How it Started: Relaunching Food Delivery

Valley Outreach relaunched food delivery in May of 2025, starting in select Stillwater ZIP codes. In the first week, we serve three homebound households—a small but meaningful step toward growing food access in a sustainable way for neighbors who cannot visit the food shelf in person. By December 2025 we were averaging 16 deliveries each month, reflecting slow but steady growth and deeper community awareness.

How it’s Going: Meeting a Moment of Increased Need

In January 2026, community needs shifted quickly, and we responded immediately. We now deliver food to households across Washington County, reaching 113 households – a 606% increase over December numbers.

We built a volunteer-powered delivery model to meet urgent needs while creating a sustainable path forward. Thanks to the community, we can ramp up deliveries quickly—at the same time experiencing a 200% increase in volunteer applications. Each week, volunteers pack boxes, load vehicles, and deliver food directly to neighbors’ doorsteps. Their time, energy, and care make this rapid expansion possible.

The rapid expansion of deliveries is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when staff, volunteers, donors, and partners move together with a shared purpose. What could have been an overwhelming increase instead became an opportunity people to build community and support each other.

One program participant shared:

“I just wanted to follow up and say thank you again for the food delivery last Friday. My kids, my husband, and I are truly grateful to you and your team for helping us out. Thank you for everything you do.”

More Than a Delivery – It’s Community Building

 As home deliveries expand, so does their impact. Regular deliveries provide more than groceries—they offer consistency, reassurance, and connection, while strengthening relationships across the community.

The program deepens partnerships with county social workers, school staff, community leaders, and culturally specific organizations and clients. Together, we ensure support is delivered in ways that feel accessible, respectful, and responsive.

To reach even more households, we’re establishing proxy partnerships with trusted community agencies. Through these partnerships, we supply food to organizations connected directly to families but without the logistics or sourcing capacity to meet demand for food.

One example is CLUES (Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio) in St. Paul. While they operate a small food shelf, they are currently unable to source sufficient food to keep pace with demand. To help bridge this gap, we recently delivered 100 food boxes, along with milk, eggs, and meat, to be distributed directly to families in need.

A Valley Outreach delivery volunteer, shared, “I had a great time bringing food to CLUES in St. Paul. What a wonderful partnership for Valley Outreach!”

In total, Valley Outreach provided 3,483 pounds of food to 100 families. Dry boxes included maseca flour and cooking oil, and produce boxes even featured culturally familiar items like avocados and mangos.

Looking Ahead

January’s rapid increase in demand made one thing clear: home delivery is not just helpful — it’s essential for many households. Valley Outreach is focusing on strengthening the systems, partnerships, and volunteer capacity needed to sustain an expanded model. Our goal remains consistent and clear: meet people where they are and ensure everyone has access to nutritious food in ways that feel safe, welcoming, and dignified.

Want to Get Involved?

We’re grateful for the overwhelming interest in driving deliveries. Since January 1, more than 200 people have applied to volunteer—compared to our typical average of 40 per month- and delivery driver roles are currently full.

We continue to welcome volunteers for onsite roles supporting food distribution, clothing, and other core programs. Every role helps create a positive, dignified experience for the community.