Our Story
Read the article here.
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Everything changed when I saw this tweet reshared on Instagram. I thought about my parents, and my close friend's mom who has asthma, and how they thankfully have a large support system to help them get groceries and other necessary items. I realized that not everyone has those same resources or support systems to lean on. I knew I couldn't passively accept this inequality: this was the start of Shopper Next Door.
I was determined to create a platform that leveraged the able-bodied privilege of myself and my peers who were all now home from school. I started by just asking a couple friends if they would be willing to volunteer and seeing who could use a hand by word of mouth. I soon saw that there were an overwhelming amount of people who needed support right now and an equally overwhelming amount of young people excited to help. This confirmed what I already knew: our community is stronger together and we can each play a part in supporting our neighbors and making sure everyone is taken care of during this time of uncertainty and difficulty! I started Shopper Next Door to mobilize young people and make a positive impact in our community. - Grace |
Mission
Shopper Next Door matches higher-risk individuals with local volunteers to provide virtual companionship, grocery delivery, and other assistance.
Although many grocery stores and third party companies have their own delivery services, Shopper Next Door aims to supplement these existing services for three main reasons:
Although many grocery stores and third party companies have their own delivery services, Shopper Next Door aims to supplement these existing services for three main reasons:
- All of these services cost money, whether that be in the form of a subscription fee or a delivery fee. On the other hand, Shopper Next Door provides completely free services to help ease further financial burden during this time of economic uncertainty.
- Many of these existing services are completely overwhelmed with high demand resulting in a long delivery wait time, delayed deliveries, out-of-stock items, and website/app crashes. Shopper Next Door aims to supplement these existing services by providing more localized, small-scale help so our community members can get what they need most in a timely manner.
- Shopper Next Door aims to provide personalized, local support directly from community members that you know and trust. This emotional support is extremely comforting in this time of uncertainty and stress.
Referral Partner
If you have needs beyond what our team can meet, like transportation to medical appointments, please see Eastside Friends of Seniors. They are a Sammamish-based nonprofit who have been around for 20+ years and are focused on promoting the senior independence of those over 60 years old and providing them with support.
Locations Served
We currently have shoppers operating in Issaquah, Sammamish, Bellevue, and Redmond of the Greater Seattle Area! We are constantly looking to expand the number of shoppers and locations covered though so feel free to share our organization and refer people to the Volunteer Shopper Team!
Safety Policies
Here at Shopper Next Door, we take the safety of our community, clients, and shoppers very seriously. For this reason, our team follows very strict safety protocols and best practices for both neighbors and shoppers that you can read in detail.
Privacy Policies
We take the privacy of your personal information very seriously, and we will only use the data necessary to match with you someone in your community. We will not share your email addresses and other personal information with any third party. By completing the sign-up form to be matched, you agree to accept all risk and responsibility and further hold any facilitator associated with Shopper Next Door harmless.