Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church

WHAT IS SHARE? (Self-Help and Resource Exchange) is a program where people can purchase a package of food for around $16 with a retail value of about $35. The food package contains meat, fresh fruits, vegetables, and staples. SHARE buyers purchase the food from growers, brokers, and packaging plants. The food is not donated, government surplus, or salvage.

SHARE IS UNIQUE: SHARE is for everyone. "If you eat, you qualify". Everyone in the community can participate. Because it is for everyone, it can help break down barriers that divide people . . . barriers like race, religion, social and economic classes, gender, age, etc. When we break down barriers, we can begin to see each other as real people, and begin to build community and neighborhoods.

SHARE IS COMMUNITY SERVICE: Community service is defined as random acts of kindness, or service to benefit one's neighbor or community. Anything you do for another person or organization without pay is community service. It might be helping a neighbor, teaching Sunday School, assisting a teacher, delivering meals to the elderly, organizing a group to clean up the neighborhood, setting up a crime watch, helping with scouts or little league, etc.

SHARE IS A PARTNER IN THE COMMUNITY: SHARE operates through Host Organizations. These organizations are churches, community centers, towns, businesses, senior centers, Tenant Councils, etc. Host Organizations have 2 responsibilities. One - registers people for SHARE and offers them ideas about Community Service. The other - sends participants to help bag the food, pick up food on distribution day, and distribute the food to the participants.

IN SUMMARY: SHARE truly is Self-Help and Resource Exchange. It is an opportunity for people to share their gifts with the community and get something in return. For some it may mean stretching their food dollars, and for others it may be the difference whether a family will have food on the table or not.

ABC's of SHARE

AFFORDABLE - The SHARE food package assures top value for the food-buying dollar. SHARE is simply a smart way to save dollars and help the community at the same time.

BASIC - Basic foods and basic packaging are the heart of the SHARE food package. Although it contains some processed foods, the majority of the food package is made up of basic, wholesome foods families' purchase every month.

CONSISTENT - SHARE delivers fresh, wholesome, healthy foods month after month, year after year. The food package always contains meat, fresh fruits and vegetables; staples items, beans rice, pasts, or cereal; and a few specialty items.

SHARE Florida Food Network is sponsored by Tampa United Methodist Centers and TECO Energy. We are a not-for-profit organization that rewards personal community involvement with substantial savings on delicious food and groceries. Two hours of monthly volunteer service is the only "membership fee" necessary for big savings on your food bill. There are no income requirements. SHARE reaches across Florida through neighborhood locations in each community. Become a part of the SHARE family today and start saving money and changing lives!

SHARE's volume power-buying allows us direct contact with national food distributors and our non-profit status and staff of voluteers keep us heads and shoulders above other discount buying clubs and grocery stores. SHARE has been helping people save money since 1990. We are proud to serve Florida families.

Did you know.... SHARE's first ten years included:

4,400,000 community service hours -- 2,500,000 food packages -- $53,000,000 in community savings