Let’s hear it for AARP! This year, they have made a major commitment to hunger among older Americans. Our CEO, Dave Krepcho, wrote about it in his “Hunger and the Daytona 500?” blog post in February.

Well this year, AARP designated Friday, September 9 as it’s Day of Service where the main focus was also hunger. On this day staff and volunteers nationwide went out to serve in their local communities.

How is this related to Second Harvest? Well, on Friday, September 9 we had 60 Winter Park AARP volunteers at our sorting facility putting together senior packs. Basically, they took over the food bank on that day and put together 5,452 senior food packs. Pretty amazing, right?

None of this would be possible without funding from the Winter Park Health Foundation. Second Harvest has been talking to the foundation about the different ways they could get involved with us. They instantly thought of seniors and that is where the AARP tie in came into the project.

Senior Food Packs
Each pack weights slightly more than 10 pounds and was developed by our nutrition manager, Maria Ali, with input from our senior feeding partners. The packs contain 10 components and include foods from every food group. We took senior needs into account and provided foods that were simple to cook and versatile.

The distribution sites and recipients of the food packs will be in Winter Park, Maitland and Eatonville.

This is unlike any food distribution that Second Harvest has done in the past. The packs will be distributed through a number of unconventional methods: 

- through fire stations and EMT’s
- through Walgreen’s pharmacists
- through neighborhood and community centers
- through faith communities
- to homebound seniors known to food delivery programs, (specifically Food Angels)
- to Plymouth and Calvary Towers senior residences.  
  
Did you know that of the 51 million Americans who are food insecure, nearly six million are over the age of 60?
Thanks to the manpower of the AARP volunteers and the funding from Winter Park Health Foundation, we are going to be able to reach and feed more seniors in need this year.   

Photos from the day:

Maria Diestro
Online Services and Communications Manager

Source: Orlando Sentinel

Many people today are overwhelmed and frustrated with what seem to be unfixable problems, or things out of their control. Just look around at the Gulf oil spill and its long-term effects, a Gainesville pastor’s stance on the Quran, congressional issues and so many more examples, including in our own personal lives. Wouldn’t it be great if we could find something we could wrap our own hands around and make a difference?

There is a pressing problem that we all can rally around and do something about: hunger in our community. The ongoing economic situation, unemployment, under-employment and plummeting retirement accounts and property values have all created a perfect storm for emergency food assistance among a large portion of the population.

Last year, Second Harvest Food Bank’s Hunger Study showed that about 25 percent of Central Florida’s population received food assistance. That’s 732,000 people, and nearly 300,000 are children. That’s a problem. What can you do about it?

September is Hunger Action Month, an effort to fight hunger. The only way we can close the gap is with continued community assistance. You can seek out a number of local organizations that could use your support in terms of volunteering, financial assistance or food donations

At Second Harvest Food Bank, we offer you “30 Ways in 30 Days,” with activities ranging from food drives and a Junior League Harvest Hustle to our Portraits of Hunger photo contest.

All are designed to provide support for people in need and offer a variety of levels of engagement. If you can’t take action in September, the problem will still be here in October.

Everyone can help. Here’s one poignant example: One day an elementary-school girl named Alli saw some of her classmates Dumpster diving. That night, she cried to her mom that they must do something about the situation. Alli came up with a plan and in a few months raised $5,000 to help start a new Second Harvest Kids Café downtown.

To this day, that café continues to provide thousands of meals to children. Alli’s a reminder to all of us — young and old, wealthy or not — that each of us can find a way to take meaningful action in the fight against hunger. It’s a problem that can be solved.

We can make a tangible impact upon hunger relief because every can of soup, box of cereal, volunteer hour or dollar donated translates into one of the most basic needs of every person — food. Please consider taking action; it’s good for the community, and it’s good for the soul.

Dave Krepcho is president and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

Today I had the privilege of getting my hands dirty and working up a sweat as a volunteer at the Dave Pearlman Food Pantry at Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando (JFS).  

