One of the most often-heard sentiments expressed at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida these days is that ‘We’ve run out of space, but we haven’t run out of need.”

As the number of our neighbors who need help with food continues to remain at historic levels, it is essential that our community continue working to close the gap between the amount of food needed, and the amount available. The good news is that there is no shortage of ‘extra’ food resources in our society. That’s not the problem. The main challenges faced in our work today lie in creating adequate infrastructure to take more full advantage of the bountiful food that exists in Florida, and throughout our country.

We’re extremely proud of the growth and community impact that our current facility has made possible over the past sixteen years, but very mindful of the limitations of capacity that now exist. Sadly, nearly four million pounds of wholesome, nutritious food products are having to be turned away each year due to lack of adequate facilities.   

The vision of the “Building Solutions to Hunger” capital campaign involves elevating the future of hunger relief in Central Florida to a whole new level. Just as the additional capacity sixteen years ago allowed our organization to move from distributing six million pounds per year to today’s rate of 33 million pounds per year, the new 100,000 square foot facility  will allow for a similar quantum leap forward in service delivery to the community.

The Morgan & Morgan P.A. Hunger Relief Center at Second Harvest Food Bank is expected to return more than $1.4 Billion in food value for struggling individuals and families over the next two decades. The new facility will be located at the corner of Mercy Drive and Old Winter Garden Road in Orlando.

The $15 million campaign to create the new facility started in the closing months of 2010, and to date has garnered commitments for 67% of the needed funds to make this new vision of hunger relief a reality.  Because Second Harvest Food Bank is committed to the idea of not carrying any long-term debt or mortgage, however, we have committed ourselves to raising at least 80% of the needed funds before we will break ground on the project.

Clearly, we need more funds (and quickly) in order to begin construction. It is hoped that an additional $2 million in support can be received in the next 90 days in order to reach the important milestone of 80% funding. Our work must begin on schedule and without delay in order to maintain the momentum we need to get the project completed. Once finished in late 2012, additional food resources will begin flowing immediately to our 500 partner agencies in six counties. More children, seniors, homeless, and working poor families than ever before will receive the resources they need to live and to thrive.

Our deepest gratitude goes out to the visionary contributors who have lent their passion and support to this important project so far: Morgan & Morgan, P.A., Darden Restaurants, Walt Disney World, Dr. Phillips Charities, Baker Barrios Architects, CNL, the Morgridge Family Foundation, BHM Architects, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Bank of America, the Second Harvest Food Bank board of directors, Publix Supermarkets, Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation, the Golf Channel, Brasfield & Gorrie, Florida Hospital/Adventist Health Systems, and many others.

Your help is needed today. For more information on the Building Solutions to Hunger project and to learn how you can get involved and make a lasting difference, please visit http://www.ShowMercyNow.org. Significant naming/dedication opportunities remain available at this time, and gifts of any amount toward the vision of future hunger relief in Central Florida are greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Greg Higgerson, CFRE
Vice-President, Development

In these tough times, as much as you wish you had the time to volunteer in your community, it may not always be realistic or possible. Days are busy with work, kids, running errands, making dinner and chores.

These days we rely on social media and our smart phones to get things done and socialize with our friends, but did you know that you could use these same devices to help Second Harvest fight hunger?

Awareness is a powerful tool in helping to fight hunger, and with an entire culture of people connected to cyberspace everyday, we have created an easy 5 Ways to Fight Hunger Using Social Media checklist you can use to spread awareness about this epidemic in our community.

Share.  We were taught to do it since elementary and social media is all about sharing!  On our Facebook and Twitter, Second Harvest posts stories of hope, hunger fighting events, and the problems of hunger in our community daily. It’s easy and takes only a few seconds to share these stories and links with friends and family, whether through reposting or retweeting.  The scope of social media expands from Facebook and Twitter, too, so take full advantage of other online avenues, such as Google +, Ning Communities, LinkedIn, group texts, or any one of your favorite social media outlets.

Participate. There are many opportunities in social media to do more than just share posts. On Facebook, for instance you can help us win Ron Jon Surf Shop’s Holiday Charity Contest. The charity with the most votes will receive $2,500 and two Ron Jon surfboards to auction off. Vote for us daily! With Second Harvest able to purchase up to $9 worth of groceries for every $1 donated, you could help feed a lot of hungry families this holiday season!

Educate.  When you have those free moments in your day, read hunger links shared by friends, family, or Second Harvest. You’ll learn the changes in hunger demand from year to year, read stories about the struggles of others and understand how easily it could happen to anybody. Educating yourself on the hunger epidemic in Central Florida is an eye opening experience and can be disheartening, but educating yourself about solutions and sharing them with friends is an action that builds hope and solutions!

