The New Year is always a good time to both celebrate the year gone by and plan for the next year to reflect our goals. In 2010, this takes on a deeper meaning for me as we celebrate SHARE’s 25th Anniversary Year.
Some of you may remember how SHARE began in Wisconsin, with the backing of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the leadership of Deacon Don Borkowski. Who could have dreamed that SHARE would grow to be the organization we are today? Now we serve more people than ever, provide a great value, variety and selection of food, and we offer online ordering and volunteer opportunities for hundreds of people each month. During the past holiday season, this was especially evident as our amazing host sites, partner organizations and volunteers distributed more than 14,000 Thanksgiving Dinner Packages and 5,000 Christmas Dinner Packages, plus all the regular monthly food!
In honor of our volunteers’ service to the community, we will be celebrating SHARE’s 25th Anniversary through the end of our fiscal year in September. Starting with the February order form, look for our 25th Anniversary Special that will contribute $1 to the SHARE Cares Food Fund. We established this fund to purchase food for families in need of a little extra help. In these tough economic times, the SHARE Cares Food Fund is a way we can all give a little to help a lot. This month, the SHARE Cares Food Fund was able to send one Mini Package to each host site to help a family in need!
Watch our SHARE Times printed newsletter, our email newsletter and our website for updates on other ways to celebrate our anniversary and the mission of SHARE. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” As we look ahead to SHARE’s next 25 years, let this be the question that guides us.
Happy New Year! Happy 25th Anniversary!