Grocery Shopping with a Purpose

Carol D. has severe arthritis in her ankles and uses an oxygen tank. She was in pain after each grocery store trip and worried that she wouldn’t have enough oxygen with her when she left the house. She heard about a service called Store to Door that would do her grocery shopping and deliver the food. Now as a client she comments, “They all are so helpful. No more worrying about running out of oxygen, no more 2-3 days of ankle pain. Store To Door people are very friendly and helpful. They have made my life so much easier, less stressful and less painful.”

Store To Door shops for and delivers groceries directly into the kitchens of homebound elderly. They seek to enhance opportunities for aging adults to live independently. For many older adults, they are able to manage their home and prepare their own meals but struggle with grocery shopping due to various health and mobility issues. Wooddale Worldwide partners and supports Store To Door as a part of our Community Outreach strategy.

Store To Door Volunteer Order Taker and Wooddale Church member Karen Greeninger says, “I have elderly parents that I shop for and being able to stay in their home is huge. This service enables people to do that.”

Store To Door serves anyone over the age of 60 in the seven county metro area. Clients live in single family homes, apartments, condos and in assisted living facilities with varied income levels. Groceries are delivered every two weeks by friendly delivery drivers, who bring the groceries directly into the kitchen and put the groceries away if requested. Clients may give a contribution toward the cost of delivering their groceries, which is based on their self-reported income.

Store To Door serves over 1,300 clients per year because of the dedicated volunteers. Each year over 550 volunteers work with Store To Door’s small staff. About 250 volunteers grocery shop for the clients at one of five Cub Foods locations Tuesday through Friday mornings. These dedicated volunteers provide excellent service by picking out exactly what the clients want and need. Gwenn Larson, another Store To Door volunteer and Wooddale Church member notes, “I am just as busy as everyone else. Finding a volunteer opportunity that I could do once a week before work fit right into my schedule and does not conflict with other activities. And I know where just about everything is at a Cub store!”

Store To Door’s group of Volunteer Order Takers volunteer from their home on days, evenings or weekends, calling clients to take their order and entering it into an online ordering system. Karen Greeninger notes, “As a caller, you develop a relationship with very nice people who appreciate your service.”

To learn more about Store to Door’s services or volunteer opportunities, please contact the office at 651-642-1892 or visit the website at www.storetodoor.org.