PANORAMA CITY : Discount Food Program Proposed

A new program that would allow residents of Blythe Street in Panorama City to do volunteer work and pay a small fee in exchange for fresh, discounted food is being considered by community and church leaders.

Members of the Blythe Street Project and the Mary Immaculate Church in Pacoima met Wednesday to discuss the possibility of beginning a program that would let residents pay $14 and do two hours of volunteer work in exchange for about $40 of fresh food.

“We’re ready to go with it to the extent that there are people there who are ready to take part. It may take a month or two until they are ready to go,” Father Tom Rush said.

The program, called SHARE (Self Help And Resource Exchange) has been ongoing at Mary Immaculate in Pacoima for more than nine months. Residents use food stamps or cash to pay the $14 fee to order the food, which includes farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, grain and even pasta.

“The SHARE program is good because they get a variety of groceries,” said Wanda Moreis, coordinator of the Blythe Street Project.

Unlike some government food programs, which only distribute food once a month, SHARE allows participants to make as many of the $14 orders they wish, as long as they perform two hours of community service per order.

The volunteer work is flexible. Volunteers can help a neighbor, a church, a school, a hospital, a police station or fire department. Rush said SHARE’s volunteer aspect is important to the participants’ dignity.

“I think people just feel that this is something they are earning,” Rush said. “It helps people feel they are taking part in something that is beneficial to others. In other words, it’s kind of giving back for something they receive.”

Bedridden seniors and mothers with small children who are unable to volunteer are still encouraged to participate.

The qualifications for the program are also simple, said Celia Siordia, coordinator for the SHARE program. Race, age, and income make no difference.

“If you eat, you qualify,” she said.