branding, messaging, and campaign materials developed by the students, the organizations were better positioned to communicate the importance of the project and the long-term benefits the expansion would bring to families across the Great Lakes Bay Region.
Solution
Cardinal Solutions created a comprehensive communications system including brand identity, campaign website, print collateral, social media content, donor recognition items, and seven campaign videos. Student specialists worked in design, writing, video, and strategy roles.
Download the HSC Brand Guidelines
Videos: Hunger Solution Center’s Impact
Voiceover and interviews done by Christiana Malacara
• Manuel — A Second Chance to Trust
• Second Chances, Stan’s Story
• More Than a Meal: Jim’s 60 Years of Service
• Lindsay Richardson – Bay Area Women’s Center
• Sarah Cassidy of the Ten16 Recovery Network
• Norm’s Story – From Volunteer to Employee
• Jim Dwyer – On A Mission
Result
The campaign quickly gained momentum across the Great Lakes Bay Region. By early 2026, the expansion effort had surpassed $8 million in commitments, allowing the organizations to move forward with construction on the expanded Hunger Solution Center. The project’s revised fundraising goal was set at $8.2 million.
The expansion will significantly increase the center’s capacity to rescue, store, and distribute food while improving efficiency for volunteers, staff, and partner agencies. Planned upgrades include expanded refrigeration and freezer capacity, a larger meal preparation area, improved loading and storage infrastructure, and a drive-through meal service hub. These improvements will allow the center to serve more families while reducing food waste across the region.
The Hunger Solution Center operates as a collaborative partnership between Hidden Harvest and East Side Soup Kitchen, organizations that together provide meals, groceries, and food distribution services throughout the region. Hidden Harvest distributes rescued food to more than 200 nonprofit partners, while the East Side Soup Kitchen serves thousands of meals each year to individuals and families facing food insecurity.
Cardinal Solutions helped the campaign communicate this impact more clearly by developing a unified identity and messaging framework for the expansion effort. The work helped align the two organizations under a shared narrative, allowing donors, foundations, and community partners to better understand how the Hunger Solution Center functions as a coordinated system addressing food insecurity in the Great Lakes Bay Region.
Students in Cardinal Solutions also developed the concept for the public campaign known as Pass Your Plate, which launches in late 2025. The idea encourages community members to skip a small daily expense — such as a meal, coffee, or other purchase — and donate that amount to the Hunger Solution Center. Participants then share their action on social media and challenge a friend to “pass their plate” as well, creating a chain of small but meaningful contributions that help support the expansion project. ■
