What Farm Share does

Farm Share, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food bank founded in 1991 and headquartered in Homestead, Florida, that recovers surplus, excess, and rejected food from Florida farmers, grocery retailers, distributors, and truck drivers and redistributes it at no cost to families, children, and seniors experiencing food insecurity across all 67 Florida counties. The organization operates two distribution channels: direct community food distribution events coordinated with local governments, and a network of nearly 2,000 partner agencies (food pantries, soup kitchens, churches, shelters, and nonprofits) that account for roughly 90% of total throughput. Farm Share supports these channels with eight regional warehouses and a fleet of refrigerated semi-trucks and box trucks, enabling a 48-hour farm-to-family redistribution cycle. Annual throughput is approximately 112 million pounds of food (100 million meals), reaching up to 23 million households in a single year, with the organization maintaining less than 1% administrative overhead by not charging partner agency fees and relying on volunteer and inmate labor.

Farm Share also administers The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) in 26 Florida counties through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, distributing federal USDA commodity foods, and has developed a proprietary mobile application with QR-code-based recipient registration to streamline TEFAP distributions. Beyond core food distribution, the organization runs an active disaster relief program that has responded to Hurricanes Ian, Idalia, Milton, and Helene (deploying over 7 million pounds of food after Milton and Helene), a pet food assistance program in partnership with the ASPCA, and a pilot homebound-senior delivery program with Publix. Revenue is a diversified mix of individual monetary donations (Network for Good), corporate grants and sponsorships (Molina Healthcare, Centene Foundation, Cigna, Miami Marlins Foundation, Florida Blue, MONAT Gratitude), federal USDA commodities and Florida state legislative appropriations, and in-kind food donations from farmers and grocery chains; donors receive tax deductions and farmers can claim enhanced federal deductions for donated produce.

Farm Share holds a 4-star Charity Navigator rating and a Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, and was ranked #1 Food Bank in America by 24/7 Wall Street in 2022 across 2,300+ food banks, as well as named Florida's largest independent food bank by Food Bank News. Stephen Shelley serves as President and CEO. The organization is differentiated from national-affiliate food banks by its independent, homegrown status and statewide Florida focus.

Name

Farm Share

Legal name

Farm Share, Inc.

Website

https://farmshare.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Farm Share is Florida's largest independent food bank, founded in 1991, that recovers surplus food from farms and retailers and redistributes it at no cost to families across all 67 Florida counties through direct distributions and nearly 2,000 partner agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Bank Services

NAICS

Farm Product Warehousing and Storage (493130)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm-to-Consumer Produce Boxes / CSA Delivery (AFAIANAC)

Keywords

• Food bank services
• Food distribution logistics
• Hunger relief programs
• Disaster relief food aid
• Fresh produce redistribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Homestead

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Monetary Donations from Individuals and Corporations: Farm Share relies primarily on monetary donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations to fund operations including fuel, labor, materials, and infrastructure (warehouses and trucks). The organization promotes online giving via Network for Good and corporate partnership programs. Donors receive tax deductions as Farm Share is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
2. Food Donations from Farmers, Retailers, and Distributors: Farm Share recovers surplus, rejected, and excess food loads from Florida farmers, grocery chains, wholesalers, producers, and distributors at little to no cost. Farmers benefit by avoiding dump fees and can claim federal tax deductions of up to 2x the cost of goods sold, carried forward for 5 years.
3. USDA TEFAP Federal Food Program: Farm Share receives USDA commodity foods through the Florida Department of Agriculture under The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a federally funded program. Food includes fresh produce, shelf-stable items, and protein distributed at no cost to recipients.
4. Corporate Sponsorships and Grants: Corporate sponsors and healthcare organizations provide grants and sponsorships to fund specific programs, truck sponsorships, and disaster relief efforts. Examples include Cigna ($10,000 grant), Molina Healthcare ($100,000 for Hurricane Ian relief), Miami Marlins Foundation and Florida Blue (truck sponsorship), and Sunshine Health/Centene Foundation ($300,000 to Farm Share).
5. Florida State Appropriations: Farm Share receives operational funding through appropriations from the Florida Legislature, which the organization advocates to maintain annually to support logistics, storage, and distribution costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Farm Share is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food bank that rescues surplus, excess, and rejected fresh food from Florida farmers, producers, supermarkets, distributors, and truck drivers, then redistributes it free of charge within 48 hours through a statewide network. Food reaches individuals, families, children, and seniors via direct community distribution events and a network of nearly 2,000 partner agencies spanning all 67 Florida counties.

