Food Bank of Delaware: Multiplying impact through collaboration and creativity.

Food Bank of Delaware (Food Bank) has been a key partner of the Delaware Opioid Settlement Commission (DOSC) since the first grant cycle in 2023. Over the last three rounds of funding, Food Bank has dedicated its staff, its volunteers, its organizational resources, and plenty of personal passion to support recovery across the state. By the end of the third grant cycle (which began in 2025), Food Bank will have put more than $303,000 in settlement funds directly to work for our community.

Since its founding in 1981, Food Bank has transformed into a statewide food distribution network that engages with community partners to make food accessible at local food closets, mobile pantries, and schools. In addition to food distribution, the organization helps individuals and families gain long-term financial stability and food security by providing job training, nutrition education, financial coaching, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) outreach, and legislative advocacy.

Its depth of experience makes Food Bank an ideal applicant for Delaware opioid settlement grants. Food Bank used its initial funding to offer Culinary School scholarships to individuals impacted by opioid use disorder (OUD). This 14-week program prepares students for stable careers in the food industry while connecting them with vital support services. Though the program logged many successes, by connecting with community partners Food Bank uncovered ways the organization could do even greater good by helping other DOSC grantees overcome some of their challenges. This led Food Bank to redefine its plans for subsequent grants.

There is an old saying that if you teach someone to fish, you feed them for a lifetime. It’s a great sentiment, but in the effort to tackle the opioid crisis, a much more immediate truth is clear: A person can’t focus on “learning to fish” if they’re hungry right now.

Megan Zavala from Food Bank shares, “It’s incredibly hard to get someone to walk through the door for help when they’re wondering where their next meal is coming from. By taking the worry of hunger off the table first, we give people the breathing room they need to actually focus on treatment or starting a new career. This approach removes barriers to food access, supports families, and provides stability for individuals in recovery as they work toward long-term self-sufficiency.”

Food Bank saw an opportunity to support other DOSC grantees that are trying to get people into treatment. By providing food, these organizations help these groups build the trust needed to reach people in active addiction. They are also helping individuals on the back end of the process, providing food assistance and SNAP support to ensure people in recovery have the stability they need to succeed.

“Food is a primary resource for those in active addiction or early recovery. Providing consistent, free access to nutrition ensures individuals don’t have to resort to stealing or begging just to eat. Our partnership with Food Bank allows us to get more, dollar for dollar. But it also allows us to give more through an approach that allows people to accept support with dignity.”

Food Bank’s story drives home a critical point: DOSC grantees can do good work with funding on their own, but they can do exceptional work through creative collaborations. The seeds of partnership potential were planted for Food Bank during its first involvement with pop-up community outreach events. From there, the organization looked to align resources and efforts with additional DOSC grantees. Food Bank could provide food, SNAP application support, and more; other grantees could help ensure what they had to offer reached people, especially those at risk of going unseen.

 Today, Food Bank partners with dozens of DOSC grantees to create win-win situations for the organizations, meeting people where they are and in ways that increase the likelihood that support will be accepted and sustainable. Collectively, these partners strengthen the statewide effort to improve OUD statistics. The following partnerships illustrate how Food Bank and other grantees amplify their impact throughout Delaware.

While Food Bank “has the fish,” it doesn’t always know where to find the most vulnerable, hungry people. This is where the DSAMH Encampment Outreach team comes in. The boots-on-the-ground team reaches people in “tent cities” and low-rent hotels, where they are often active in their addiction. An notable example of the synergy between these organizations occurred outside Adams Four Shopping Center in Wilmington, during a rainstorm. While Food Bank’s team handed out food, DSAMH’s team prepared to transport a woman to treatment. The woman was hesitant, but as she ate the food, she found a moment of comfort. That food — specifically chosen to be “ready to eat” for those living outdoors — became a bridge. By meeting her core need to eat, the partners showed the woman that she was seen and understood. That simple act of compassion helped her put one foot in front of the other toward recovery.

 “Ninety-nine percent of the folks we connect with are hungry,” said Tyrone Mathis, lead peer for DSAMH’s Encampment Team in New Castle County. “Together with Food Bank, we give people empathy and hope. Collaborations like these make us unstoppable.”

The partnership between Food Bank and Phoenix Family Resources (Phoenix) started as an informal “joining of forces” during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has since grown into a more structured collaboration that forms a cornerstone of the Phoenix community support strategy. Phoenix categorizes the benefits of the partnership in three ways:

WIYV uses a simple online ordering system to eliminate the stress of getting help, but it’s the face-to-face connection during pickup that really opens the door to long-term support. By combining the ease of digital ordering with personal case management, WIYV focuses on removing the “food anxiety” that so often keeps people from seeking help. Through the online system, community members can choose exactly what they need and schedule a pickup or delivery that works for them.

With the support of Food Bank, WIYV served 80 families and distributed 3,200 pounds of food in the first quarter of 2026 — building on a successful 2025 that resulted in 47,000 pounds of food being distributed to 780 families.

Beyond just providing groceries, this program is a vital tool for case managers. Every food pickup is an opportunity to check in, build trust, and offer referrals. By meeting that basic, immediate need for a meal, WIYV creates the rapport necessary for clients to eventually feel comfortable asking for deeper support.

“The resources we share through our partnership with Food Bank represent a real turning point in our outreach,” says Jacqueline Sterbach, president and founder of WIYV. “We often see a breakthrough moment where a client who originally came to us only for food finally says, ‘I know you have therapy services here too — and I’m ready for a change.’ To say this collaboration is valuable would be a huge understatement.”

As these few examples demonstrate, Food Bank’s story really is a “case study” for all current and potential DOSC funding recipients. These and other collaborations show that thoughtful partnerships focused on greater efficiency and impact can attack addiction from multiple angles, even if an organization is not a treatment provider. Food Bank helps grantee partners free up human and financial resources so that they can be used for core support services. These partners, in turn, help ensure Food Bank resources reach key populations in the most effective ways possible.

At a time when food insecurity is high and budgets are stretched thin, these collaborations are essential. They allow funding recipients to do more with less, ensuring that individuals facing addiction have the nourishment they need to stay focused on their recovery. When partners combine their knowledge and resources, they create a safety net that is hard to break. They aren’t just handing out food; they are providing the tools and compassion people need to rejoin their communities. This creative approach is making a measurable difference throughout the state — meeting immediate needs today while supporting a healthier Delaware for the future.