S.H.A.R.E. Food Ministry
Host site:
Mahomet United Methodist Church
1302 E. South Mahomet Road
Mahomet IL 61853
SHARE (Self-Help and Resource Exchange) is a program where people can purchase a package of food for $17 and 2 hours of community service with a retail value of about $35-40. The food package contains meat, fresh fruits, and vegetables. 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. For shut-ins and the disabled, it can be prayer.
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. Two - recruits participants to help unload the truck, package the food for distribution, and distributes 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.
Sign-up for Share’s Food packages begins now! You do not need to be a member of the church to order, just a member of the community. You may also order more than one unit, so you can share a unit or two with someone else.
A fruit/vegetable unit which contains 9 different fresh fruits and veggies runs $12. A classic unit which includes 3 frozen meats plus a minimum of 6 fresh produce items and 1 bonus item is $17. A deluxe unit which contains 5 frozen meats and a minimum of 9 fresh produce items and 1 bonus item is $24.
To order, you may call Ann Byers at 586-6379 or Bill Bobzin at 586-2456 to make arrangements for sign-up. Payment (preferably cash) must be received at the time of order. You will be given a receipt to show at distribution day on to pick up your food.