{{more citations needed, date=May 2019
Strangers Helping Strangers is a
non-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
organization of music fans dedicated to holding
food drive
A food drive is a form of charity that is conducted by a group of individuals or a corporation to stockpile and distribute foodstuffs to people who cannot afford food.
Overview
Food drives are operated in order to stock food banks that distribu ...
s at concerts throughout the nation, benefiting those in need in each community an event is held.
The origins of Strangers Helping Strangers (SHS) dates back to late 1997, when two fans of the Burlington, Vermont-based band Strangefolk, Kat Antonioli and Tina Kelleher, saw an opportunity to help the homeless by collecting non-perishable food at various Strangefolk concerts throughout the Northeast USA and donating it to
food bank
A food bank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, usually through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distribute food dire ...
s and charities in the cities and towns where Strangefolk played.
The first official food drive was held at Strangefolk's concert at the State Theater in Portland, ME in February of 1998. Leveraging the band's engaged online fanbase to help spread the word, as well as collecting contact information for their own newsletter via a sign up sheet at each show, awareness about SHS began to grow within the community of northeast fans who followed Strangefolk. In 2000, Jambands.com (the online component of Relix Magazine) held their first annual Jammy Awards at Irving Plaza in New York City, where SHS was awarded the first ever Jammy Award for Community Service. and since then, SHS has collected items for charities all over the country. In addition to working closely with Strangefolk, SHS has expanded over the years to work with hundreds other bands such as the
Assembly of Dust
Assembly of Dust (also known as AOD) is an American rock band formed in 2002 by former Strangefolk frontman Reid Genauer. After the breakup of Strangefolk, Genauer decided to record a solo album, and he recruited some friends from Strangefolk's d ...
,
Dark Star Orchestra
Dark Star Orchestra is a Grateful Dead cover band formed in Chicago, Illinois. They serve as a tribute band to the rock group the Grateful Dead. Since 1997, the band has been "celebrating the Grateful Dead concert experience."
Overview
Dark S ...
Zen Tricksters
The Zen Tricksters are an American Grateful Dead cover band. For almost thirty years, the Zen Tricksters have been playing Grateful Dead covers and jam band music, as well as derivative original songs. The band started out as the Volunteers, playi ...
, Scarecrow Collection, U-Melt, Rev Tor Band, Roots of Creation and many more. SHS offers incentives and prizes to those who donate at their events, including live CD’s, merchandise, tickets to future concerts and much more.
SHS began with a volunteer group of five individuals and has grown to its current level. Today, SHS has a volunteer core of nearly thirty official volunteers (including the Board of Directors), in addition to many friends and family members who help the organization in multiple ways.