Share Food Program

Everyone say hello 👋 to Melissa Ziegler, Share’s Senior Food Box Program Compliance & Participation Coordinator. Since February of 2024, Melissa has played an integral role in helping us serve thousands of seniors throughout Philadelphia and Chester counties each month. “….it’s a huge effort. From the volunteers who pack food boxes, to the drivers who deliver boxes to homes and community centers, to the folks who distribute the boxes each month. I feel so grateful to work with the community leaders who get the boxes to seniors. They go above and beyond to make sure SFBP participants have reliable access to pantry staples each month. I couldn’t do this work without them or their attention and care to those who benefit from the program.” So happy to have you on the team, Melissa!

Thanks to YOU, our 2024 Party in the Warehouse was a huge success 🎉 🎈 Share is grateful to everyone who made it a night to remember. This year, we broke bread with a packed house of supporters, food justice advocates and friends. We honored our inspiring partners, volunteers, and community leaders, and raised awareness and critical funding for our key programs and food justice work. Together, we are forging a brighter future — a future of food security for all. Endless gratitude to our generous donors and sponsors for helping us move our mission forward every day. We even surpassed our Party's Text-2-Give goal of $30,000! A special thanks to the spoken word, musical and visual artists @imsuperdope_, @thepoetbul, @queen_picasso and @alyssaggarcia for sharing their beautiful talent and visions for a more equitable future with us. Thanks to 12th Street Catering for helping us make sure any good food left over went in our community fridge, and to our friends Bennett Compost for making this a zero-food-waste-to-landfill shindig. Here's what you support when you show up for Share: 🥕 17 million meals for our neighbors so far in 2024 🥕 Free home delivery for thousands of seniors 🥕 Educational farm field trips for hundreds of local kids 🥕 Sustainable growth and distribution of 4,000 pounds of fruits & vegetables annually 🥕 School lunches, feeding 300,000+ kids each day 🥕 Monthly produce distributions at 20 schools 🥕 A new 24/7 community fridge 🥕 Thousands of dedicated volunteers packing food for seniors 🥕 The rescue and redistribution of 500,000 pounds of surplus food every month 🥕 A powerful network of nearly 400 food pantries, senior sites, and other community-based organizations helping us nourish all of our neighbors 🥕 Food justice for everyone, regardless of your background or economic status

📢 Tomorrow, 9/12 is the last day to RSVP for Share's Party in the Warehouse. This year, we're honoring Mara Natkins, Chris Deephouse & Donna Hunt, as well as Men Who Care of Germantown. ✨ SEE ALSO: 🎤 special performances by Luis Marrero & Jovan McKoy from Voices in Power, 🎨 art by Queen Picasso, 🎵 entertainment by Alyssa Garcia, and a one-of-a-kind raffle prize from 🍴 Chef Tonii Hicks. Tickets here: https://lnkd.in/eNF2QSwB

Our Party in the Warehouse is 9/26 🎉 Nourishing dinner & entertainment included. Together, we can create a brighter future for all! RSVP by 9/12 ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/eNF2QSwB

"Hunger is a year-round crisis in our communities, and so we need year-round help to ensure our neighbors have convenient and reliable access to nourishing food whenever they need it,” said George Matysik, Share’ executive director. We are so grateful for the continued commitment of Independence Blue Cross and their Blue Crew. Their corporate support and volunteer efforts are a big part of the reason we’re able to serve hundreds of thousands of individuals and families in the Greater Philadelphia region. Check out IBX’s recent video and article about the impact they help Share achieve here: https://lnkd.in/e-AJWPQn

Our newly-wrapped truck is serving looks (and thousands of pounds of free food to our neighbors). Thanks to Aqua for their ongoing support of our efforts to fight hunger in Delaware County. Because of their multi-year partnership and sponsorship, we can provide life-sustaining resources to individuals and families when they need it most.

Share’s executive director, George Matysik, and deputy chief program officer, Cat Bartoli MA MS RD LDN, recently joined host KYW Newsradio’s Racquel Williams on #bridgingphilly to discuss the programs Share offers - from pantries to delivery, school lunches to senior programs - and how widespread the issue of food insecurity is. Listen up 🎧⬇️ https://lnkd.in/ebYWGkah

Showing some love to kick our busy week off... THANK YOU to Braskem for our donated rainbow benches! Made from recycled plastic, both benches are nestled beneath our fruit trees, adding some color to our little place of respite for Share staff & supporters fighting hunger. 🌈 💚 🧡 Braskem America

1 month update 👶🗄️🧊! In July, Share & Philly Food Rescue filled our community fridge with 1365 pounds of fresh, quality food - the equivalent of 1138 meals! And so far in August, we've been filling the fridge 6 times a week Monday - Saturday, plus seeing so many fridge fills from our neighbors & community 💚 📍 2901 W Hunting Park Ave The Share Community Fridge is open and accessible 24/7/365 for everyone to take what they need and leave what they can. Want to get involved? Email fridge@sharefoodprogram.org 📨

Staff Spotlight 💫 Victoria Martin-Nelson is the Home Delivery Assistant at Share as of June 2024 “I was introduced to Share Food Program about three years ago through volunteering with Philly Food Rescue and South Philadelphia Community Fridge. I’m so happy to be able to commit to hunger relief as a full time pursuit through my role at Share. The Senior Food Box Home Delivery Program makes food aid accessible to underserved seniors by bringing food right to their door. The entire program is an incredible group effort that is made possible through hundreds of volunteers and a dedicated team at Share.” “When I’m not at Share, you can usually find me with my neighbors at a community fridge or pantry in South Philadelphia. I recently talked to Modern Farmer magazine about community fridges, and the communal effort required to keep them operating. From sending out senior boxes to stocking community fridges, every step towards food justice is the result of many people working together to make change. As abolitionist Mariame Kaba has said, “Everything worthwhile is done with other people.” Read more about Victoria’s work with South Philly Community Fridge—and learn about the amazing landscape of community fridges nationally ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/dqwg2XwY