OSL Serves is a 36 year organization that creates, delivers, and serves, nutritionally dense, culturally relevant, and medically sensitive meals, to people needing nutritional assistance throughout the greater Seattle area.
Since our inception in September of 1989 through December 31st, 2024, OSL has delivered approximately 21.5 million meals.
We are instrumental in advocating, supporting, and creating an equitable food system for all.
Our Mission
“To provide dignity, care and compassion through action, with the example that each person can make a difference.
To educate and advocate acceptance and understanding of each other’s differences.
To ultimately bring about the realization that we are all a vital part of this world and with extended effort
put an end to homelessness, hunger and hatred."
help us continue this work
In May of 2024, we moved into our own state-of-the-art kitchen after working for 35 years in hosted environments!
We completed renovations on a 13,000 square foot warehouse in Seattle, allowing us to do all our meal production in one enormous and fabulous commercial kitchen! With a 37 1/2 foot hood we are equipped to prepare 12,000+ meals each day! The build-out also includes frozen, cold, and dry storage for the emergency meal system throughout Seattle.
2024 Annual Report
In 2024 OSL prepared, delivered, and served 1.9 million no cost, nutrient dense, culturally relevant, meals to those needing nutritional assistance in Seattle and King County.
We served meals to 69 programs; including, but not limited to: shelters and transitional shelter programs, permanent housing support, youth and children’s programs, homeless veteran programs, community court programs, City sanctioned encampments and tiny house villages, OSL’s OPEN MEAL SITE, senior adult programs, day programs needing nutritional support, and several others.
The dedicated OSL staff prepared, delivered, served, and redistributed 3,413,938 POUNDS or 1,707 TONS of food and supplies to those struggling with hunger in Seattle, and the meal programs that serve their needs.
432,672 pounds were donated, procured and rescued through our Food In Motion (FIM) program, from 29 corporate donor partners: Valued conservatively at $3.99 per pound: $1,726,361.28.
791,750 pounds came through our friends at Food Lifeline, the City of Seattle Nutritional Support Program, The Emergency Food Program, and Northwest Harvest. Valued conservatively at $3.99 per pound: $3,159,082.50.
In 2024, OSL shared and delivered 554,683 of those donated or recovered pounds with 29 Meal Providers, Food Banks, and Human Service agencies, valued at $3.99 per pound, which is equal to $2,213,185.
Food donations continue to be limited due to food chain, supply issues, and cost. This has affected our donated and recovered food supply.
In 2024, OSL purchased 749,141 pounds of fresh produce, dry goods, and quality protein, at a cost of $1,446,837.14.
We currently purchase 8,000 pounds of protein every three days, 16,000 pounds of produce every 5 days, and 4000 pounds of dry goods, oil and spices, weekly. The cost of protein, produce, and dry goods continued to sky-rocket in 2024. Creating an exorbitant price point for meal ingredients.
Our robust volunteer program saw 1650 volunteers in 2024 that donated 4,708.5 hours. The federal rate for volunteer hours is calculated at $33 per hour, valuing our 2024 volunteer hours at $157,587.66. We LOVE our volunteers!
OSL is the largest meal provider program in the State of Washington, yet we still work without fanfare, mostly under the radar, and with a whole lot of love.
Total OSL administrative cost in 2024: $623,928.53 or only 4.72% of our total budget.
Total cost of the OSL service program in 2024: $ 12,523,883.47.
Total OSL expenditures in 2024. $13,147,812.