Our local food bank, All Faiths Food Bank, was featured in the Sarasota Herald Tribune which
reported that they’ve experienced a significant increase to food demands. “Due to the COVID-
19 pandemic, demand skyrocketed over the past year and has not retreated. In 2020, All Faiths
saw a sharp increase in the number of community members using its services. It distributed
60% more meals than in 2019, comprising nearly 22.5 million pounds of food and 18.4 million
meals. Of those using its programs and services, 49% were new clients. An astonishing 362%
more users visited the organization’s website seeking food resources.”
The Sarasota PORCH chapter was established in order to help bridge the gap on food supply
deficiencies within the local food pantries who are supported by All Faiths Food Bank.
Who: Grace Life Food Pantry – 5656 Swift Rd, Sarasota
Where: Shoreview Amenity Center
When: 8AM to 10AM
Items Needed: Paper products (paper towels, plates, napkins, cups), hygiene products (shampoo/conditioner, deodorant, feminine hygiene items, toothpaste), snack items, white rice, spaghetti sauce, ramen soup
Who: New Life Worship Center – 2105 Worrington St, Sarasota
Where: Shoreview Amenity Center
When: 8AM to 10AM
Items Needed: Cereal (Kid friendly), canned vegetables with pull tabs, ground coffee in smaller bags, rice, rice-a-roni, stuffing mix, canned & dry beans, refried beans, Kraft Mac -N-Cheese
Who: Caritas Food Ministry -1661 Main St, Sarasota
Where: Shoreview Amenity Center
When: 8AM to 10AM
Items Needed: Shelf stable milk/powdered milk, powdered milk in individual pouches, saltine crackers, spaghetti sauce
Who: Church of the Palms – 3224 Bee Ridge Rd, Sarasota
Where: Shoreview Amenity Center
When: 8AM to 10AM
Items Needed: Shelf stable milk/powdered milk, easy open (pop-tops) cans or pouches of food (soup/stew, tuna, beans), protein bars, granola bars
To make an immediate impact and support our mission within the Sarasota community, please consider volunteering by either donating items and/or becoming a neighborhood coordinator! Click HERE to complete our volunteer form.
PORCH is built around the very simple idea of a neighborhood food drive. Here’s how it works,
in three easy steps:
On the 2nd Tuesday of each month, residents place a food donation of individual sized-portions
on their front porch (or designated drop-off point within their community).
A volunteer neighborhood coordinator goes porch to porch (or designated drop-off point) and
picks up the food donations.
The donated food is transported by car to a central location where it is sorted, packed and then
delivered to various local food pantries depending on immediate needs and recommended by
All Faiths Food Bank in Sarasota.
The three-step process is easy and it’s also efficient. With the help of dedicated volunteers, all
the food collected from the many neighborhood food drives moves from porch to pantries in just
a few hours’ time. From there, it goes to individuals and families who struggle with food
insecurity.
Become a Neighborhood Coordinator and help us offer this program to YOUR Sarasota neighborhood! We are seeking individuals with reliable transportation to collect pantry items and deliver them to our local sorting site.
Do you prefer organizing? We are looking for volunteers to help us sort items once a month.
Please email Sarasota@porchcommunities.org for more info!
Email Us
The Sarasota chapter strives to provide the most requested food or hygiene items that local food pantries are seeing an uptick in demand and where they struggle to provide these items on a daily basis for their clients in need.
2nd Tuesday Of Every Month: 8AM – 10AM
February 8th Collection
Drop Off: Shoreview Amenity Center
Collecting: Shelf Stable Meals; Microwave Meals; Instant Pasta
Supporting: Harvest Food Pantry
Started in 2010 in Chapel Hill, NC, PORCH is an all-volunteer, grassroots hunger relief organization that has collected and donated more than $2.1 million in hunger relief across all their communities.
Although we are currently collecting in the Shoreview subdivision of Sarasota, in Lakewood Ranch, our future vision and hope is that we grow to involve other local neighborhoods in our endeavors to help close the gap on hunger within our greater Sarasota community.
The Harvest Food Pantry
GraceLife Food Pantry
New Life Worship Center
Caritas Food Ministry
Church of the Palms
Truvine Missionary Baptist
All Faiths Food Bank
Founded by Abby Lasky. PORCH Sarasota joins the growing network of PORCH affiliates.