Project Innovation Winner: FNC Philly (Sharing Excess)

Federation of Neighborhood Centers (FNC Philly) received a $20,000 Project Innovation grant from NBC10, Telemundo62, and the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation for its Sharing Excess program, which will enable the program to expand and accept additional food throughout its distribution facilities.

Sharing Excess is a Philadelphia nonprofit organization that connects colleges and communities together to bridge the gap between food waste and food insecurity. The program started in 2018 by founder Evan Ehlers who was a third-year student at Drexel University. Ehlers noticed he had an excess amount of meal swipes leftover and sought to deliver his meals across Philadelphia. Sharing Excess has since grown from a college meal donation program to a built food-sharing network of over 230 food surplus and community organization partners.

The food rescue and distribution program partners with approximately 120 grocery stores, restaurants, and wholesale suppliers, where a Sharing Excess team member will pick up excess food. The Sharing Excess distribution team coordinates and delivers to local community organizations, identifying areas of the city with the strongest need. Sharing Excess has delivered more than 1.3 million pounds of free food across 36 Philadelphia zip codes and has greatly expanded its growth since the COVID-19 pandemic.

To learn more about Sharing Excess, click here. To get involved, click here. To support Sharing Excess’ mission, click here.

Photos: Sharing Excess Food Rescue and Distribution Program