for the Hungry
Second Harvest Food Bank helps to take hunger out of the community.
Second Harvest Food Bank of
Central Florida has been closing
the gap on hunger in the
community for more than 30 years.
Through its network of more than
550 local feeding partners in six counties,
Second Harvest distributed 58
million meals (enough to feed 53,000
people a day) last year.
So who is hungry in our community?
One in seven people in Orange,
Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Brevard,
and Volusia counties are food insecure.
One in five children are at risk of
going to bed hungry at night. Brevard,
Orange and Volusia counties have
food insecurity rates that are higher
than the national average. The Second
Harvest website defines food insecurity
as USDA’s measure of lack of access
to enough food for an active, healthy
life for all members of a household as
well as limited or uncertain availability
of nutritious food items.
58 Central Florida Lifestyle | September 2019
Second Harvest works together
with the food industry, farmers, the
USDA and the general public to redirect
an extraordinary amount of society’s
extra food for people in need.
Unfortunately, there remains a huge
gap between the amount of food
needed in Central Florida and the
amount currently available. In fact, 78
million more meals a year are needed
to fill that gap.
Tours of the food bank’s
100,000-square-foot Morgan & Morgan,
P.A. Hunger Relief Center are
available and are very informative.
Other important food bank programs
include the Darden Foundation
Community Kitchen, which provides
adults with vital job training skills and
life skills for work in the culinary field.
In this way, Second Harvest is seeking
to help actually shorten the line of
people needing help with food as well
as feeding the line.
Second Harvest Food Bank relies
entirely on donations of food, funds,
and time to accomplish its mission for
our struggling neighbors. Any or all of
these methods of helping make a great
difference.
+ HOW YOU CAN Help
How You Can Help
1. Donate money. Just $10 can provide 40 meals for individuals in need.
2. Donate food. Non-perishable food donations are always needed.
Food companies can contribute both fresh and non-perishable items.
3. Donate time. Check the Second Harvest Food Bank website for
the schedule and to register.