Community Action

 Women Inspiring Leadership and Democracy (WILD) is launching a mutual aid adopt-a-family program to address the limitations and barriers of traditional, centralized food distribution models. While food banks and community pantries are vital, they often require beneficiaries to travel, wait in line, and select from a pre-determined, general stock, which presents significant challenges for many of the most vulnerable individuals and families. By adopting a family, members of our community can move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to provide direct, home-delivered, and personalized support. This method reflects WILD's focus on empowerment and localized, cooperative leadership, allowing us to better meet the complex and diverse needs of our community members with greater dignity and efficacy.

The adopt-a-family model is particularly crucial for people whose circumstances make access to more standard programs impossible. For a person who is sick or disabled, a trip to a food bank may be unfeasible due to mobility issues, lack of accessible transportation, or compromised immune systems that make crowded public spaces dangerous. Similarly, a caregiver—often an unpaid family member—may find it impossible to leave an elderly parent or child with complex needs unattended for the hours required to travel to and wait at a distribution site. These individuals are often already experiencing financial strain and may lack the physical capacity or time to carry home heavy boxes of food, making door-to-door delivery essential.

Furthermore, the general inventory of food banks often fails to accommodate medically necessary dietary restrictions, forcing vulnerable people to choose between hunger and health. Consider a child with food allergies, an individual with celiac disease requiring a strict gluten-free diet, or an elderly adult with Type 2 diabetes who needs low-sodium, low-sugar food to manage their condition. Traditional food parcels rarely contain a sufficient supply of these specialized, and often more expensive, items. An adopt-a-family program allows WILD volunteers to specifically source and deliver foods that meet these critical needs, such as gluten-free grains, fresh produce, or lean proteins, preventing serious health complications that would otherwise arise from being unable to adhere to a prescribed diet.

How It Works:

Households in need of assistance complete the Assistance Request Form. Our questions are designed to maintain your dignity and privacy while providing the information necessary to meet your current needs. We’ll follow-up to ask any clarifying questions and then use the information provided to match you with a Volunteer who will make any necessary purchases and connect with you to make delivery arrangements. 

Eligibility:

Any household that has lost employment or access to benefits

Needs and volunteer availability will be used to determine service priority

Join Our Volunteer Network:

Complete the Volunteer Intake Form. You will be contacted prior to being matched with a family in order to ensure continued interest in participation. Our organization is NOT accepting cash donations to support this effort. Please consider using your resources to adopt a family in need.