public health response: street outreach
frontline outreach: rain-or-shine
Our public health street outreach team shows up year-round because care can’t wait for good weather. Katie volunteered with us in the early days, later joined staff, and kept returning during breaks from medical school. Now a doctor, she rides shotgun in the HOPEmobile, our “vehicle for change,” bringing hot food, wellness checks, and essentials directly to the streets.
Food: A Superpower for Change
NOURISHMENT is the first doorway to health — and food, offered consistently and with care, is one of the most powerful public-health interventions we have. Each week, our team prepares and distributes 500 scratch-made meals that are colorful, nutritious, and grounding. These meals build trust, and that trust opens the path to proper assessment, detox, treatment, and long-term stability. Since late 2020, we’ve shared more than 100,000 meals across Minneapolis, pairing nourishment with connection, safety, and hope.
We've got you covered. in style.
CLOTHING & HYGIENE are core to public health. Here, Gloria—one of our first paid interns—helps “Granny” with a proper fitting so she leaves with bolstered health and dignity. Each year, we share 15,000–20,000 new Bombas socks through the Bee Better program, hundreds of Patagonia jackets through Worn Wear, and more than 3,000 brand-new hats, mittens, and scarves from amazing local Hats & Mittens. In every season, we ensure people stay cared for and covered.
Nightingale Meets Street-Level Care
Our medics, public-health nurses, and medical partners provide wound care, infection prevention, safer-use supplies, and basic first-aid support. Here, Rocket safely handles a sharps container—part of proper syringe disposal that prevents avoidable infections like hepatitis C, HIV, and MRSA from spreading throughout the community. We distribute first-aid essentials such as bandages, antibiotic ointments, heat packs, frostbite supplies, and Narcan, offering practical, immediate care exactly where people are. This is Nightingale work at street level—steady, safe, and grounded in respect.
