January 17, 2012

Holiday Food Drop

Author: Santos Maldonado

Early on the bright and crisp morning of Saturday, December 17^th, three large Second Harvest trucks filled with 52,464 pounds of emergency food boxes and fresh produce got ready to roll toward six Orange County public schools. Second Harvest staff and management gathered in the parking lot to work out last minute details. Dave Krepcho, Second Harvest President and CEO, was first to rumble out of the lot and toward Hungerford Elementary School.

At the schools, families of students were already lined up in anticipation, as enthusiastic volunteers prepared for an orderly distribution. The energetic volunteers, young, old and in between, had been recruited and organized by Orange County Public Schools Food and Nutrition Services. They worked like a finely tuned orchestra, handling every surprise with patience, smiles and lots of laughs. Read More …

November 14, 2011

Food For All

Author: Maria Diestro

Our mission depends heavily on the passion of volunteers, the generosity of corporate and private contributors and food donors, and the hard work of our partner agencies.

Approximately 55,000 people every week receive assistance through Second Harvest. We can only meet this need with support from our retail, manufacturing and distribution partners.

An example of one such partner is Publix. Click below to look back at the different ways Publix supports Second Harvest during the year.

Read More …

November 9, 2011

A Magical Future for Hunger Relief in Central Florida

Author: Greg Higgerson

It was a morning of great celebration at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.  In a very special ceremony outside our loading dock, one of our longest-serving and best corporate partners came by for a look back at our history together, and also brought the Food Bank one step closer to realizing its future vision for the community – by announcing a $500,000 gift and pledging to give us 20,000 pounds of fresh produce during the next year.

For twenty years, Walt Disney World has reached out to help Central Floridians in need through support of the Food Bank’s mission.  The company is one of very few that literally  helps the Food Bank in every manner possible—through incredible food donations, through financial support, and through volunteerism. Disney’s deep and enduring support of hunger relief has directly touched hundreds of thousands of lives in our community over the past two decades. 

Children, seniors, working poor families, homeless, and others have received the vital food assistance they needed because of this generosity.  To help keep that nutritious help going, this morning we learned of a new commitment from Disney to provide an additional 20,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables over and above the normal prepared and perishable food donations received daily through their Disney Harvest program. These products are the very food items that low income families cannot afford on their own, and represent added health and vitality for all who will receive them. Read More …

November 1, 2011

Help unwrap hope this holiday season …

Author: Sasha Hausman

No matter what you celebrate, I think we can all agree that the holiday season is a special time. It’s a time when we let the people closest to us know how much they mean to us. Whether it is a family member exchanging a gift, or getting a chocolate shaped snowman from a co-worker … it is hard not to appreciate this special season.

Unfortunately not all of us think of the holidays as the most wonderful time of the year. 1 in 5 of our neighbors here in Central Florida might not know where their next meal is coming from. But luckily there is an easy way to help that might save you a couple steps during your holiday shopping.

For a gift of only $5 (or more if you wish) per card, we will share your holiday greetings with friends, family, and colleagues, letting them know that you have made a donation to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida on their behalf. The card will be personalized with your name or company inside and then mailed out from our office for your convenience. Read More …

May 5, 2011

Second Harvest Receives a visit from Disney’s “Shine On” Prize Patrol

Author: Maria Diestro

On Tuesday, April 19th Second Harvest Food Bank had a very special guest visit our facility. Rumors of two big ears and white gloves spotted in our board room circulated our office emails that morning. By 10 am, everyone at Second Harvest had caught a glimpse of Mickey Mouse walking down our hallways.

As part of a 40-day celebration across Central Florida, Disney is shining a spotlight on organizations that improve the lives of children in our community. Mickey made a surprise visit to Second Harvest to recognize and reward our efforts in the work we do to combat childhood hunger. We were lucky to share the stage with Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, New Beginnings and the Hope Foundation. All four organizations received a special gift totaling $120,000.

 Second Harvest received $50,000 from Disney’s Helping Kids Shine Grant! We are so grateful to be one of the beneficiaries of Disney’s generosity. With Disney’s support, we are going to be able to provide hundreds of thousands of meals to kids in need. Read More …