Older, Cooler Kids: A Conversation with Rohan Dileep and Beatrice Norman, co-presidents of Meals Matter, Recipient of the 2026 William R. Simms Award for Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy

Our goal is to talk to the younger audience and, you know, talk to them about saying, hey, it's okay to be not okay, right? We realize, you know, in just our community as well, one in eight adolescents in Dane County, which is where we originate from, they struggle with food insecurity and they're in reduced or free lunches in our schools.

Right.

So you realize when we talk to these audience of students that one in eight of those peers might be struggling with something at home.

And our goal is not to berate them or embarrass them or tell them that there's a big issue going on.

Our idea is to tell them that it's okay to not be okay.

And our idea is to give them a space that's welcoming and surround themselves with peers that understand that there are issues happening in our world as well.

It's really important to

start teaching them that philanthropy is important.

Helping your neighbors are important.

And if they see older, cooler kids doing this, they're like, oh, I really want to do it.

That was me with my mom.

I look up to her so much.

So

you just admit you're the older, cooler kids.

We try.

It's good.

It's recorded now.

On the record.