To take nothing away from the fine work of the more than 600 partner feeding programs to whom our Food Bank distributes food each year in Central Florida, I have always been enormously impressed with the work of JFS.   Led by a true humanitarian, Barry Kudlowitz, this caring group of staff and volunteers provide a place where people in crisis can get some relief.   

And not just food relief.  JFS provides a wide range of services designed to help people ‘cover their bases’ on a number of important fronts.  This kind of help is very often all a person needs to get back on his/her feet and move forward in life.

I arrived not really knowing what to expect, but quickly learned the ropes from a true veteran of JFS; a 21-year old young man named Eton (say “Ay-tahn”).  Eton has been volunteering since he was 12—that’s not a typo.  He was very knowledgeable, and explained the mixture of foods I would be packing into brown paper grocery bags.  The system was very well-thought out and organized.  Together we prepared a dozen or so bags of food, and Eton’s shift came to a close.  He bid me farewell, and left me to fend for myself.  

 After only a few minutes, the first intercom buzzer went off and a voice on the wall said “I need two sets plus government.”  That meant two sets of the normal “two bag” portion for families, plus some of the USDA government commodity food they had on hand.  Each bag also contained some frozen protein (chicken or beef) and frozen bakery products.  I quickly hustled these items to the lobby in a shopping cart, where a young couple with a baby were waiting.  With many thanks from them, I helped carry their bags to the car.  

As I returned to the pantry room, I reflected how bare the shelves of the small room seemed.  JFS’s van driver, Jerry, picks up a vanload of food once a week (on Thursdays) from Second Harvest Food Bank to restock the shelves.    Around noon, the weekly bounty arrived.  I helped Jerry unpack approximately 3,000 pounds of canned vegetables, fruits, soups, stews, pastas, frozen meat and fish, noodles, cereal.   

While he worked to re-stock, I was called upon several more times for bags to the lobby.  I was struck by how “normal” and everyday folks the people who received the food were.  And also by how grateful they were to receive the help.

I went back to packing more bags.  Remembering what Eton had taught me about packing each bag earlier in the day, I found myself almost desperate in my temptation to break the rules and add a few more cans, a few more boxes, a little more meat to each of the bags I was packing.  In my head I knew that doing so would deplete the pantry more quickly than they could replenish it, but my heart wanted to do it just the same.  I decided to respect the rules so that the food could last.   (Note to self:  This community needs LOTS MORE donated food!)

I walked away appropriately tired, and greatly moved.  I was grateful to experience a small part of the incredible work that happens at JFS on a daily basis. My sincere thanks to Barry Kudlowitz, Adrienne Cooperman, Marni Chepenik, Es Cohen, Karen Broussard, Jerry the driver, Eton, and all the JFS staff for their caring work and for making me feel valuable today. 

Keep up the good work, guys!

Greg Higgerson
VP of Development

Second Harvest’s President & CEO, Dave Krepcho, Honored by the Orlando Sentinel – Receives 2009 Central Floridian of The Year Award

Our own Dave Krepcho is this year’s recipient of the Orlando Sentinel’s “Central Floridian of The Year” award.

Now in its 27^th year, the designation recognizes the contributions of an individual or a group. “These are people who embody the best in us. People of conviction. Of charity. Of vision. Of service. It’s important to celebrate their contributions,” noted the Orlando Sentinel.

The award went to Dave in honor of his valuable contributions and commitment to the fight against hunger throughout Central Florida. “His transformation of Second Harvest from warehouse to a nimble force for fighting regional hunger is why Krepcho has been named the 2009 Central Floridian of the Year,” said Darryl Owens, member of the Orlando Sentinel editorial board.
“Krepcho downplays his role, crediting frontline workers. But his voice in branding hunger as a community imperative is undeniable.”

Read the full Orlando Sentinel article. 

View the video below: