In 1983, Tina Osso—a Hamilton, Ohio native—recognized that emergency food assistance was difficult for many of her neighbors to access. With Dayton and Cincinnati beyond a reasonable commute from those in need, she transformed her commitment to social justice into action by founding the food bank now known as Shared Harvest Foodbank in Fairfield, Ohio.
Built on the belief that food is a basic right, not a privilege, Shared Harvest has continued to carry these founding principles forward through decades of growth, changing political landscapes, and new leadership. Explore the timeline below for key moments in Shared Harvest’s history. Click the button below to see our mission and work in action.
Civil Defense Office in Hamilton hosted a meeting of concerned community organizations, churches, and local government officials about providing groceries to families in emergency situations. The idea of Shared Harvest Foodbank was conceived, and Tina Osso was named the Executive Director, assisted by Sharon Waldron.
Shared Harvest made its first delivery to the Summer Food for Kids program in Middletown in a fluorescent orange, beat-up step van that was donated by Freestore Foodbank. This date is considered the anniversary of Shared Harvest Foodbank.
Lester Besl provided the property at 5901 Dixie Highway in Fairfield, Ohio to operate Shared Harvest. Grants from Freestore Foodbank, FEMA, and Middletown United Way supplied funds for truck rentals, equipment, and a small stipend for Tina and Sharon.
Shared Harvest obtains the USDA regional contract to distribute government commodities to 31 Ohio Counties.
Shared Harvest started Harvest Share, the Retail Rescue Program that inspected, cleaned, repaired, and repackaged distressed grocery items from retailers to distribute to families in need.
The Stamp Out Hunger program began in Butler County in collaboration with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) who collected thousands of pounds of food for Shared Harvest.
A 4,300 sq. ft. freezer was installed to enable storage and distribution of donated frozen foods.
The Square Foot Campaign expanded the Shared Harvest facility from the original 9,400 sq. ft. to 35,000 sq. ft.
The regional FEED Alliance is formed (Feed, Educate, Empower, and Deliver services to people in need).
Shared Harvest begins a senior hunger relief initiative through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP).
Shared Harvest is the first food bank in the nation to receive a USDA SNAP Outreach grant to help families navigate the complex enrollment into SNAP benefits.
The signature childhood hunger relief initiative, the BackPack Program is launched in partnership with the Butler County ESC for the 2006-2007 school ear.
Founding Executive Director, Tina Osso retired and Terry Perdue became her successor.
40 full-time National Guard members were deployed to support Shared Harvest for COVID relief from March 2020 to July 2021.
A grant through Feeding America expanded operational capacity by providing a new 1,720 sq. ft. cooler, five refrigerated box trucks with liftgates, pallet racking, and forklifts.
The Hunger Awareness Center opened expanding the capacity for volunteer opportunities.
The Butler County Educational Service Center opens a regional school-based pantry in partnership with Shared Harvest Foodbank.
The inaugural Nourishing Neighbors Crystal Apple Award was awarded to partner charitable distributors who embody Shared Harvest core values.
Obtained the USDA Grant of Inspection to safely repack donated meat in the new 1,200 sq. ft. Protein Repack Center.
The Market at Shared Harvest, a choice food pantry, opened on site at the food bank.
Listen to the podcast below to hear an interview between our founder, Tina Osso, and the Ohio Association of Foodbanks.
