As part of their Neighborhood Shares program, Trader Joe's works to ensure all unsold food goes to local food banks and other non-profit food recovery partners; 100% of products that go unsold but are safe for consumption are distributed to these partners, seven days a week. Since 2014, Trader Joe's Manager, John Rodriguez, and the entire team at the Lower Greenville location have been a gracious partner of The Magdalen House, donating fresh groceries and produce valued at over $13,000 a month to the First Step program clients, as well as the larger The Magdalen House community.

The mission of The Magdalen House is to help individuals with alcoholism achieve sobriety and sustain recovery at no cost and based on 12-Step spiritual principles. Options for formal rehabilitation are expensive and limited. Currently, The Magdalen House provides the only free social detox and recovery program for alcoholic women and men that does not require insurance or some form of state funding in the North Texas area. Texas has the most uninsured individuals out of any state in the U.S. with 17%, approximately 4.9 million people, uninsured (Every Texan, 2023). As the population increases and access to affordable health insurance diminishes, the cost of substance abuse treatment remains high. From July 2022 to July 2023, Trader Joe's donated $161,803 in fresh food to The Magdalen House and over $377,600 from December 2021 to July 2023. Partnerships like Trader Joe's are essential in helping The Magdalen House sustain their budget and keep programming costs low to serve more individuals with alcoholism.

The gifts that John and the entire team at Trader Joe's offer The Magdalen House does not stop with just food. When a person establishes a foundation of recovery, part of their journey includes learning to give back, be of service to others, and be a guide for the next person struggling with alcoholism. What makes The Magdalen House so unique is the lasting community and abundance of service opportunities it offers to those who have (or have not) gone through its programs. These volunteer opportunities not only impact the women and men who are being served, but also benefit those who are serving. For someone in recovery from alcoholism, being of service helps strengthen their own recovery. With the grocery donation from Trader Joe's, The Magdalen House is able to offer six dedicated volunteer positions to the community each week. In 2023, 74 unduplicated individuals donated 493 hours for grocery pick up and sorting, helping sustain their recovery and grow The Magdalen House community.

The Magdalen House recently embarked on an expansion of its mission to serve up to 100% more individuals suffering from alcoholism by introducing programming for men. This is the first time men have been served outside of a Family Support capacity. While one in eleven women is alcoholic, an estimated one in seven men suffers from alcoholism. This is the equivalent of 657,000 alcoholic women and men in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. To put that into perspective, that equates to over half the entire population of the city of Dallas. The demand for the men's First Step program is already outpacing capacity and projections; since opening the Men's house in January 2024, the program has been consistently full with a waitlist.

In support of opening the Men's program, Trader Joe's has now added a second donation of the same size every week, making their annual donation projected to surpass $320,000. Their donations to The Magdalen House offer a substantial amount of food items that include meat, dairy, produce, bread, and so much more. With no insurance requirement, women and men from all socioeconomic backgrounds are served by The Magdalen House. The self-reported, median household income from 2023 was $8,000 (this includes those who reported a $0 household income). The food donated is used to feed the residential First Step program clients, up to 20 women and 12 men each week, as well as distributed to those in the recovery community who may be facing food disparities.

Alumni of the First Step program, Peggy Woolf, shares just how helpful this donation is for her, "Trader Joe's has been such a blessing; not only in my life but in the lives of others who struggle to rebuild a life torn by addiction. Their support of The Magdalen House has given so many an opportunity to focus on recovery rather than the worries of everyday necessities such as food costs. Quality at that. Truly a blessing!"