December 7, 2011

‘Trying’ is the best we can do

Author: Greg Higgerson

Suzi is a nutrition educator in Brevard County. As part of her job, she visits public schools to teach kids about how important it is to eat the right foods every day. One evening, as she was filling up her car with gasoline, Suzi was approached by a woman she had never met before.

The woman pointed to a youngster in a nearby vehicle, and said “My daughter just pointed you out as the woman who came to teach her class at school today,
is that right?” Suzi replied that it was. “My daughter also said that to be  healthy, she needed to fill up half her plate with fruits and vegetables, is that right too?” said the woman.

Suzi was pleased that the girl had gotten the message she was trying to get through, and replied ‘Oh, yes!” with pride. Read More …

September 20, 2011

Paper Plate Campaign

Author: Jen Gibson

As the government continues to wrestle with proposals to control the growing national deficit, difficult decisions will have to be made in the coming months on the federal budget.   A number of proposals have been put forward that cut many of the safety net programs that serve millions of low-income Americans.  If these cuts are included in the final budget, they will come at a time when unemployment and the need for food assistance remain stubbornly high. As a result, more and more people will be forced to seek help from food assistance programs, many of whom are already struggling to meet this record need.

In order to bring a voice to our neighbors whom are struggling to put food on the table we have begun a Paper Plate campaign. We are asking recipients of food assistance programs to let their voices be heard by filling paper plates with statements attesting to how important this food is to their family.  This campaign will offer our clients an easy, open-ended, and powerful way to advocate for themselves. For many this may be the first time they have done anything like this.

Read More …

July 26, 2011

Gina’s Missing Tooth

Author: Greg Higgerson

A volunteer named Annette spends her free time working at an East Orange County summer camp that hosts 40 young campers each day.   Recently, she felt a tinge of joy when one of her campers ran up and told her “Gina’s in the bathroom, and she just lost a tooth!” 

“These kids are growing up so fast,” thought Annette with a smile.   She hurried off to the girl’s restroom to find 10-year old Gina standing in front of the mirror.  When she saw tears instead of excitement on Gina’s face, Annette’s joy quickly turned to sadness. As she stared at the object in Gina’s outstretched hand, she realized that it was her permanent front tooth. Gina shared that it had been loose for some time, and that it had finally fallen out. She showed Annette other permanent teeth that were loose as well, and the two shared a long hug and cry together. Read More …

July 25, 2011

Because Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation

Author: Maria Diestro

I recently accompanied Santos Maldonado, our Childhood Hunger Programs Manager to take pictures of some of our Summer Feeding sites. Second Harvest currently sponsors 20 sites. Working with a major local food vendor, we are able to provide meals and snacks to children in low-income areas during the critical time when they lack access to school cafeterias.

As compared to June 2010, meals distributed doubled, from 12,642 to 25,753, making this the largest monthly increase since the program began. I will make sure to post an update for July when those numbers are available. I also learned that one of our most satisfying development this year is the expansion into Osceola County, specifically along the 192 corridor where many children of homeless families live in the motels. Read More …

June 29, 2011

Urgent Action Alert – Your Support is Requested

Author: Dave Krepcho

Special Message – Your Support is Requested
The need for food is at an all-time high in our communities. Children, the working poor, people who cannot find jobs, senior citizens and more are in need. Critical federally funded nutrition programs are at risk of losing millions of dollars of support. Current budget proposals in Washington recommend huge cuts.

What does this mean for Central Florida?
If the current proposals were passed by the Senate in the next couple of months, the equivalent of over one million meals could be lost for Central Florida.

-  There would be a significant decline in the amount of TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) food.
-  There would be millions less in SNAP (Food Stamps) for our area.
-  WIC (Women Infant & Children) would be cut back significantly impacting women, infants and children. Read More …