Share Food Program
Philadelphia food bank From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Share Food Program is a social services organization working for hunger relief in the Philadelphia region of Pennsylvania, United States.[1] It serves as a food bank to the communities in accordance with USDA civil rights regulations and feeds more than 1 million people each month in Philadelphia and the suburbs.[2] Share Food Program is the largest hunger-relief agency in the Greater Philadelphia area.[3]
| Formation | 1986 |
|---|---|
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Location |
|
Region served | Philadelphia |
| Services | Food bank |
Executive Director | George Matysik |
Chief Program Officer | Steve Preston |
| Affiliations |
|
| Website | www.sharefoodprogram.org |
History
Share Food Program was founded in 1986 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, focused on increasing access to low-cost food in Philadelphia, using a food co-operative model. Beginning in 1991, it expanded its operations to fight hunger, by getting food to people in need throughout the city.[4][5]
During the COVID-19 outbreak that began in March 2020, the organization partnered with SEAMAAC, a Philadelphia-based non-profit to distribute 1,000 meals and food boxes a day since mid-May 2020.[6] In October 2020, it received grant from William Penn Foundation[7] and, along with other donations, was able to give away 10 million pounds of food.[8]
In January 2021, State Senator Vincent Hughes presented state funding to the Share Food Program for warehouse maintenance.[9] On the National Day of Service, over 100 volunteers participated to distribute food to seniors’ programs and families in need.[10] In February 2021, the organization received a grant from Dunkin Joy in Childhood Foundation.[11]
In 2023, Share had raised $28M of a $35M goal to upgrade its food distribution warehouse on West Hunting Park Ave in North Philadelphia.[12]
Overview
Share Food Program distributes food to 1 million needy people each month,[1] over 50% of whom are children, and 12% of whom are seniors or people with disabilities. It also serves 305,000 children through the national school lunch and breakfast program to 69 regional districts in Philadelphia.[13][4] The food comes from government partners, supermarkets, wholesalers, restaurants, farms and food drives.[5]
The organization partners with 150 pantries around Philadelphia as part of its Partner Pantries program. Other programs include food relief, MontCo Hunger Solutions, Nice Roots farm and home deliveries.[10] It also partners with DoorDash, delivering 4,500 boxes of food a month in 2024. In about two hours, more than 500 of 32-pound boxes of food are dispatched to low-income area seniors in need in Philadelphia area counties via DoorDash.[14]
References
External links
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