One thing that many families of children with special needs have in common is that they get involved in their communities. The get involved with organizations which provide information and support. They serve on committees or write newsletters. They teach Sunday School classes. They help out friends in a crisis.

S.H.A.R.E. (Self Help and Resource Exchange) is a national network of non-profit organizations dedicated to providing a monthly basic, affordable, supplemental food package for those willing to help others. Income levels are not a consideration. It makes no difference if your income is $5 or $5,000 a month. All that counts is that you provide a service doing something for someone else (outside of your own household) for which you are not paid. You can even assign your volunteer hours to someone else who is unable to work so that they, too, can participate in the program.

A recent basic food package contained BBQ chicken tenders, BBQ beef, polish sausage, fish, chicken drums, lettuce, potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, oranges, nectarines, red seedless grapes, macaroni & cheese, and chocolate chip cookie dough. Each package costs $14 plus tax, shipping fee of $1, and 2 hours of volunteer service. There are no limits to the number of food packages that you can purchase. Packages that contain only meat are available for $8 plus tax, shipping and 1 hour of service.

The money you pay for a S.H.A.R.E. is pooled with thousands of dollars from other participants nationally, increasing the buying power. Because of the bulk buying power and the volunteer distribution network, savings of up to 60% are passed on to S.H.A.R.E. participants.

Not a single item in the SHARE food package is donated. Nor does the program use state or federal funds. S.H.A.R.E. only provides food to its participants. If you do not order the S.H.A.R.E. package, it is not purchased. Therefore, no one is deprived of food by your participation. S.H.A.R.E. is not a club, so whether you participate in any particular month is up to you.

S.H.A.R.E. rewards service-oriented citizens with the opportunity to stretch their food dollars, and at the same time provides an incentive for people to volunteer their time and talents.