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Impact reportsDespensa Familiar Impact Report

776+ families.*
16.5 tons of food.
60 days.

Despensa Familiar served families across southeastern Minnesota with culturally appropriate food and essentials, January through March 2026.

  • 1,050+
    Deliveries completed
  • 4,676
    Individuals reached
  • 30+
    Volunteers
  • 10+
    Partners
  • 21
    Towns served
  • 20+
    Zip codes

Scroll to explore the data

January 18 to March 18, 2026

By the numbers

Each box is packed to the family's exact household size. Every delivery is tracked, every need is recorded, every family is accounted for.

*Approximately 150 additional families were served via SMS and text before the automated intake system was implemented. These families are not reflected in the totals above.

Each box provides an approximate 5–7 days worth of culturally appropriate food and essentials, packed to the exact size of the household using the WTG Grocery and Essentials Packing Chart.

Items include rice, beans, tortillas, meat, milk, eggs, hygiene supplies, and more.

What was delivered

16.5 tons of food and essentials

All items are selected for cultural relevance. Maseca, not just flour. Fideo, not just pasta. Salsa kits (fresh vegetables), not canned sauce.

Specialized needs

Responding to what families actually need

Every intake captures specific household needs. Boxes are customized accordingly.

  • 443Families needed diapers
  • 198Families needed baby formula
  • 917Children under 5 in the system
  • 521Seniors 65+ reached

Volume over time

Weekly delivery volume

Deliveries from January through March 2026. Peak weeks exceeded 200 families.

208W4
190W5
212W6
91W7
161W8
54W9
62W10
24W11
6+W12

Hover to see weekly counts. Week 12 is partial. Operations continue (35+ pending as of 3/21/26).

Geographic reach

21 towns across SE Minnesota

Despensa serves a seven-county region. Families in Rochester, Austin, Plainview, Oronoco, Dodge Center, Stewartville, and beyond.

Top towns by unique families

  • Rochester549
  • Austin153
  • Plainview12
  • Oronoco11
  • Dodge Center9
  • Kasson6
  • Stewartville5
  • Altura4
  • + 14 additional towns

Family size distribution

  • 1 to 3 people
    216
  • 4 to 6 people
    459
  • 7 to 9 people
    84
  • 10 to 12 people
    16

Additional impact

Reaching beyond the intake system

  • Direct outreach

    A new Rochester resident was identified at a local bus stop through a community interaction. A full box was delivered the same day outside of the standard intake process.

  • Benefits gap

    A community member whose EBT benefits had been cancelled was connected to Despensa Familiar and received a same-day delivery.

  • Extended service area

    A family outside the seven-county service area submitted a request for a child's birthday. WTG coordinated an Instacart delivery with groceries and birthday supplies to ensure the family was covered.

  • Partner network

    Through a partner organization in St. Paul, WTG coordinated support for 8 to 10 additional families in the metro area, extending reach through trusted community partnerships.

From intake forms

Notes from families served

Translated from Spanish. These are some notes submitted by families during the intake process.

Operations

How Despensa Familiar works

Despensa runs on purpose-built infrastructure. Automated intake, structured packing, and full delivery tracking.

  • Intake

    Families submit requests via a web form in Spanish or English. Each request captures family size, ages, dietary needs, and location through a custom-built multilingual intake system.

  • Processing

    Requests are routed through an automation platform that handles duplicate detection, service area validation, record creation, and fulfillment label generation.

  • Fulfillment

    Each box is packed to the family's exact household size using our grocery and essentials packing chart. A family of 3 receives a different box than a family of 10.

  • Data and reporting

    Every delivery is tracked, recording families served, needs captured, engagement history, and outcome reporting.

We The Gente's operations infrastructure was designed and built in-house to serve nonprofit service delivery at scale.

Support this work

Support We The Gente's mission

Donations fund We The Gente's programs across food assistance, resource navigation, workforce advancement, and community infrastructure. All contributions go directly to operations serving Latino families in southeastern Minnesota.

An estimated 20,000+ Latino residents live in WTG's seven-county service area.

4,676 reached

Despensa Familiar reached roughly 23% of the estimated Latino population in 60 days, through one program alone. Thousands of families still need support.

Population estimates based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS data for Olmsted, Mower, Dodge, Wabasha, Winona, Fillmore, and Goodhue counties. Latino populations are historically undercounted in census data.

Donate to We The Gente

Data reflects completed Despensa Familiar deliveries from January 18 to March 18, 2026. Operations are ongoing. Approximately 150 families served via SMS before the automated intake system was implemented, 30+ pending requests, and 14+ direct assists are not included in these totals.