The Open Door Pantry

Donate Now
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Hours of Operation
    • Location
    • Meet Our Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • Annual Report
  • Get Food
    • Make a Food Appointment
    • 2023 Pop-Up Pantry
    • Garden To Table Program
    • Mobile Lunchbox
  • How to Give
    • Donate Food
    • Financial Giving
    • Planned Giving
    • Food & Fund Drives
    • Giving Gardens
    • Grow Hope
  • Volunteer
    • Group Volunteering
  • News
    • The Open Door is Moving!
  • Events
    • Super Bagging 2023
    • March Campaign
    • Empty Bowls
    • 3rd Annual 5k Race
  • Resources
    • Free Community Meals
    • Community Resources
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Contact Us

Volunteer Announcement

You are here: Home / Volunteer Announcement

**ANNOUNCEMENT**

The Open Door will bring ALL hunger relief programs together in our new home this winter.

Following a 2+ year search, The Open Door has found a new home! 
Confidential Information – Volunteer/Staff Use Only – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE
Last Updated: 9/14/2022 – Check back soon for updates!


From being squished in the backroom of the Eagan Pantry, to relying on the parking lot at Mobile for overflow and staging, to seeing office staff 2 and 3 to a room, you have probably noticed our organization has been bursting at its seams for some time now.
 

Over the past 3 years The Open Door has scaled up its operations to feed double, and sometimes triple the number of people in our community and done so at a remarkable pace!  Our staff and volunteers have maximized our cobbled together collection of spaces while squeezing every last drop out of their creativity and patience.   

It has become clear that to feed more people, The Open Door needs two things: more space, and to bring all of our Programs together under one roof. 

After 2+ years of turning over every real estate rock in Eagan, we signed a lease this week on what will become our new home. 

Over the next 3-4 months all of our programs and staff will relocate to 3000 Ames Crossing Road in Eagan.  The Eagan Pantry, Mobile Food Programs, Garden to Table, and our Administrative Team will be housed under the same roof for the first time in our organization’s history. 

Moving into one location will undoubtedly help us become a more effective and consistent organization. Here are just a few of the benefits we expect to see: 

  • Improved staff & volunteer communication 
  • Increased efficiency: managing a single inventory 
  • Eliminated redundancy: no longer driving food between sites 
  • Expanded capacity: taking advantage of the combined scale of our space 
**IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT NEWS OF THIS MOVE IS NOT COMMUNICATED TO OUR CLIENTS UNTIL THE OPEN DOOR RELEASES THIS NEWS PUBLICLY** 


To avoid confusion, and to ensure security and stability for the families that rely on The Open Door for food support, we will NOT notify clients until we have a firm move date established.  We anticipate this will be in late fall/early winter of 2022.  We will be at the mercy of the supply chain and contractor timelines.
😊 

PLEASE do your best as volunteers and friends of The Open Door to avoid discussing the move or the new location within earshot of ANY client. 

We know this move will generate both excitement and questions. With that in mind, Executive Director, Jason Viana will host two listening sessions to answer questions and share additional information.

Have questions regarding the move? Please CLICK HERE to submit them using our secure form. 

SUBMIT QUESTIONS HERE

Where are we Going?

The Open Door will be leasing 18,800 square feet of combined office, shopping, and warehouse space at 3000 Ames Crossing Rd, Eagan MN 55121, just 8 miles from the current Eagan Pantry!

 

 

 

 

 

This space will be built to suit our specific needs including capacity-building improvements like: 

  • More than double the existing Client Shopping Space 
  • 1 Loading Dock and 1 Drive In Dock – (faster and safer loading of Mobile Vehicles and Second Harvest Deliveries) 
  • A 2,000 cubic foot Walk-In Cooler with accessible doors for the shopping area (we will be able to stock from inside the cooler!) 
  • 2 In-Floor Scales for weighing incoming and outgoing food (No more ramps!) 
  • A Volunteer & Staff lounge with kitchenette and storage for personal belongings 
  • A Training /Meeting Room for orientations, presentations, and other activities 
  • A Private Space for sensitive client conversations
  • A dedicated space for Partners to offer additional services to clients (SNAP enrollment, rental assistance, Health Screenings, etc.) 
  • An actual desk for every staff member, AmeriCorps, and intern 

When are we Going?

