State Representative David Rivera helps hand out food at a Farm Share Distribution

Mayor Carlos Alvarez at the Mayor's Hurricane Preparedness Distribution

North Miami Health and Education Fair

Did you know that half of every crop harvested is thrown away?

If a farmer grows 100,000 pounds of tomatoes, usually about half of them (50,000 lbs) must be thrown away. This is because if a tomato is slightly misshapen, discolored, too small (or too big), or blemished in any way, it will not meet the consumer demand for a "perfect" tomato and will therefore be rejected. This is true for many fruit and vegetable crops. To prevent trucks of produce from being rejected, crops are "culled" (hand sorted) after they are picked. About half goes into the truck on its way to the store. The other half goes into the truck going to the dump, or destined to be plowed under and sprayed with insecticide. The food being thrown away is not rotten or bad in any way.

Culled Fresh Produce Looks and Tastes Great!

Farm Share, using inmate labor and volunteers, re-sorts and packages this abundance of surplus food and distributes it to individuals, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, churches, and other organizations feeding the hungry in Florida at no charge.  This important distinction makes Farm Share critical to smaller agencies located in poorer rural areas that cannot afford to pay for food.  By tapping into this near limitless supply of donated produce, we keep our costs low, while providing fresh nutritious fruits and vegetables to the hunger distressed. However, the fact that we do not require the hands-on agencies to share the burden of our expenses makes Farm Share more reliant on donations from the community. If you do not help, we cannot help.

Millions of Americans suffer from hunger and malnutrition. As family income levels decrease, funds available for food diminish, resulting in nutrient-deficient diets. America's children and elderly are most severely affected by hunger and malnutrition. Farm Share is working to alleviate hunger and malnutrition by recovering and distributing fresh and nutritious foods to those who need it most. Farm Share provides food to hundreds of non-profit organizations that serve more than 7,000,000 meals monthly reaching more than 2,500,000 families each year. More than 15,000,000 pounds of fresh and nutritious fruits and vegetables are shipped each year to participating agencies throughout the Eastern seaboard. Farm Share also directly distributes food to more than 4,000 registered local households -- composed of migrant workers, single mothers, elderly, disabled and other low income recipients -- directly from our packing house. Very few organizations distribute to so many individuals and organizations.

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For every dollar donated, Farm Share distributes 11.5 pounds of nutritious food.

Think about that. If you donate $10, we will distribute 115 lbs of food to local churches, homeless shelters, and soup kitchens. Your donation (or your workplace/organization's donation) of $100 means more than a half ton of food goes to the hungry in our communities! It also keeps a half ton of good food from clogging our landfills as garbage. How much time, effort, and money would it take you to both collect and distribute a half ton of food and recycle a half ton of garbage so it doesn't go to the dump? Also, you are helping the farmers who get a tax credit for their donation of boxed produce and do not have to pay to dispose of the produce they donate. That's a lot of value.

The vast majority of culled produce is still being thrown away. Help us end hunger and prevent waste by making a generous donation to the cause. Still want to do more? Talk to your office or favorite social group about raising money to help recover food.

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Farm Share SUPPORTED by Miami-Dade County!

Acknowledging the importance of the problem of hunger in Miami-Dade County, Commissioners voted unanimously to fund Farm Share and save the Indiviual Distribution Center. This decision directly affects more than 6,500 families in Miami-Dade County who faced seeing the closure of the Farm Share IDC.

Farm Share would like to thank Mayor Alvarez, the Miami-Dade County Commissioners and staff, as well as the hundreds of Farm Share supporters and recipients that contacted Commissioners in support of the Farm Share program and efficient solutions to the problem of hunger. It proves that your voices matter to your Mayor and your Commissioners and that your elected representatives in Miami-Dade County recognize and care about those living through the worst of the economic recession. Farm Share would also like to extend a special thanks to Commissioner Joe Martinez for consistently championing the Farm Share program throughout the extensive and challenging budget process. While all of the Commissioners demonstrated unwaivering support for the program, as well as a unanimous vote of a approval to fund the program at 100%, Commissioner Martinez was undoubtably the Farm Share "MVP" during the budget hearings process. Thank you Commissioner Martinez!

Please take a moment and contact your Commissioners using the contact numbers listed below and thank them for looking out for the poor in our community during these tough times.

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Non-Discrimination Policy
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C., 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or 202-720-6382 (TTY). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.