PHILADELPHIA – January 25, 2021 – State Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) presented a $1 million mock check to Share Food Program’s Executive Director George Matysik Monday morning.
The $1 million grant will go towards roof repairs at Share Food Headquarters, including a 330 kw solar energy system installed on the new roof portion. The solar system will provide about a 50 percent energy offset, which will help Share Food Program use existing financial resources for operations of their food distribution program.
“This grant is a testament to ingenuity and a commitment to helping ensure one of our critical programs is able to serve those in need during the most difficult times,” Sen. Hughes said. “Share Food Program is doing incredible work ensuring our families, children and adults have the food they need, and I applaud their continued efforts in our community. We need to invest in organizations of this type during a pandemic and beyond so that they can continue to be an uplifting force. Thank you to Gov. Tom Wolf and his administration for the investment in programs that are helping our most vulnerable during this deadly pandemic.”
Matysik thanked the Sen. Hughes, Gov. Wolf and the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus for the continued investments in helping the program get food to those in need. He noted that the consistent support for Share Food Program prior to the pandemic and have helped the program ramp up operations during an unprecedented time of need for so many.
“Adding new roof sections to our North Philadelphia warehouse, including a new solar energy system, will help offset about 50 percent of our energy output,” said George Matysik, executive director of Share Food Program. “Pre-COVID, we distributed food to 700,000 neighbors in need each month. The need has risen sharply since early 2020—we now serve more than 1 million every month. This new roof and solar energy project is a critical need for Share, and the energy efficiency improvements will help us devote more resources to our core mission of providing food to children, families and seniors who are facing hunger.”
Share Food program is a 501c3 nonprofit that was founded in 1986 with a with a mission to fight food insecurity in the Philadelphia region. Before COVID-19 Share Food program was distributing food to 700,000 neighbors in the five-county region. The organization is now distributing aid to more than 1 million family members, including 4 million pounds of food through partnerships with 150 community organizations.
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