November 28, 2011

Dark Clouds/Silver Linings

Author: Greg Higgerson

Yesterday, Scott Pelley from CBS’ 60 Minutes program presented a follow up segment to the eye-opening “Hard Times Generation” piece that aired eight months ago. Both stories detailed the plight of homeless families with children. It is telling that when the producers of 60 Minutes selected a community to profile such families, they didn’t choose an inner city setting, or Appalachia, or some rural community out West. Instead, they chose Central Florida. 

Why? Because of all the homeless families in America today, fully one-third exist in Florida. Regular people, accustomed to earning a wage and making their own way in life, who have found themselves with few options for sustainability during the Great Recession.

As someone who works in human services every day, I recall being a little puzzled by the widespread shock and dismay in the community following the airing of the first story. After all, the organization I work for has tried hard for many years to tell the story of our neighbors in need. It’s a rather stark portrait of  need that we strive to paint day in and day out, in an attempt to enlighten those who haven’t considered the tragic and preventable issue of hunger in our community. Read More …

November 23, 2011

Someone like me?

Author: Dave Krepcho

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

August 31, 2011

3 easy ways to get involved during Hunger Action Month

Author: Maria Diestro

Hunger Action Month starts today!  While we always need your involvement with Second Harvest Food Bank all year round, we do try to make it extra easy and fun in September!

Second Harvest, in conjunction with Feeding America and 205 other food banks nationwide are participating in the Third Annual Hunger Action Month. The goal of this month is to mobilize people to get involved with fighting hunger in America.

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 …

April 1, 2011

Top 10 Reasons for Central Florida’s Need

Author: Dave Krepcho

1. Food Hardship
A recently released study  showed the hardest hit markets for families not being able to afford adequate food.  The Orlando area ranked #10 in the nation for food hardship with 23.6% of the population struggling — higher than the State and national averages.

2. Childhood Hunger
Orlando has a higher percentage of children in poverty that are of school age than the rest of Florida or the overall United States. One in six children lives on the brink of hunger in Florida. The number is closer to one in four for Central Florida. Orlando: 23.3% vs. overall U.S.: 17%

3. The Meal Gap
A study released March 2011 shows that Central Florida ranks higher than the national average for a measurement of what percentage of the population is in need of food. This study also measured the Gap in terms of dollars needed to provide missing meals over the course of one year. For Central Florida the gap is $84,548,545.00.

4. Poverty Rate
For Central Florida, there are approximately 400,000 people living in poverty, almost 20% of the population. Just over 100,000 of that population are children.

5. Hunger Study
The Hunger Study for Central Florida measures several indicators every four years on the hunger landscape. One key measurement is the number of different people receiving help through our feeding programs. In 2004 the number of people was 298,000. When measured in 2009, it grew to 732,000 people….a 152% increase. This increase outpaces most parts of the country. Florida ranks #1 in Nation for increase in households struggling with hunger . Increase from 2004-2006 period of 8.9% to 14.2 % for 2007-2009.

6. 211 Calls
The number of 211 calls for help in Central Florida increased by 43% from 2009 to 2010. The increase continues in 2011. Food assistance is one of the top three requests.

7. Food Stamp (SNAP) Usage
SNAP usage has increased in Central Florida by 32.8% vs. the State average of 20.8% from 2009 – 2010.  One in six Floridians use Food Stamps. There was a 113% increase in Florida from 2007 -2009 in the number of people who lived in households that had no other cash income other than Food Stamps.

8. Unemployment
U.S = 8.9% rate vs.  Metro Orlando = 10.8%. Surrounding Counties in Central Florida have a rate as high as 12%.

9. Under- Employment
Florida ranks fifth in the nation as a percentage of people that are considered under-employed…. ranging from 21% – 24.9% . While we do not have Central Florida data, we believe this range fits or may be understated due to the heavy tourism base and the tens of thousands of low paying jobs related to that industry.

10. The Perfect Storm
All of the previous nine key indicators add up to a perfect storm of a dire situation. This data paints the picture of Central Florida’s dubious distinction as a geographic area in great need. When compared to other markets across the country, Central Florida, unfortunately, stands out as an area of higher need.

 
A really great way to fight hunger is to attend one of our regularly scheduled “Food for Thought” informational tours at either our Orlando or Volusia Branch locations. You’ll get a sense of how a Food Bank works and what an incredible difference we are able to make for people who are struggling to put food on the table.  We don’t ask for contributions at Food for Thought. Instead, we hope that our guests will be motivated to tell others about our mission, and be inclined to take action at some point in the future themselves. To look at available tour dates and to sign up online, please visit our Food for Thought page.

Dave Krepcho
CEO & President

 

Sources: Food Research and Action Center (Washington, DC 2010 Study), Center on Hunger (Echo Strategies), Hunger in Central Florida 2009 (USDA and Economic Research Services), U.S. Census Bureau, Florida Impact 2010, Heart of Florida United Way, Florida Department of Children & Families, New York Times / Florida Department of Children & Families, Gallup Poll, 2010