Inspire. Leading by example is a great way to influence friends, family, and even strangers around you. Every time you donate to Second Harvest, share it with friends and family! Doing so can inspire them to do the same, and every donation, no matter how big or small, helps our community. You can also inspire people with your own stories of hunger. Write a blog or post about your struggles and how you overcame them, the people who helped you along the way, and other inspiring details.

Create.  Thanks to social media tools, communities such as Ning, Facebook, and Google make it easy to create groups for awareness.  If you feel like any of the above isn’t enough, and you feel a little bit more comfortable with technology, it has become easier to create a group of like-minded persons to build awareness and create solutions. Using online social groups, you can combine Share, Participate, Educate, and Inspire to orchestrate local food drives, charity events, or awareness campaigns to help benefit Second Harvest and the Central Florida community. Create banners or posters depicting hunger and hope, and share them on Facebook, tweet them through Twitter, or post them on the Second Harvest Facebook!

All of the above works easily interchangeably with each other, making it easy to use social media to fight hunger.  Whether it’s tweeting links, sharing on facebook, or gathering friends online to organize a food drive, social media is proving to be a very powerful tool to fight hunger.  At a time where busy schedules can make it difficult to volunteer the hours you’d like into your community, it good to know that you can still make a difference using social media.

Melissa Kear
Second Harvest Food Bank Intern

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.

Suddenly she noticed the mother tearing up, and unable to speak. After a minute, the woman was able to explain that she works two jobs, and still struggles to provide enough food for her family. She said that she knows fruits and vegetables are best for ‘her babies,’ but that the cost of adding them into the family’s meager diet was usually just too much.

The mother related how she struggled to simply meet the family’s calorie need, let alone the nutritional requirements of a healthy diet. Suzi relates that it was all she could do to keep from crying herself. She explained to the mom that ‘trying’ is really the best that anyone can do. She mentioned that frozen fruits and veggies can sometimes be cheaper than fresh, and just as nutritious. The mom was also reminded to stress to her kids the importance of eating the produce that was served to them at school through the free breakfast and lunch programs.

After a few more tips on making soup from frozen veggies, Suzi was on her way back home. As she drove, she thought how brave the mother had been to approach a stranger on behalf of helping her children eat better. She hoped that her messages had been encouraging, and felt sad that so many little people are
living without the kinds of food they need to grow and thrive.

At Second Harvest Food Bank, we’re moving more pounds of fresh produce than at any other time in our history. Still, we’ve reached a point where our ability to provide more of these highly nutritious products to the community has reached its end. We’re simply not able to take any more fruits and vegetables in our current facility’s cooler and freezer capacity. Sadly, more than two million pounds of available fresh produce were turned away last year due to lack of
adequate space.

For this reason, Second Harvest Food Bank is pressing on with it’s Building Solutions to Hunger capital campaign. A new, 100,000 square foot facility is planned, that will ensure no more turned away products for decades to come. For more information, please visit www.showmercynow.org

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.

I wondered what it might have been about the 60 Minutes story that succeeded so wildly in this regard, in comparison to our own efforts? I think I know. It was the realization by many that the images we tend to carry in our minds about who might be hungry in our area might be incorrect. Instead of conjuring the image of the bedraggled man holding a sign at the end of the off ramp, viewers instead saw young faces.

People trying to get by as best they could in the most trying situations of their lifetimes, and still managing to go to school, study, and eke out an existence. Parents desperate to find the money for another week at the cheap motel, so that living in the car wouldn’t become the next rung down on their ladder. Viewers didn’t see lazy loafers and drug addicts at all; they saw people that actually appeared to look like … them.

And worst of all? Children who voiced that they consider themselves to blame for their  poverty because they feel like a financial drag on the family.

The follow up story was not much more pleasant than the original segment earlier this year. Families still struggling in large numbers, and many actually living in vehicles as they search for a way out of the hardship they endure every day. Clearly, a dark cloud of poverty and need still hangs over our community, and so many others across the nation. These stories helped to illustrate that desperation in ways that allowed caring people to relate to it—some for the first time.

It occurs to me that there are actually a few silver linings in the dark cloud that the 60 Minutes stories brought to light. First, it dramatically reinforces something that I’ve known for a long time;  that we live in a very generous and caring community. After the first story aired, millions of dollars appeared seemingly out of nowhere to help the causes engaged in providing services. That’s a huge silver lining. Second, the stories showed us all that the American spirit and determination is alive and well, even among those who are facing incredibly long odds about their future.

As one young girl living in her family’s truck put it, almost cheerfully, “It’s life…You do what you have to do, right?” Right.

And thankfully, for many of us who still find ourselves in a position to be able to help, what we ‘have to do’ includes finding a way to get involved and make a difference. For that is the only way that communities, and nations, get through such difficult times. By looking after one another.