A brief overall timeline is outlined below. Then, click on the location where you usually volunteer to see details on how this move will impact your specific program! 

  • September 19: Mobile Pantry Moves to 3000 Ames Crossing Rd (Mobile operations paused 9/19-9/23 – volunteers still needed to assist in move!) 
  • October 1: Construction begins at 3000 Ames Crossing Rd (Mobile operations will continue during construction) 
  • Winter 2022/2023: Eagan Pantry & TOD Admin Staff Move to 3000 Ames Crossing Rd (actual date dependent on construction)
Have questions regarding the move? Please CLICK HERE to submit them using our secure form. 

SUBMIT QUESTIONS HERE

Further details are included below on how this move will impact each program specifically.

Please click on the tab of your most common volunteer location to see how the move will impact that program.
Mobile Pantry
The Mobile Pantry program will be the first to move, beginning on Monday 9/19/22

Mobile will pause operations during the week of the planned move 9/19-9/23. Volunteers are still needed to help with the move! Sign up in VicNet if you’re free to help!

The Open Door will be fully moved out and cease operations at 14757 Energy Way, Apple Valley by 9/30/2022

Operations will resume at 3000 Ames Crossing Road on 9/26/2022

If you help with food rescue, sorting, or stocking the vans for mobile, your shifts will now take place at 3000 Ames Crossing Road

Our unit is the endcap CLOSEST to Lone Oak Road – Look for the TOD vans and park around the back of the building

Mobile Routes will remain unchanged – If you are a volunteer who meets the Mobile Pantry at a community site, your volunteer shift will remain the same

Eagan Pantry
The Eagan Pantry will continue operating at 3904 Cedar Grove Pkwy during construction

DO NOT notify clients of any changes and DO NOT discuss the move publicly until The Open Door has finalized details and shares the news publicly

Once construction is complete, The Eagan Pantry will close temporarily during Winter 2022 to relocate operations to 3000 Ames Crossing Rd

The Open Door will communicate this closure WELL IN ADVANCE. Please be patient, as construction timelines frequently shift. As soon as we know, you’ll know

Garden to Table
Operations at ALL of The Open Door’s community gardens will remain unchanged

In Spring 2023, the Garden to Table Program will launch from 3000 Ames Crossing Rd: Plant Pickup, Pick up supplies, Visit Alpa, Drop off Giving Gardener donations

If you are a volunteer in one of the gardens, your volunteer shift will remain the same

Mobile Lunchbox
Mobile Lunchbox operations in 2023 will operate solely from our new location

What we Gain

Enhanced Experience

Beautiful new space that will add dignity and warmth to every visit

Double pantry shopping space from 900 to 2,100 sq. Ft

Opportunity to partner with orgs offering resources to clients (rent assistance, health screenings, benefits enrollment, etc.)

Increased Efficiency
2 Loading Docks at new facility

**Currently using lift gate to visit 30 Mobile Pantry sites per month (takes 2 minutes to load each pallet: 12 pallets = half an hour)

Deliveries from 2HH, Donation Drop-off, Loading & Unloading Each Mobile Pantry Trip

Expanded Capacity
Increase Pantry Shopping appointments by 25-50%

Double cold storage capacity (walk-in refrigerator)

35% more combined storage, plus the option to better incorporate vertical storage options

Stability & Affordability
10 year lease* (3 years as Tenant Option) Below-market rate in a competitive Real Estate Market

Existing Combined Cost per Sq. Ft – $12.58 for 11,900 sq ft (includes donated space of TOD House from our generous friends at Mt. Calvary)

