By Dan Hubbard

At Evolve Outreach, we know that tackling hunger in Delaware isn’t about one meal or one nonprofit—it’s about building systems that work smarter, together. While food insecurity may never disappear entirely, we believe we can make it far less overwhelming by treating hunger like the daily emergency it is.

This BIG IDEA is about leveraging the size and connectedness of Delaware as a strategic advantage to serve more people, more efficiently, and with better results.

The Problem: Feeding People at Scale Isn’t Simple

Nonprofits across Delaware do incredible work to provide hot meals, groceries, and other critical nutrition to those experiencing homelessness and hunger. But they face a common set of challenges:

Cost inefficiencies in buying essentials like disposable cutlery, napkins, and containers.

Inconsistent access to food and beverage donations due to limited cold and dry storage space.

Lack of staff or facilities to prepare and distribute hot meals regularly.

Limited data to understand need, track outcomes, or report to funders and government partners.

These are structural problems—solvable not just through more effort, but through smarter coordination.

The Primary Solution: Three Central Kitchens, One Coordinated System

Evolve Outreach is proposing a statewide solution rooted in efficiency, transparency, and collaboration:

Three Central Food Preparation Hubs — One in Each County
Each location will:

Receive centralized donations of food and ingredients from individuals, businesses, and food manufacturers.

Prepare two hot meals per day — breakfast and dinner — using a rotating menu developed in collaboration with nutritionists and local chefs.

Deliver meals statewide to pickup and serving locations.

To make this system work smoothly and consistently, each nonprofit feeding site will use Evolve Outreach’s Community Resources Management and Information System (CRMIS)— free to all Delaware nonprofits working in hunger or homelessness. This powerful tool allows for seamless coordination, efficient tracking, and precise reporting.

Two Meal Service Formats

Bulk, hot meals in insulated, reusable travel cases for serving on trays at drop-in or shelter sites.

Individually packaged meals in disposable, compartmented containers for convenience and on-the-go access.

Each breakfast delivery will include a sack lunch with snacks to provide nourishment throughout the day.

Efficient Meal Recovery and Delivery Cycle

The previous meal’s reusable insulated containers will be collected during the next delivery, ensuring continuous rotation and reduced waste.

Alternative Path: School-Based Meal Prep for Local Control

For nonprofits, cities, or counties that prefer a more independent approach, we offer a strong alternative: use your local public schools as centralized food preparation hubs.

Public schools are an ideal choice because:

They already have industrial-scale kitchens and food-safe facilities.

There is often availability during non-school hours or in off-seasons.

Their kitchens are built for volume — exactly what’s needed to tackle hunger at scale.

This model allows organizations to:

Retain local control over food prep and staffing.

Customize operations while still tapping into Evolve Outreach’s support system.

Organizations that pursue this path can still partner with Evolve Outreach by accessing:

Our dry and cold storage infrastructure.

Our bulk purchasing power for disposable goods like cutlery, trays, napkins, and containers.

Our CRMIS platform (free to all Delaware nonprofits focused on hunger or homelessness) to help with tracking, coordination, and reporting.

This school-based option empowers local decision-making while preserving the benefits of statewide collaboration.

Buying Power and Bulk Coordination

Instead of twenty nonprofits each buying 5,000 units of disposable cutlery, Evolve Outreach will negotiate and purchase 50,000,000 units at a time — driving down costs and increasing access.

Through centralized procurement and coordinated delivery, we reduce overhead and let frontline partners focus on serving people — not juggling inventory.

Powered by Evolve Outreach’s CRMIS

This entire food system will run through our Community Resources Management and Information System (CRMIS), which is free to any Delaware nonprofit working in hunger or homelessness.

The CRMIS will provide:

Real-time headcounts at serving locations.

Dietary tracking for allergies, religious observances, and medical needs.

Demand forecasting to help food preparation hubs know what’s needed, when, and where.

Data dashboards for local and state governments to make informed decisions and better allocate resources.

What It Means for Delaware

This coordinated model allows us to:

Feed more people with fewer resources.

Provide hot, nutritious meals consistently, regardless of geography.

Unify food donations under a system that works for everyone.

Make better use of time, talent, and money.

Ensure transparency and measurable outcomes at every step.

A Call to Businesses and Donors

This is a BIG IDEA that needs big partners.

We’re asking Delaware’s business community — and companies with a presence here — to step up. Support might look like:

Donating vehicles for meal delivery.

Sponsoring food hubs with capital or recurring support.

Donating cold or dry storage appliances.

Donating commercial restaurant cleaning supplies.

Making a much needed donation here to help Evolve Outreach make this happen!

Joining our Community Advisory Board (CAB).

In return, we offer full fiscal transparency and a system that is tax-code friendly, mission-driven, and focused on measurable, lasting impact.

Together, Getting to a Better Condition of Life!

This initiative is more than a logistics plan—it’s a vision for how Delaware can tackle hunger through shared purpose and smart partnerships.

With your help, we’ll make sure fewer people go hungry, fewer nonprofits feel alone in the fight, and more lives move forward.