Today we’d like to introduce you to Amir Tibbs.
Hi Amir, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
All Hands On Deck: STL began with a simple belief: good food should never go to waste while people in our community are going hungry.
Although I had spent my career in public service, business, and community work, my journey with food rescue started as a volunteer and patron at a local Food SHARE. I saw firsthand how bringing people together around food created dignity, connection, and hope. When that original SHARE was no longer able to continue, our team stepped in to keep it alive. What started as one neighborhood Food SHARE has grown into All Hands On Deck: STL, an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving communities throughout the St. Louis metro area.
Today, we host six FREE Groceries Food SHAREs each month across the region, along with pop-up SHAREs, our weekly Fresh Flower SHARE, and our biannual Community SHARE & Support Fair, which connects families with vital health and social service resources. Our name reflects our philosophy, when everyone does a little, we can accomplish a lot together.
Our approach is different from a traditional food pantry. We believe in SHAREing Health And Resources Equitably (S.H.A.R.E.). We rescue fresh produce, dairy, meat, bakery items, flowers, household goods, and other usable products that might otherwise be discarded, then redistribute them to the community the very same day. Whatever cannot be used for people is diverted to animal feed or compost whenever possible, keeping thousands of pounds out of landfills while helping both people and the environment.
Because we are entirely volunteer-powered, every Food SHARE represents countless acts of generosity, from grocery stores, farms, & our community partners who donate, to drivers who use their own vehicles to pick up food, to volunteers who sort, set up, and welcome patrons with kindness and respect.
Since becoming a nonprofit, All Hands On Deck: STL has redistributed hundreds of thousands of pounds of food and essential items, built partnerships across the region, and created welcoming community spaces where everyone is treated with dignity. We are continually growing, developing new collaborations, and working toward our long-term vision of establishing The SHARE Center, a permanent home where food rescue, sustainability, volunteerism, and community resources can come together under one roof.
At its heart, our story isn’t about one person. It’s about what happens when an entire community comes together with all hands on deck to make St. Louis stronger, healthier, and more connected.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Here’s a response that is honest while emphasizing resilience and growth.
It definitely has not been a smooth road, but every challenge has made us stronger.
One of our biggest challenges is that we’re an entirely volunteer-run organization. There are no paid staff members, so everything—from rescuing food and coordinating pickups to creating monthly calendars, managing social media, recruiting volunteers, building partnerships, and hosting our Food SHAREs. It’s accomplished by people who generously give their time. It takes an incredible amount of coordination, flexibility, and teamwork.
Another challenge is that our work is unpredictable. Food donations depend on what is available each day, traffic can delay deliveries, weather can affect outdoor SHAREs, and we often have to make last-minute adjustments. We’ve learned to be adaptable and to focus on solutions instead of obstacles.
Like many nonprofits, funding and space have also been ongoing challenges. We rescue and redistribute a tremendous amount of food, but we dream of having a permanent home called The SHARE Center, where we can expand food rescue, volunteer coordination, sustainability initiatives, and community programming. Until then, we’ve become experts at making the most of the resources we have.
Perhaps the biggest lesson has been learning that meaningful community work is never done alone. We’ve been blessed with dedicated volunteers, generous donors, nonprofit partners, businesses, faith communities, and thousands of patrons who believe in what we’re building. Every challenge has reinforced our belief that when people come together with a shared purpose, amazing things can happen.
We often say, “No matter the weather, All Hands Together Makes STL Better!” That isn’t just a slogan, is our mindset that has carried us through every obstacle.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about All Hands On Deck: STL ?
All Hands On Deck: STL is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to reducing food insecurity, preventing food waste, and strengthening communities through the power of SHAREing.
Our signature program is our FREE Groceries Food SHAREs, which take place throughout the St. Louis metro area. Unlike a traditional food pantry, our SHARE model is built around dignity, accessibility, and community. There are no income requirements, residency restrictions, or lengthy applications. We believe everyone deserves access to healthy food, and we welcome anyone who can benefit from what is available that day.
S.H.A.R.E. stands for Share Health And Resources Equitably, and that philosophy guides everything we do. We rescue surplus food and other usable items from grocery stores, wholesalers, farms, community partners, and local businesses, then redistribute them to the community the very same day. Depending on donations, our SHAREs may include fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy, bakery items, flowers, household goods, personal care products, and other essentials. Anything that cannot be used for people is diverted to animal feed or compost whenever possible, making sustainability a core part of our mission.
In addition to our Food SHAREs, we host our Community SHARE & Support Fair twice each year, bringing together dozens of nonprofit organizations, healthcare providers, government agencies, and community resources in one welcoming location. We also operate a weekly Fresh Flower SHARE through our partnership with the St. Louis Blooms program because we believe nourishment includes beauty, joy, and mental well-being—not just food.
What really sets us apart is our approach. We don’t simply distribute groceries—we create a welcoming community experience where volunteers, donors, businesses, and patrons come together as neighbors. Our volunteers use their own vehicles to rescue food, community partners open their doors to host SHAREs, and every event is powered entirely by people who believe in helping one another. We often say that every donation has many hands behind it before it reaches the person who needs it.
What we’re most proud of is the trust we’ve built throughout St. Louis. We’ve shown that a volunteer-powered organization can rescue hundreds of thousands of pounds of food, reduce waste, build meaningful partnerships, and make healthy food more accessible while treating every person with dignity and respect.
As we look to the future, our vision is to establish The SHARE Center, a permanent home where food rescue, sustainability, volunteerism, education, and community resources come together under one roof. It’s an ambitious goal, but it’s the natural next step in our mission to create a healthier, more connected, and more equitable St. Louis.
At the end of the day, we want readers to know that All Hands On Deck: STL is about more than food. It’s about bringing people together, caring for our neighbors, protecting our environment, and proving that when we all do our part, no matter how big or small, we can make an extraordinary impact.
What makes you happy?
What makes me happiest is seeing people come together to help one another.
Some of my favorite moments happen at our Food SHAREs. I’ll see someone arrive because they need groceries and leave not only with healthy food, but also with flowers, a smile, new friends, and information about resources they didn’t even know existed. I love watching volunteers of all ages and backgrounds work side by side, businesses donate because they want to make a difference, and neighbors who have never met before start talking and laughing together. Those moments remind me that community is one of our greatest resources.
I’m also passionate about sustainability. It brings me joy to know that food that might have ended up in a landfill instead nourishes families, feeds animals, or becomes compost to enrich the soil. Helping both people and the planet at the same time is incredibly rewarding.
On a personal level, I enjoy building partnerships and connecting people. I love finding creative solutions, bringing organizations together, and watching ideas grow into something that benefits the entire community. Every new partnership represents another opportunity to serve more people.
More than anything, I’m happiest when I see hope. Whether it’s a child excited to pick out fresh fruit, a senior grateful for groceries, a volunteer who discovers a passion for serving, or a donor who realizes the impact of their contribution, those moments remind me why this work matters.
At the end of the day, I really believe kindness is contagious. When one person chooses to help another, it inspires others to do the same—and that’s how stronger communities are built.
Pricing:
- FREE
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.AllHandsSTL.org
- Instagram: All Hands STL
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1G3Rmm6PDT/?mibextid=wwXIfr
