What began as a COVID-era kindness post on social media has evolved into a thriving home-based meal delivery operation, but in order to grow and meet demand, Spokane Helpers Network is now seeking to move into a brick-and-mortar location.

Spokane Helpers Network, a 501(c)(3) organization, delivers meal kits and other necessities to individuals who fall through the cracks of traditional support systems — particularly those who are too young for Meals on Wheels and unable to access food banks.

A new brick-and-mortar location would allow Spokane Helpers Network to expand operations and potentially open its doors to the public, says executive director Susan McDonald Osborn. 

“It’s not energy, money, or time,” that’s prevented the nonprofit from growing, says McDonald Osborn. “It’s physical space.” 

One expansion option under consideration is to move the organization into a shared facility with another nonprofit; one that has recently lost its federal funding and/or is at risk of shutting down, as sharing the space and rental costs would allow both organizations to continue serving the community, McDonald Osborn says. 

Spokane Helpers Network has operated out of McDonald Osborn’s South Hill home since its inception, often filling the basement, garage, and even some of the living area with supplies. 

Each week, over 150 volunteers assemble and distribute over 120 meal kits across the greater Spokane area. Each kit contains food items to feed a family of three to four, including protein, fruits, vegetables, and often desserts. Some kits also include hygiene items, tailored for men, women, and children; including shampoo, razors, deodorant, toothpaste, and Band-Aids.

Volunteers show up Monday through Friday, ready to separate, bag, and deliver, she says, noting that 78% of the individuals served only receive assistance from the organization once. 

“We think most people use the meals the way we package them,” says McDonald Osborn, referencing a recent kit with a breakfast-for-dinner theme: pancake mix, syrup, Spam, and canned fruit.  “We just want to make sure they have something.”

Spokane Helpers Network began in 2020 when McDonald Osborn, a former business consultant who moved to Spokane from Washington, D.C. eight years ago to be closer to her children, saw a post on Nextdoor, a neighborhood-focused social media platform.

“I read a kindness post that said, ‘We’ve all been in this together the last several months and I know that some of you are struggling. … If there’s anything I can do, please reach out,’” recalls McDonald Osborn. “I thought, ‘Isn’t that sweet and kind,’ and so I copied and pasted it into my Nextdoor.”

At first, a few neighbors reached out to McDonald Osborn, offering their assistance. The number of volunteers grew quickly when McDonald Osborn launched two additional Facebook groups affiliated with Spokane Helpers Network: Help Yourself!, a private group with over 8,000 members, and Spokane Not-So-Random Acts of Kindness, which has over 4,000 members.

The online infrastructure keeps the organization community-driven, McDonald Osborn says.

“It’s a way of building bridges across nonprofits. We don’t believe in competition," she says. "If another nonprofit gets a grant, that’s great. If it’s meant for me to get that grant this time, I’m going to get it. If I don’t get it this year, maybe I’ll get it next year. But somebody else’s nonprofit, especially those that feed people, are just as worthy as I am.”

Spokane Helpers Network and its affiliated Facebook groups serve as resources for people in need. McDonald Osborn regularly posts outreach messages connecting individuals to Spokane Helpers Network or other nonprofits, such as a recent post she shared that called for donations to support the nonprofit Next Chapter: Home Leadership Development.

“We kind of call it a giving circle,” she says. “If someone needs tube socks for a kid at school, I’ll post in our Facebook group and a member or volunteer will say, ‘I’ll take that one.’ Or if we need someone to fold the million of unfolded bags that are downstairs, people jump in to help. I never have trouble finding people to help.”

Although the effort began as a short-term COVID response, it became clear that economic hardship would outlast the pandemic. McDonald Osborn established the group as a 501(c)(3) with five active board members and a mission to continue growing, she explains.

The organization's annual operating budget is between $65,000 and $90,000. The group continues to grow with the support of local businesses, she says. Despite federal funding being put on hold, Spokane Helpers Network has received grants from multiple organizations, including Innovia Foundation and Kiwanis International. Additionally, the organization has received support from Spokane-based Integrus Architecture PS, which has selected the nonprofit as a recipient of its employee giving program following the closure of its previous giving platform, United Way, in July.

“Serving our community goes well beyond design projects, and Spokane Helpers Network allows us to provide for our neighbors around town,” says Integrus director of communications Wendy Abeel. “The work they do is vital to fill gaps, whether it’s that little bit of extra help in a tough time, or allowing community members the dignity of basic necessities when they would otherwise have to live without."

McDonald Osborn sees the nonprofit's work as an investment into the well-being of the community, where the organization functions as a resource and not a rescue, she explains.

“If employees come to work hungry, ... not groomed well, they’re not going to start the day well and perform at their best,” she says, drawing on her background in human performance consulting. 

Ultimately, her goal is to reach the people who can’t access food banks or other support systems.

“Imagine that you’re 58, in a wheelchair, and you have horrible anxiety and it might be really hard to get on a bus,” says McDonald Osborn. “Or, you are postpartum with a two-week-old baby, a three-year-old, a four-year-old, and you have no car while your significant other has gone to work with the only car. Or a trans individual who’s been bullied and now suffers from panic and anxiety.

“It’s transportation, frailty, age, disability, invisible disability, or visible disability,” McDonald Osborn emphasizes. “And it’s the people who just don’t have enough money for food.”