It was the week before Thanksgiving, and one of our staff at Second Harvest Food Bank opened his email inbox and recognized the name of one of the senders as a personal acquaintance he hadn’t seen in a few years. He recalled Wanda as a very successful and talented real estate agent, and was pleased to hear from her.

Upon opening the message, however, it immediately became clear that the message wasn’t just a friendly hello. Wanda related that she and her teenage son had been struggling with tough financial times for a couple of years. She told of how she had been making more than $80,000 a year in commissions prior to the crash in home sales, and since had been getting by on just over a quarter of that amount per year in income.

She had burned through her savings, and admitted that one of them had been forced to skip meals recently due to lack of money. “And I can tell you it wasn’t my son…” she wrote. “I never imagined I’d need to ask for help, but would someone like me qualify for help with food?”

Wanda was referred to one of the more than 500 local nonprofit feeding programs that receive food from Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida to help her family get through the tough time. In a nation and community that is as wealthy in food resources as ours, Second Harvest Food Bank is committed to the idea that among all the things that struggling families have to overcome … hunger should not be on the list.

As you take stock of your personal situation this year, please don’t forget about the families who need help with food…. So many find themselves walking through the doors of a feeding program for the first time. Many who felt secure just one year ago are now struggling to feed themselves and their families.

Won’t you help us create hope for them right away? We appreciate any help you can give. Thank you again for your continued support of Second Harvest.

Sincerely,
Dave Krepcho
President/CEO
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida

I just met with part of our team at Second Harvest and they talked about the people they are helping that need food.

The faces are haunting indeed; they include more single people from broken marriages, folks that a few months ago had a job but no longer do, more injured vets as they come home, and a special audience….the blind, deaf and mute. The procession continues….

Thank you once again for your support, you can see what a difference it makes in people who are less fortunate. If there’s any saving grace in this blog, it’s the fact that your support helped our team get millions of meals to people this past year.

If you are just discovering Second Harvest and want to become involved, please contact me, come on a tour or check out more of the website for ways in which you can make a difference.

Thank you.

Dave Krepcho
President/CEO

Although we are not chartered as an organization to do international relief, we found ourselves very busy these past few days in helping with the Haitian relief effort – domestically.

We have already provided five truckloads of food and beverages working alongside Department of Children & Families at Sanford International Airport. The first food these Haitian U.S. citizens receive when on U.S. soil is directly from Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. We do not know what to anticipate when the refugee population starts to arrive in the U.S. and its impact on Central Florida.

The folks were so grateful for the food and also to be out of harm’s way. When I had the chance to provide food to the flight crew of the C-17 military transport in the middle of Saturday night, it was certainly one of those “mission moments” I’ll never forget.

To see our military being used for humanitarian reasons was very heartwarming. And to see that the average age of the nine member flight crew was about 27 years old was really a surprise!

That crew could not have been more polite and respectful despite flying for hours and under pressure to get back to Port Au Prince quickly. It made me proud to be an American.

Below are some pictures:

Waiting the arrival of the first Military transport filled with hundreds of people from Port Au Prince.A diversity of ages arrive ranging from orpaned babies to senior citizens.

Expressions of hope, exhaustion or just dazed by the experience.

Bonsoir madame. People were so grateful for the airlift.

Haitians being greeted on the tarmac.

Second Harvest Food Bank volunteers John and Rob. It was a 20 - hour day of disaster relief.

Collaboration with our great partners, Dept. of Children & Families, made this relief effort successful.

The first food they enjoyed on U.S. soil proudly provided by Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida

Military transport plane at Sanford Intl. Airport. Arriving throughout the week from Port Au Prince.

Dave after feeding the crew of the C-17 Military transport plane. Proud to be an American. (average age of the crew: 27 years old, excluding Dave!)

Second Harvest, A Feeding America Member: On site providing relief within hours.

Dave Krepcho
President/CEO
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida

Our Benefits Connection food stamp outreach program is making a positive difference for those in our community every day. The average monthly benefit from one of our food stamp applications is $223. Receiving food stamp assistance is the boost many families need while bouncing back from unemployment and other life-changing events.

Through the success of our program, we’ve found ourselves in the national spotlight. Last week the newly appointed Deputy Administrator for Food and Nutrition Service visited Second Harvest with other VIP officials from the USDA in addition to the food stamp team from local Department of Children and Families. They were thrilled with the stats we shared tracking the growth and impact of our food stamp program.

We love being able to share the success of our programs with all types of audiences.

Why don’t you come down to a Food for Thought and learn about all of the ways that we’re fighting hunger in Central Florida? We’ll give you the VIP tour.

Left to Right: Janet Foggs, Don Arnett, Sharron Washington, Lisa Pino, Dave Krepcho, Sandrene Stevens, Peggy Fouts, Nitza Colon, Yours Truly, Tom Sallette

Janet Foggs is a Government Operations Consultant, Don Arnett is the Regional Director for USDA Southeast, Sharron Washington is Circuit 9 ACCESS Operations Manager, Lisa Pino is USDA Deputy Administrator of Food and Nutrition Service, Sandrene Stevens is DCF Program Administrator for Orange County, Peggy Fouts is the Director for the Food and Nutrition Assistance Program for USDA Southeast Region and Tom Salette is Program Specialist for DCF.

Brady Koch
Director of Agency Relations & Programs

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti; it is certainly a tragic situation. Many people are contacting us regarding our response to this disaster and we want to share that we are not chartered to provide international relief.

The most effective way for our community to help is to work with our fellow non-profit, non-governmental, and faith-based organizations that are responding at this very moment. These are all reputable organizations with ties to the Haitian community over the years. They can ensure that aid will get to the people in the most effective manner.

The situation is extremely difficult and only those organizations with knowledge of Haiti and the local connections can deliver aid effectively. These organizations need financial donations now.

Donations of food, clothing or other supplies will get bottle-necked in the logistics system at this point. Primarily, it’s military-related deliveries that are currently being channeled.

We recommend the following online resources , where you can find opportunities to help:

• NVOAD
• InterAction
• The Center for International Disaster Information
• Volunteer Florida

In the coming weeks, the situation will change and there may be opportunities for more domestic help. Your support may be needed once thousands of refugees are placed in Central Florida; they will have a need for basics such as food.

Sincerely,
Dave Krepcho
President and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida