SHARE New York Shares
Big Savings on Food

"IF YOU EAT, YOU QUALIFY." That's the motto of SHARE New York, a community-based non-profit organization that, for 18 years now, has been helping families save money on their food bills.

As Sherman Carter, SHARE's Jamaican-born Executive Director, explained, "The name SHARE stands for Self Help and Resource Exchange. It's a monthly food program that anyone and everyone can participate it. All you do is this: Toward the beginning of the month, you turn in your order and pay for it at the SHARE headquarters or host site most convenient to you. Then, on the designated days later in the month, you come and pick up the food you ordered. That's it!" You don't have to join an organization or pay any fees, and you're under no future obligation of any kind.

As to what you get, here's what came in the January Traditional/Regular Package for only $18.00: Chicken drumsticks, 2 1/2 lbs.; boneless pork chops, 1 lb.; crab cakes, 18 oz.; sausage biscuits, 1 1/2 lbs and hot dogs, 1 lb. There was a 64 oz. Tropicana orange juice, 5 oranges, 5 bananas and 5 apples, as well as broccoli, cabbage, and a bag each of salad mix, carrots, onions and potatoes. As always, the items were of first-rate quality and in excellent condition.

The contents of the Traditional/Regular Package varies from month to month, but you always receive 2 large bags of groceries containing 4 or 5 items in each different category: meats, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables. SHARE also offers a mini-meat or mini-produce package at $10 each, and a $20 All-American meat combo package that includes ribs, steak, pork chops and other staple items. You can order just one package or as many as you want.

If you would like, you can sign up with SHARE to volunteer two hours of your time to community service. In exchange, you can purchase a food package worth $40 for only $18.

Stated Carter, "It's the same food you would find in your supermarket isles - the same standard Perdue chicken, or Dole pineapple or head of lettuce - minus the supermarket's markup." And he explained that what makes it work financially is this:

When you place your order each month, you pay for the food. (SHARE accepts cash, food stamps or EBT/Credit/Debit cards.) After all the orders are in and the money collected, Carter goes to the same wholesale vendors the supermarket buyers utilize and places his order. All the food is then brought back to SHARE's main warehouse in the Bronx where volunteers divide it up into the different packages, which are either picked up there or transported to the other host sites to be picked up by the people who ordered it.

This food program serves anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 families each month. "We do all of New York City and Long Island, and we stretch over into New Jersey and upstate into the Catskills, Sullivan County and Albany," Carter explained. "And we're still growing."

SHARE also supplies affordable food to schools, community centers and daycare centers. Any social service or civic organization is welcome.

A main reason SHARE is able to provide food at such an affordable price is because its paid staff consists of only five people who do all the planning. It's run primarily through volunteers at churches, schools, tenet associations, community centers and day care centers. It also utilizes a large number of volunteers who come to its Bronx headquarters to help bag up the food each month.

"Basically we count on these volunteers for so much support," Carter stated. "I'm so grateful to them for helping us help all these folks who want to save money on their food bills." And he said, "Since 911 we find a lot of people calling us because they just heard about us. I tell them 'Don't just call us when you're not working; call us when you are so you can save money on food.'"

As to what got him started with SHARE and what motivates him now, Sherman Carter said, "It was my passion for helping people. I've never done this job because of the salary; that's not my first goal. I like to help families, put a smile on their faces. I like to let people know there are tremendous savings out there for them, and that there are different resources they can tap into in New York." And he's very enthusiastic about continuing to build the organization so it can reach even more people. "I'm looking forward to great new things," he said. "I want SHARE to be a household name."

Carter also noted that not only does SHARE provide low-cost food, it also offers referral information about other agencies and organizations. For instance if someone becomes homeless or needs meals right away, SHARE has phone numbers the individual can call to get help.

To begin to utilize SHARE's food program, call the main office at (718) 518-1513 or (800) 708-4667. You can also contact them by email at sharenyfod@aol.com. The next ordering deadline is February 10^th. The next distribution days are Feb. 21^st and 22^nd.

To inquire about opening a SHARE New York Host Site in your community, call the above numbers. A Host Site Developer will be glad to meet with you and answer all your questions and provide the necessary information for you to get started.