Loebsack Gets Inside Look At SHARE Iowa
Congressman Dave Loebsack (left) and SHARE Iowa Director Becky Newman (right) talk about the program in Oskaloosa and the volunteers that make it possible.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Helping people serve their community while providing a way to stretch their food dollars is the premise behind SHARE Iowa.
SHARE stands for Self Help And Resource Exchange and has been in operation for over 25 years now, headquartered in Oskaloosa.
Of the original 24 across the United States, only 5 food coop services like SHARE remain.
A changing culture helped lead to the decline of food coops. Instant purchasing power, versus ordering and your food arriving a couple of weeks later, are some of the changes taking place in consumer expectations.
SHARE Iowa Director Becky Newman took Congressman Loebsack on a tour of their facility, explaining that the reach of the program is not only Iowa, but some neighboring states as well.
Volunteer recognition is a key to the SHARE program. “When they do good for someone else, they get cheap food,” said Newman. Volunteer hours can be spent on such activities as visiting a shut-in, mentoring youth, or serving the community with their time. “There is no good deed that is not noticed by SHARE.”
An example of a package from SHARE is their “Best Value Package” that costs a volunteer only $28.00:
1.5 lb Hormel Lemon Garlic Pork Loin
9 oz. Sliced Turkey Breast
2 – 16 oz. Shepherd’s Pie
1 lb Ready to Cook Breaded Chicken Tenders
16 oz. Frozen Vegetables
5 – 3 Count Packs Otis Spunkmeyer Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins
32 oz Shelf Stable 2% White Milk
Russet Potatoes, Green Leaf Lettuce, Cucumber, Roma Tomatoes, Apples, Oranges and Cantaloupe
After a person volunteers, they fill out a form detailing their volunteer efforts and include their payment for the package(s). Packages are delivered to a location in their community once a month.
After his tour, Loebsack spoke about SHARE and his experience with food banks, where food is “essentially free to those who are in need. This is a different operation.”
“This goes to folks who need the food, but it also goes to those who want to volunteer their services. It’s a combination of making sure there is good wholesome food available to people who need it… and then, at the same time, promoting volunteerism in the community, which is something I’ve been a huge champion of a long time,” said Loebsack.
Loebsack said that, in this particular part of Iowa, there is a sense of self-reliance, “Everybody tries to do that. Everybody wants to do that.”
“This kind of a program really sort of combines a lot of different aspects of how we can provide food to folks,” explained Loebsack.
You can learn more about share by visiting their website at – https://www.shareiowa.com/