Proposed Cost per Sq. Ft – $12.68 for 18,800 sq ft

FAQ

When is TOD moving?
We will be moving the Mobile Pantry the week of September 19th and plan to have them operate out of the new space beginning the week of September 26th. The Eagan Pantry will be moved this winter. Details on the exact date will be shared when finalized.
Where is the new building?
The new building is 3000 Ames Crossing Rd, Eagan, MN 55121. It’s a beautiful new building that will provide ample space for shopping appointments as well as food sorting and packing. We’re very excited to have found the perfect home for The Open Door.
Wait, are the Mobile and Eagan Pantries combining?
Yes! The Open Door operations will be housed within one building. Food rescue pickups will continue in Apple Valley and Eagan.
Why are you moving?
We’ve run out of space! We’ve increased our capacity in the number of people we serve and need more space to meet the demand in the community.
Who knows about the move?
TOD staff, board, and volunteers are the first to know about the move. We are working on a thoughtful communication plan for the general public which will be shared once details are finalized.
Can we tell clients?
No. To avoid any confusion about which location pantry appointments are kept, we will notify clients through a thoughtful communication plan. We will keep volunteers updated as this communication begins to take shape. We welcome questions and conversations about the move, but we ask that you keep these conversations in the back sorting room, in one of the staff offices, or offsite.
But what if clients ask about the move?
If a client inquires about the move, please direct them to a member of TOD staff.
How is this going to affect me?
Our planned move will affect the volunteers from our Eagan Pantry and Mobile Pantry differently. CLICK HERE to submit your questions via our secure online form.
How is The Open Door planning to pay for this new building?
The Open Door has launched a Capital Campaign with the goal of raising $500,000. We’re currently turning to existing donors (both individual and organizational) to make significant investments in the future of The Open Door.
How much is the move going to cost?
We anticipate the full build-out, all said and done, will cost roughly $800,000 (plus the increased rent taken on annually due to our larger square footage). Our landlord is contributing $500,000 to the buildout in the form of “Tenant Improvements.” The remaining $300,000, and the cost of the move itself, and our special install items (walk-in cooler, floor scales, shelving and storage, etc.) will total the $500,000 needed in our Capital Campaign.
Where will the garbage/recycling be located?
To be determined. The Open Door is looking into options around recycling, composting, and cardboard balers. We do not currently have an answer on specifics, but we are exploring our options.
Will The Open Door have a dedicated janitor?
To be determined. We are exploring janitorial staff, but do not have any commitments at this time.
Was this move discussed/shared before this announcement?
The Open Door staff and board have been in intense, detailed discussions for over two years. We have examined the need for increased inventory from many angles: the mobile program perspective, the Eagan pantry perspective, and the office/admin perspective. We communicated with volunteers just as soon as we had a signed lease on our new home.
How will this affect clients that take the bus to visit the Eagan pantry?
The Open Door has conducted multiple client surveys on how the folks that visit us get to our location. Less than 1% of our clients (in a 6-month period) utilized bus service to visit us.

7/10 people that get food support from The Open Door do not visit the Eagan pantry; our operations will remain unchanged for those 7/10 that visit The Open Door at another site.

The Open Door created a heat-map of where our clients who visit the Eagan Pantry live. While there is a high density of clients living around the current Eagan pantry, there are many clients spread to the north and east (where our new facility is located), and there is untapped need in the northeast corner of Dakota County.

