Part of the Food Policy Community Spotlight Series
Name: Sharing Excess
What They Do: Sharing Excess is a nonprofit organization that rescues surplus food from retailers, wholesalers, distribution centers, and farmers, and redistributes it through partnerships with community-based organizations, food banks, and mutual aid groups.
How They Do It: Sharing Excess started in 2018 when Evan Ehlers, a Drexel University student at the time, decided to donate the unused meal swipes from his student dining account to people in need across Philadelphia. Today, the organization rescues food from wholesalers and food retailers in more than 30 states and works with a nationwide network of food banks and community organizations to redistribute it to food-insecure individuals and communities. Sharing Excess facilitates the logistics of the donation process by coordinating food pick-up, transportation, and delivery so that farmers and retailers of all sizes and capacities are able to provide their surplus to those in need.
Food businesses and community organizations can contact Sharing Excess to become partners to donate or receive food. Corporate partners can organize volunteering opportunities and fundraisers, sponsor events like pop-up distributions, or help to spread awareness. Because it began as a grassroots organization on a college campus, student chapters at colleges and universities are also an important part of Sharing Excess’s operations. Individuals can donate and know that every dollar helps the organization rescue and deliver 20 pounds of food.
Mission: To make it as easy as possible to donate food, and to provide equitable access to food for communities everywhere.
Major Donors/Supporters: Beast Philanthropy, Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market, The Tony Robbins Foundation, Hunts Point Produce Market, Trader Joe’s, WARP Logistics, The GIANT Company, Drexel University
Profit/nonprofit: Nonprofit
Annual Budget: $2.7 million
Interesting fact about how they are working to positively affect the food system: Since its inception in 2018, Sharing Excess has rescued more than 47 million pounds of excess food and, in doing so, diverted close to 171 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.
FACT SHEET:
Location:
772 Edgewater Rd
Dock #428
Bronx, NY 10474
Core Programs: Food rescue and redistribution
Number of staff: 45
Number of volunteers: More than 2,000 annually
Areas served: 30 states nationwide
Year Started: 2018
Founder and Executive Director: Evan Ehlers
Contact Information: https://www.sharingexcess.com/contact
Website: https://www.sharingexcess.com/
