About Us
As a hospital social worker, I spend my days helping people figure out how to meet their basic needs as they recover from unexpected medical emergencies. In December of 2021, I met a gentleman who had fallen on an icy sidewalk and broke his arm. As a result, he would need to wear a sling for several months and had no support to easily call on. I sought out local agencies, but even our big-hearted community services and resources have limitations, qualifying criteria, or potential waitlists for approval. I was frustrated that our community couldn’t help with something as basic as delivering a warm meal while he learned to navigate life with the use of his left arm but realized that it was silly to wait for someone else to create a better option, I can help right now.
I love to cook and always have too much for myself and my husband, so I started in my own neighborhood and soon found myself delivering meals to appreciative seniors a few times a month. I recruited kind-hearted coworkers, and we quickly grew into a coordinated team of volunteers who bring meals to individuals and families. Now, we have over 200 volunteer chefs across four counties, and we continue to find new ways to address food insecurity locally. The mission is simple, the reach far, and the rewards immeasurable.
We have enough to share, so we do.
Kristy
Kristy Teisher, MSW, LCSW, ACM-SW
Founder/Director
Our Values
DIGNITY
We respect the inherent value and worth of every individual
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BENEVOLENCE
We act in good faith and lead with kindness
COLLABORATION
We recognize that success comes from working together
At Eat Share, we welcome individuals and families of diverse race, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, abilities, marital status, military status, across all socioeconomic backgrounds to join our mission in all of our activities and operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, volunteering, meal requests, donations, board membership, and service partnership.
Our Philosophical Intentions
Change the current stigma/definitions/requirements to seek out and access community supports & resources when needed:
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The difference of the deserving and undeserving poor was established in the Poor Law of 1834. The deserving poor were those understood to be hard working people, who through no fault of their own found themselves in hardship. The underserving poor, on the other hand, were given this label due to an assessment of their perceived indolence. They were not trying hard enough to relieve their own hardship, which left them less deserving of help.
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The stigma of these laws, and the judgement of people seeking support, has persisted for almost two centuries—allowing both the government and private programs to put stringent and misdirected guidelines on supportive services for access to food.
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Eat Share wants to break the stigma and mistrust imbedded in current services. We want to create a welcoming and warm resource that doesn’t ask questions or make people prove they meet special requirements to receive support.
Welcome those who have more than enough to share with those who 1) don’t have enough, or 2) lack the current capacity to easily plan for their own food due to difficult circumstances:
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The reality is that 59% of Americans are one paycheck away from poverty, homelessness, and struggle. Unexpected distress and hardship can make individuals feel isolated and alone, having to bear the heavy burden of distress independently. Eat Share recognizes this reality and seeks to build community and connection in an organic, easy, and kind manner.
To address local food waste and insecurity, Eat Share seeks to create innovative ways to redistribute food to members of our community that can appreciate it:
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According to the United Nations, one-third of the world’s food is wasted. In the United States, food waste is 40%—enough to feed 2 billion people. Yet, 1 in 8 Pennsylvanians struggle to secure reliable, nutritious food--even in north central PA.
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Our Food Forward Program, which welcomes excess food donations from local restaurants, food trucks, grocery stores, distributors, businesses, etc.—as well as our Produce Donation & Distribution Program, welcomes locals to donate their food waste to us, and we redistribute these resources to the community in need.
Our Board of Directors
Katy Kirkpatrick
Board Secretary
By day I am a digital content manager working remotely for a boutique salon, and by night I am, admittedly, a reclusive comfort foodie who walks often, roller skates sometimes, hoards vinyl records, takes pub trivia a little too seriously, and tries her very best to keep plants alive. I cherish several core memories of neighbors, friends, and loved ones coming together to help my family when we’ve needed it in the aftermath of loss, so being part of the Eat Share team is a wonderful opportunity to pay that kindness forward, uplift my community, and explore the culinary enjoyments I’ve inherited from a lineage of gifted home chefs. I’m proud to serve on the Eat Share board of directors.
Jenifer Starr
Board Treasurer
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I am the newest member of the Eat Share board of directors. I am excited for this opportunity and ready for the challenge. I currently work for Greg Welteroth Advertising (18 years this month) as the Media Operations Manager. Outside of work, I spend my time with my daughter, Brylea (18), my dog Gracey (9, mini schnauzer), and my cat Colin (13, orange cat IYKYK).
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Volunteering is passion of mine, and besides Eat Share, I also volunteer with Girl Scouts and the Community Theatre League. Previously, I have been a member of the Montoursville Area School District Foundation board of directors, MAHS Band Boosters, and several other smaller opportunities with everything my daughter has been involved in over the years.
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My passion surrounding food insecurity and how we can all help developed when my Ambassador Girl Scouts Troop built a Blessing Box as a prerequisite for their Gold Awards. From there, I started discussing how much this box was being utilized and found other local pantry boxes to contribute to in our surrounding communities. Our troop also connected with the YWCA in Williamsport and we learned more about the number of people in our area struggling with food insecurity and homelessness.
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I look forward to merging my talents with the other board members to continue growing this wonderful organization.
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Leeann Hessler
Registered Dietitian, Board Member
I am honored to be one of the board members, as well as a volunteer chef, for this charity. I was introduced to Eat Share through its founder, Kristy, who is also a great friend of mine—what an amazing heart. Since I work for UPMC as a clinical dietitian, I am always focused on nourishing others. I love food and I think about it all the time. I enjoy gardening in the summer, which allows me to experiment with making my own homemade sauces, salsas, and pesto. I also enjoy sharing what I have with others. I feel fortunate to understand food from a nutrition perspective, and I like to educate others when possible. There is a need for this in our community, and normalizing asking for help of any kind is so important. The mission of Eat Share is to support our community with compassion and spread kindness through food sharing. Spreading joy can be simple, just one meal at a time.
Martha Finsterbush
Board Member
Martha Finsterbush brings nearly two decades of non-profit leadership and a passion for serving others. She is a lifelong learner and tries to use her knowledge to improve her community in any way she can. In her free time, she enjoys running free in nature with her two dogs or sitting on the back porch with her cats watching the world go by.