Do you expect more people to visit from West Saint Paul, Inver Grove Heights, and Rosemount?
Yes. There are 3 food support options in Burnsville, 1 in Hastings, and 1 in Rosemount. Between where we are in Eagan, and Neighbors Inc. in South St. Paul, there is no other option for food support. We will be meeting a need where no one else currently is.
When do we expect to open in the new space?
The contractor that we are working with as of September 2022, quoted this project as 12-16 weeks start to finish. Our hope is to move into this space in January 2023. It is possible there will be an option to move in December, but we will be evaluating options to keep our services available leading up to the holiday period.
How will the Mobile Pantry operate in the active construction zone?
We are in discussions with the City of Eagan to grant us conditional use of the space while under construction. We are 80% confident this request will be approved. We will have adequate power for all of our coolers, and our refrigerated truck, on September 19th.
Are you going to publicize that Mobile is operating at the new building as of September 26th?
We will not be publicizing our move in any fashion generally (on our website, on our google listing, with our donors or clients) until the Eagan pantry move is finalized and we have a move date for all operations.
What happens to The Open Door “house”?
The Open Door has been occupying that space offered by Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church. They were the first to know we would be vacating that space and will convert it as they see fit.
While we’re making improvements, is there anything that can be done for the slow reboot of the Eagan pantry computers?
There are no planned IT investments at this time. Our IT partner, Sovran, will evaluate the space to ensure we have the necessary bandwidth for all operations under one roof.
Do you expect to expand hours in any way?
We are hoping to do more in this new space – operations will likely remain unchanged for the first 3-6 months occupying the new facility. We are hoping to increase our service at our fixed-site pantry by 25%, potentially by adding appointments in the existing hour structure. Hours will not change for the time being.
How do you expect this to affect volunteer turnover?
We are fully anticipating volunteers to be impacted by this move. Volunteers may be unable to make the longer drive, may not like the combined warehouse with multiple programs, or may be resistant to change. We hope that all volunteers will come along for this exciting next chapter, but we understand that volunteering is a choice. We thank all volunteers for their history of service and hope to see you at 3000 Ames Crossing Road!
Are we going to have a new security system?
We are planning to install updated access points at our new building. Security systems such as keycard or keycode secure entry are being explored.
Is the new space going to have carpet or hard floors?
The pantry and warehouse will have concrete floors. The lounge will have another hard-floor option, and the offices/waiting room will have carpet.
Will you have extra volunteer shifts to help with the move?
We have hired a moving company to relocate the Mobile Pantry. We will do the same when it comes time to move the pantry. We are evaluating if we require a moving company for the “house.” There will likely be “packing” shifts during normal business hours that will be communicated using VicNet or other TOD communication streams.
What will the volunteer training room be used for?
The training room will be used for volunteer orientations, board, staff, and committee meetings, packing/sorting events, and other large gathering opportunities.
Where is the volunteer entrance?
The front entrance will be reserved for clients. The back entrance will be reserved for staff, volunteers, donors, and partners. The back entrance will also house a 24-hour donation vestibule that has a significantly larger footprint than the current donation vestibule at the Eagan pantry.
Is the building ADA compliant?
Yes. All entrances and all areas of the building will be ADA compliant.
Will volunteers have a chance to tour the space before service begins?
Yes. Though we do not yet have a date set, we will plan for a volunteer open house before we begin service to clients. We will do our best to involve volunteers where we can during the construction process and let you see the layout before you have to work in it.
Will the pantry have the same shelving/layout?
To be determined. We will be utilizing a new walk-in cooler, which will take the place of many sliding door coolers in the current pantry. We are working with the Foundation for Essential Needs (FFEN) to design a client-centered but also workable and volunteer-oriented space for our clients to shop. We’re exploring new options for shelving, island freezers, and self-packing counter for clients.
Is this new building going to replace the drive-thru Metcalf distribution?
No. Metcalf will continue operating at Metcalf for the time being. We do not have an end date at that Tuesday distribution yet. We have no intention of hosting drive-through distributions at the new location.