Product overview

Farm Share is Florida's largest independent food bank operating as a single unified food assistance platform rather than a modular software product. The core offering combines food distribution services and a food pantry network, supported by eight regional warehouses and a fleet of refrigerated trucks. Additional services include TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program), disaster relief operations, and a proprietary mobile application with QR code registration. The organization also offers companion programs for partner agencies, corporate partnerships, volunteering, and pet food assistance. Food is sourced from Florida farmers and distributed through nearly 2,000 partner agencies across all 67 Florida counties from Pensacola to Key West.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Distribution Services Organized community food distribution events providing fresh produce, proteins, dairy, and grocery staples at no cost to recipients, coordinated with local governments and community leaders across Florida.
• Food Pantry Network A statewide network of nearly 2,000 partner agencies — including food pantries, soup kitchens, churches, community centers, schools, and nonprofits — that provide ongoing food assistance to vulnerable populations.
• Disaster Relief Program Emergency food and supply distribution in response to hurricanes and natural disasters across Florida, including positioning of trucks with provisions and relief convoys from Miami to Northern Florida.
• The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) A federally funded USDA commodity program that provides supplemental food including fresh produce, shelf-stable items, and protein to communities at no cost through Farm Share's distribution network.
• Pet Food Assistance Program Pet food distribution program, in partnership with the ASPCA, providing pet food to families struggling with inflation and supply chain issues so they can keep their pets and prevent shelter surrenders.
• Hurricane Preparedness Program Pre-hurricane-season readiness program with checklists and resources distributed to communities to help them prepare for hurricane emergencies before storms make landfall.
• Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Annual national food drive partnership with the National Association of Letter Carriers in which Farm Share serves as Florida's official statewide partner for collection and distribution.
• Farm Share Mobile Application (TEFAP) Proprietary iOS and Android mobile app that enables TEFAP recipients to complete a one-time registration and generate a single-use 24-hour QR code displayed on their phone, which is scanned at food distribution events to receive food faster.

Quantifiable outcome

• 104 million pounds of food distributed to 23 million households across all 67 Florida counties in 2022
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• MONAT Gratitude FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2022MONAT Gratitude Foundation partnered with Farm Share for the annual Feast with Gratitude event in Doral, distributing over 2,000 gift bags with approximately 80,000 pounds of fresh food to families in need. The event featured a drive-thru food distribution at MONAT headquarters, with Miami Diaper Bank also participating.
• J.M. SmuckerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJ.M. Smucker provides supplies (peanut butter and jelly) for sandwich-making team-building events at BITAC gatherings. Approximately 1,000 sandwiches are created per event and then distributed to food-insecure communities through Farm Share and Molina Healthcare.
• BITAC (Hotel Interactive)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBITAC, a sister company of Hotel Interactive, selected Farm Share as its charity of choice and provides a platform to raise awareness about food insecurity at hospitality industry events. BITAC events feature team-building sandwich-making activities with J.M. Smucker supplies, followed by food distribution in nearby communities via Farm Share and Molina Healthcare.
• Global Empowerment Mission (GEM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFarm Share partnered with Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) to build emergency relief packages containing canned food, water, MREs, and hygiene products for Hurricane Idalia disaster relief convoys from Miami to Northern Florida.
• ASPCAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFarm Share partnered with the ASPCA to distribute pet food to families struggling with inflation and supply chain issues affecting pet food availability. The partnership aims to keep pets with their families and prevent shelter surrenders. Farm Share collects monetary donations to expand its pet food assistance program.
• PublixminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFarm Share launched a pilot program with Publix to deliver fresh food to homebound seniors, expanding Farm Share's distribution reach to individuals unable to access food pantries or distribution events.
• Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFarm Share receives USDA commodity foods through the Florida Department of Agriculture under The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). The state agency determines which counties Farm Share serves under TEFAP, covering 26 Florida counties including Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Broward, Citrus, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Hernando, Jefferson, Lake, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Marion, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Pasco, Putnam, St. Johns, Sumter, Union, Volusia, and Wakulla.
• Midwest Food BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMidwest Food Bank and Farm Share work collaboratively as two of Florida's top independent food banks, both ranked in the national top 10 by 24/7 Wall Street (Farm Share #1, Midwest Food Bank #7). They have partnered on statewide disaster relief and share best practices in serving food-insecure populations.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National umbrella network coordinating 200+ member food banks across the US, including Feeding South Florida. Operates as a broad incumbent platform versus Farm Share's independent status; relevant comparable for understanding food banking scale and donor economics.
• Los Angeles Regional Food Bank: One of the largest US food banks serving Los Angeles County. Comparable in scale (millions of pounds distributed annually) and warehouse-based distribution model, though serving a different geography.

Regional players

• City Harvest: New York City's largest food rescue organization with similar food rescue-from-restaurants-and-farms distribution model. Comparable in logistics sophistication and surplus food recovery focus, though serving a different geography.

Direct peers

• Treasure Coast Food Bank: Regional food bank serving the Treasure Coast area (Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Okeechobee counties). Competes with Farm Share for grants, donors, and partner agencies in coastal Florida.
• Midwest Food Bank: Named in Farm Share data as one of Florida's top independent food banks, ranked #7 nationally by 24/7 Wall Street alongside Farm Share's #1. Both operate as independent food banks serving Florida with collaborative disaster relief partnerships. Most directly comparable peer by structure and Florida footprint.
• Feeding South Florida: Major Feeding America-affiliated food bank serving South Florida including Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Monroe counties. Direct competitor for donor dollars, volunteers, and food supply within Farm Share's largest service region.
• Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida: Southwest Florida food bank serving Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, Glades, and Sarasota counties. Hurricane Ian relief activation (Farm Share responded within hours) marks them as direct disaster-response peers.
• Second Harvest of Central Florida: Central Florida's largest food bank serving Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Brevard, Polk, Lake, Marion, Volusia, Flagler, and Hardee counties. Direct distribution overlap with Farm Share in central Florida counties.
• Daily's Bread Food Bank: Florida regional food bank operation serving food-insecure populations. Comparable in mission and distribution model within Florida's fragmented food banking landscape.

Emerging players

• Meals on Wheels America: National network addressing senior food insecurity including home-delivered meals. Farm Share's Publix homebound senior pilot represents a programmatic intersection with this peer category on senior nutrition delivery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FarmShareFL
• Facebookfacebook.com/farmshare.fl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/farmsharefl
• Instagraminstagram.com/farmsharefl

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Farm Share