Packing the Pantry: GO’s Miller leads St. Vincent de Paul into record numbers, belly full of hope
St. Vincent de Paul Board Members Bill Marick, Brenda Trapp, Ed Elliott and Kathryn Gilligan in blue are all smiles as Grocery Outlet’s Cody Miller in black hat hands over the ceremonial check. And Check this out - it’s another record - $7,686 that will provide nourishment and hope to local families for the coming year.
By Tom Peterson
The Dalles, Ore., Aug. 15, 2026 — A little $5 give-and-get campaign added up to a record $7,686 for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry this July, giving the organization a sizable boost as it works to keep food on the tables of hundreds of local families each month.
The donation from The Dalles Grocery Outlet topped last year’s record of $6,212 by $1,474 — an increase of about 23%.
Today, Aug. 15, store owner Cody Miller had the pleasure of presenting the check to St. Vincent de Paul board members Kathryn Gilligan, Brenda Trapp, ED Elliott and Bill Marick following the conclusion of the annual fundraiser.
“This was a good year,” Miller said.
The campaign centers around Grocery Outlet’s “Give $5, Get $5” program. Customers donate $5 to the food pantry and receive a $5 Grocery Outlet coupon they can use later.
Miller said the store added another wrinkle this year by holding a promotional day in which he personally matched the amount customers donated that day.
And Cody had to dig into his pocket pretty deep.
Cody Miller
“It ended up getting $500 out of me,” Miller joked, adding that it was probably the fundraiser’s biggest day.
The store also continued its friendly competition among cashiers, rewarding employees with gift cards as they reached fundraising milestones. Grocery Outlet received some help on the prizes this year from Dutch Bros, which provided gift cards that were mixed with store gift cards for employees.
Miller said cashier Dabra Shields was the store’s top fundraiser this year.
The competition, coupons and matching promotion helped push the campaign well beyond its previous record.
For St. Vincent de Paul, however, the check represents far more than a fundraising milestone.
Gilligan said all $7,686 will go directly toward purchasing food for the pantry. Rather than spending it at once, the organization can stretch the money throughout the year and use it when supplies of particular foods run low.
That is especially important for items such as eggs, milk and meat that aren't always readily available through other food sources.
Is it kind of a safety net?
At times, she said, it can be more than that.
“Like a lifesaver,” she said, noting the pantry rarely has enough fresh eggs and milk without purchasing them.
The fundraiser has taken on added importance as the number of people seeking help remains high.
Trapp said the pantry is serving roughly 750 to 1,000 families or family members in a typical month, with the numbers fluctuating throughout the year.
For those who come through the pantry doors, even seemingly small additions to the shelves can make a difference.
Grocery Outlet regularly provides the pantry with products that are nearing their sell-by dates or that the store has in excess. Those items give pantry visitors more choices beyond the staples they receive.
“They really generously give us things off the shelves that are extra or close to date, and the people love having a choice of extra items,” Trapp said.
Miller said the relationship works both ways. When the store has a large amount of something it needs to move, St. Vincent is often one of his first calls. Likewise, pantry volunteers can contact the store when they have a particular need.
“If there’s specific stuff she needs … she can always reach out and say, ‘Hey, we need a pallet of this,’” Miller said.
For Trapp, the impact becomes particularly clear when someone who needs assistance walks through the pantry doors.
“I think it’s amazing how little things like that can really impact the happiness,” she said. “That’s why we do it — to help us serve others.”
Sometimes, she said, the gratitude can be overwhelming.
“When you have someone cry on your shoulder because they’re so happy to get a little help, that makes the struggle worth it,” Trapp said.
The $7,686 raised this year continues a sharp upward trajectory for the Grocery Outlet campaign. Just a few years ago, annual totals were still in the $2,000 range. Last year’s $6,212 set a record before this summer’s campaign shattered it again.
For Miller, who grew up with connections to many of the people now involved with St. Vincent de Paul, the fundraiser is also part of maintaining the community relationships that have surrounded him for years.
“It’s nice to still have those connections with people here in town,” Miller said.
And this year, those connections translated into $7,686 worth of additional buying power for a food pantry working to make sure local families have something on the table.
