Our Story
FOOD SHUTTLE OVER THE YEARS
From Then to Now
As two mothers from different backgrounds and religious traditions, Staton Bullard and Solomon created the Food Shuttle to serve as a resource for anyone in need, regardless of life circumstances or beliefs. Their empowering vision transformed the Food Shuttle into one of the most innovative partner food banks in the Feeding America network, driven by a commitment to eliminate hunger.
Today, that same core belief — hunger is unacceptable — continues to guide everything we do. On a deeper level, we believe the best approaches to solving hunger are found in building a community food system that equips every individual with the knowledge, skills, and access to healthy eating. We are proud to offer education, job assistance opportunities, accessible gardens, fresh produce through our farm, and much more to our neighbors. This steadfast commitment to creating a hunger-free community has been the heart of our mission since the beginning, and it remains the foundation of everything we do.
Inter-Faith Food Shuttle was founded by Jill Staton Bullard and Maxine Solomon to recover and distribute food that would otherwise go to landfills. Within the first year, over 600 lbs. of food was distributed to neighbors in our community.
Grocery bags for seniors is established; an initiative that provides shelf-stable groceries, fresh produce, nutritional information, recipes and routine interaction to seniors living in low-income communities.
Backpack Buddies program begins, providing nutritious food to students that miss meals when school is not in session. Later, our school programming expanded to include School Choice Pantries, providing a space for students and families who may be experiencing food insecurity to access nutritious food in a safe, easy-to-access location.
The Culinary Job Training Initiative, an apprenticeship program designed to break the cycle of poverty through job training and placement, launches.
Community Health Education is established to empower participants to meet their own food needs and get the most out of their nutrition on a limited budget.
Our agricultural efforts began with the launch of Camden St. and Geer St. learning gardens, as well as our farm. These innovative approaches to combat hunger provide fresh produce to our neighbors while teaching community members where their food comes from and how to grow their own.
The Spinning Plate food truck takes fighting hunger on the road by traveling throughout our 7-county service region and delivering hot, fresh, nutritious meals.
Inter-Faith Food Shuttle celebrates 35 years of feeding our neighbors, teaching self-sufficiency, and growing healthy foods by cultivating innovative approaches to end hunger.
Meet Us
Meet the leadership team and board who help make the fight to end hunger possible at Inter-Faith Food Shuttle.