Tucson Food Share is working to give out free groceries throughout town. Food is being bagged up inside Tall Boys on Fourth Avenue, ready to be delivered to homes that need it.
“The Tucson Food Share is a group of working class Tucsonans working to make food accessible within our communities." With the pandemic came numerous layoffs, and that's why Se and the group saw a growing need for help .“We also want to support the people that are self isolating in their homes for safety and health reasons, so we are also making deliveries,” said Se.
From deliveries to the food, everything is free and there are no requirements that need to met. “It’s been really heartwarming to see the community coming together like this. People are really excited about the project.”
Se also says Tucson Food Share tries to buy the groceries they are giving out in bulk from a restaurant wholesaler and much of their produce is donated by local farmers. “Mostly local organic produce and then stable foods like rice, beans flour sugar salt oats things like that,” said Se.
A couple times a week, the volunteers work to hand out food and on days like today, they are taking to their cars to deliver items to homes in need.“We take anything in terms of donations especially large quantities because we share food to somewhere between 200-300 households."
That's sometimes in a single week. Tucson Food Share says this part of a global movement of mutual aid. Se says it's not complex. It's just regular people coming together to share food for free.
"We want to support people starting their own mutual aid projects in their own neighborhood,” said Se.
What may seem like a simple act is helping hundreds of homes bring food to the table. A crucial reminder that sharing is caring. Tucson Food Share tells us this is a movement they want to see continue beyond the pandemic. To learn more about the group, click here.