In our efforts to ensure that everyone has the access to the food they need, we play an active role in helping to supply the regions emergency food cupboards. For many these are a place to find a break, especially in an economic climate that currently exists. SHARE acts as the distributor for several State and Federal programs, providing no mark-up to cupboards which are often run by volunteers. We support these programs to ensure that when the time comes that a member of our community is in need of a break, that they can find it at their local food cupboard.
Need help? Find a cupboard here.
State Food Purchase Program
The State Food Purchase Program is a food distribution program where we purchase family size food items like canned vegetables, fruits, staples and meat that are distributed monthly to about 550 food cupboards in Philadelphia County. The number of food items range from 7 to 11 items. The cupboards then give out the food to families and individuals that are economically disadvantaged. The food is purchased from vendors, brokers, and the Philadelphia Food Bank. We deliver the food to about 26 food cupboards. Depending on the number of participants a food cupboard serves, they will receive from 5 to 9 cases of each food item.
TEFAP
TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) is a food distribution program where we distribute commodity foods purchased by the government when available, to the food cupboards participating in the State Food Purchase Program. The food cupboards give out the food to participants that meet the federal income guidelines of 150% of poverty. Food items include rice, juice, fruit, meat and vegetables. St. Vincent DePaul picks up these commodities and delivers them to our SHARE Center. The TEFAP items are distributed with the State Food Purchase Program.
Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)
SHARE in partnership with Philabundance also provides support for CSFP. CFSP food packages do not provide a complete diet, but rather are good sources of the nutrients typically lacking in the diets of the target population. Eligibility for the program is limited to elderly persons with income at or below 130 percent of poverty. SHARE utilizes its volunteer power and warehouse to create these packages which are then distributed by Philabundance.