About Tucson Food Share

What It Is

Tucson Food Share is a collective effort by and for Tucsonans to share life-giving resources amongst ourselves, without dependence upon government or corporate support. This is an entirely volunteer-run project that relies upon the labor and donations of countless participants to function. We operate by the principles of mutual aid, distributing food and other necessities without judgment to anyone who asks. We seek to make resources accessible, prioritizing the needs of our neighbors who are forgotten, ignored, and exploited by those in power. Through this process, we are creating and strengthening community bonds that empower a collective resilience through relationships of trust and care. It’s a practice that fills the heart and soul as much as it fills the belly!

Visions and Dreams

TFS is a small manifestation of a movement to transform a society built on competition and domination into one rooted in empathetic cooperation and solidarity. Through community care, we are working to heal the ever-increasing wounds made by capitalism, imperialism, colonization, white supremacy, cis-hetero-patriarchy, ableism, and all other forms of domination that keep us divided and suffering. We envision a world where humans live in harmony with each other and the ecosystems that bring us life.

Organizational Structure

This project is sustained by an ever-shifting, non-hierarchical network of community members volunteering our time, skills, and resources out of a mutual respect for the health and wellness of all, including ourselves. TFS is not a charity, business, or bureaucracy. We do not need bosses or managers or executive directors–we take direction from ourselves and our communities! Decisions are made through a process of consensus, where a proposal is discussed and transformed until everyone participating consents to its implementation. All participants in the project are encouraged to join in this process.

Logistics

The mechanics of TFS are constantly in flux. There is no one “in charge” and participants self select our involvement. What follows is a rough outline of how things function:

  • Food and other resources (such as hygiene, cooking, and gardening supplies) are either donated or purchased wholesale, and gathered in our central hub. Donations might come from a grocery store, farm, wholesaler, CSA, non-profit, or a backyard garden.
  • Money is donated, usually in small sums by hundreds of people, by cash, checks, and Venmo/Paypal. We do take the occasional grant, so long as it doesn’t require any sacrifice of the core mission and structure.
  • Using rigorous, COVID safe(r) hygiene practices, we sort, store, and repackage items for individual households.
  • At weekly distributions (or distros), anyone can come to the Food Share to receive food for themselves and anyone else they want to share with. There are no requirements to receive food to be shared with as many people as one wants.
  • Some people come to distros to collect food for many households in their communities. This is strongly encouraged!
  • Throughout the week, we make deliveries to neighbors (within 6 miles) who are unable to come to in-person grocery distribution.
  • Larger quantities are redistributed through the vast web of mutual aid to other groups sharing food in their local communities. These are usually Indigenous neighbors from Diné, Hopi, and Tohono O’odham Reservations.
  • We continuously communicate on an online forum, where we discuss specific aspects of the project, make announcements, and propose, refine, and consent on decisions.
  • We hold weekly meetings to discuss in real-time

Tucson Food Share is proudly in cahoots with these collectives, organizations, and businesses:

  • Food Not Bombs Tucson
  • Pivot Produce
  • Tucson CSA
  • Root + Branch
  • South Tucson Community Outreach
  • Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona
  • Dos Bellotas Tucson
  • Church of Safe Injection Tucson
  • Food Conspiracy Co-op
  • Blacklidge Community Collective
  • Tucson Mask Share
  • Keeling Mutual Aid
  • Iskashitaa Refuge Network
  • Community Gardens of Tucson
  • Tucson Sharon Seventh Day Adventist Church
  • Natural Grocers
  • Bruegger's Bagels
  • Market On the Move / The 3000 Club
  • Myers Community Fridge
  • countless informal mutual aid efforts
  • …and many more every day!
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