Will we still be weighing food as it comes in and out?
Yes. The Open Door is purchasing 2 new floor scales and plans to have them installed into the concrete floor for easy roll-on weight measurement. One scale will be installed in the warehouse (primarily for food rescue – but also for additional donations). The other scale will be at client checkout.
How will you avoid alienating clients with the “new” and “improved”?
We are not planning on high-end finishings or elaborate design. We’re not planning for a flashy new home. We are planning to turn this expansion into more help for our clients. That means a bigger shopping space, more food to choose from, and improved efficiency.
How will the Mobile Pantry and Eagan Pantry workspaces work?
We do not currently plan to have parallel operations in the shared space. We are planning to manage a single inventory wherever possible. Food rescue will happen for all programs, and volunteers will sort items which may go straight to the pantry or straight out on a Mobile Food delivery.
Does the doubling of shopping area double the clients served by the Open Door? The number of simultaneous shoppers?
We anticipate that we’ll be able to increase the number of clients served between 25 and 50% more people in an existing pantry shift. That expansion will happen after the first 3-6 months of operations have been completed.
What will the extra fuel costs amount to?
Our back of the napkin math looks like it could be near a wash with the increased distance to our food rescue partners, but decrease back-and-forth trips between Apple Valley and Eagan, and reimbursement of staff driving between locations daily.
What volunteer roles might be eliminated or changed in the move?
We have no plans to eliminate any volunteer positions in the new facility. All of our work will continue (all mobile sites are still active, all seasonal programs still run, all pantry operations are carried out). Roles may change as redundancies emerge, but we anticipate new roles will emerge as we learn to fully utilize the larger space.
Where will the restrooms be located in the new space?
Once construction is complete, bathrooms will be plentiful and accessible. However, during the window from September 26th – December 1st (when construction is complete) the nearby restroom option will be a port-a-potty. There will be indoor restrooms across a rather large parking lot, which is quite a trek. The Open Door intends to lease 2 golf carts for the use of Mobile staff and volunteers to get from our leased space to the usable restrooms during this “under construction” time.
Is there a move-out date that we have to abide at the Eagan pantry?
There is no current requirement or pressure from our landlord on Cedar Grove Parkway. We are tentatively looking for a lease-end date of January 31st, 2023, but it is still flexible.
With an increase in clients and shopping appointments, will we need more volunteers regularly?
We might see that need, but we’re unsure of the impact at this time. As we add appointments for clients, that means we need more food, which means more food, more rescue, more stocking. However, we will also gain efficiency in use of our loading docks, floor scales, and walk-in refrigerator. We will have to wait and see how the work shakes out. In time, we do expect to need more volunteers as we continue to grow our hunger relief programs.
How will this impact our relationships with existing food rescue partners?
At the moment we will maintain all current food rescue relationships. As we get settled we will explore nearby partners to switch to or add to our existing partnerships. Second Harvest Heartland is collaborating with The Open Door on which food rescue relationships will be our priority to maintain.
Will there be designated parking for volunteers?
Volunteer and staff parking will be around the back of the building, with the entire front of the building reserved for client parking.
Can we work with the same volunteers?
Our sign up for volunteers won’t change. You will still be able to view the volunteer schedule and sign up for shifts through VicNet. If you have a shift you like or you want to volunteer with the same people, we anticipate you’ll still be able to do so in the new space.

We are so grateful for your support in our 13-year history serving Dakota County.
We can’t wait to see you at our new, larger, more efficient home!


Have questions regarding the move? Please
CLICK HERE to submit them using our secure form. 

SUBMIT QUESTIONS HERE

Donate

Volunteer

Get Food

Email Sign-up

Stay connected with The Open Door. Sign up for email updates.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Latest News

The Open Door’s Legacy Volunteers – Part One

Food Shelves Struggle to Keep Up with Demand

Top 3 Most Needed Volunteer Roles at The Open Door this Winter

Fall News from The Open Door

Click to view Event Calendar

3000 Ames Crossing Rd. Suite 100 Eagan, MN 55121 | Phone Number 651-686-0787

Copyright © 2023 The Open Door | All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Developed by Vivid Image | Log in