SHARE was founded in 1983 by former businessman Carl Shelton, with seed money from the San Diego Catholic Diocese.

Shelton, a Catholic deacon, took a leave of absence and went to visit Mother Teresa in India.

After an extensive visit, Shelton asked her what he should do when he returned. Her answer?

“Go back to your own country and feed people!”

Shelton left India with a vision of starting a food program that would be:

• Non-charity or a “handout” program
• No government involvement
• Self-sustaining, with the emphasis on “people helping people.”

The first SHARE distribution was held in the parking lot of the Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego.

SHARE Virginia was founded in 1984. It is the oldest SHARE program still in operation. SHARE Virginia serves Southwest Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia. SHARE seeks to address not just physical hunger, but spiritual hunger – the need to connect with others. A key to SHARE is accessibility and hospitality – everyone is welcome.