As our Holiday season approaches, I urge all of us to redouble our personal efforts to lend a hand. Choose a cause that matters to you, and write a check. 

Volunteer some time. Make a difference. Change a life. Feed some hope. 

60 Minutes story:

Greg Higgerson, CFRE
Vice-President, Development

I am thrilled to introduce our fabulous intern – Sam Greenberg.  Though new to our blog, Sam has been interning with our Grocery Alliance Program since September.  From day one, she has immersed herself in all things GA, and has contributed to a number of projects including new donor rollouts and a 6-county food drive!  Today, she blogs about one of our newest donors, BJ’s Wholesale Clubs, and their Holiday Food Drive … which starts today!

In the spirit of holiday giving, BJ’s Wholesale Clubs is launching a chain-wide food drive that will take place from November 28^th through December 12^th.

Each BJ’s location will have a donation collection bin located near the front of the Club.  Members can look for aisle talkers near critical need items such as pasta, canned sauce, canned fruits and vegetables, and protein-rich items such as tuna fish and peanut butter.

BJ’s is urging its members to break apart their multi-pack or family-sized grocery bundles and donate a few packages to the food drive.  You can also bring in your own non-perishable food donations to any BJ’s Club.  Not a member?  No problem.  Anyone can participate — simply stop by member services to receive a free 60 day trial membership.

If you can’t participate in the food drive, you can help out online. For every “like” or “share” on their facebook page, the BJ’s Charitable Foundation will donate $1 to Feeding America that goes towards assisting food bank transportation costs to make sure that there is no delay helping those in need!

All 7 Central Florida BJ’s Clubs also recently joined our Grocery Alliance Program through their Feedings Communities initiative. Each day, BJ’s Team Members gather unsold perishable food to be picked up 3 times a week by Second Harvest Food Bank trucks, and in turn distributed to our partner
agencies.

We would like to take a moment to say THANK YOU to BJ’s for recognizing the need for local hunger relief, and the importance of ensuring those in need get a well-balanced nutritious meal.  Don’t forget to stop by your local BJ’s Wholesale Club today through December 12^th to help those less fortunate enjoy the season.  With an extra serving of kindness, we can all make a difference!

Sam Greenberg
Second Harvest Intern

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

With the holidays rapidly approaching, most of us are preparing for a time of celebration and gift-giving. Yet for many children attending Central Florida Public Schools, this season will prove to be a particularly difficult one.

As many as 222,000* Central Florida students are receiving free or reduced cost lunches through the federally subsidized School Lunch Program because their families are struggling.

As a way of addressing this need Second Harvest is providing 18 Orange County elementary schools with Hi-Five Kids Packs – Kid friendly, shelf-stable packets of food product meant for weekend consumption. Each pack provides enough caloric content for a day to youngsters 6 to 8 years old.

In Orange County, which has 125 elementary schools, almost one fourth have free-lunch eligibility rates exceeding 95%. Osceola County reports a disturbing figure indicating that 70% of their students are now on the  eligible list for free lunch, up from 63% four years ago. *

Childhood Hunger and food insecurity are on the rise, not just locally but nationwide. Participation in the program has increased dramatically as we weather the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Free school lunches do not address what occurs when children lack access to school cafeterias over the weekend. The Hi-Five program helps narrow that nutritional gap. Additionally, studies clearly show a correlation between proper nutrition and academic performance.

Our Hi-Five program has grown from 5 schools in 2006 to a projected 20 schools this year. To-date, Second Harvest has gotten more than 134,000 packs into the hands and tummies of needy children.

Our latest addition is Tildenville Elementary which received its first delivery this week. By December, Cape View Elementary in Brevard County will join the others.  Our hope is that the Hi-Five program will not only feed children, but help ease the economic burden experienced by struggling families.

As one parent told a faculty member not long ago: “I rely on the food I get from the school to calculate my monthly budget.”

*Sources:

Laura Kozar, Food and Nutrition Services OCPS
Free-school-lunch program soars as more area families struggle – Orlando Sentinel, Dave Weber

Santos Maldonado
Childhood Hunger Programs Manager

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.

But neither the Food Bank or our great partners have the luxury of resting on our laurels when it comes to alleviating hunger in our community. Far too many people still go to bed hungry, and have no idea when or where they’ll next sit down for a nutritious meal. At the same time, and despite record-setting years of food distribution, Second Harvest Food Bank has become very challenged by infrastructure.  

Simply put? We’ve run out of space, but the need continues to grow.  Through the “Building Solutions to Hunger” capital campaign project, the Food Bank will position itself to continue growing into our community’s need for decades to come. It is estimated that more than $1.4 Billion worth of food will move through the planned 100,000 square foot facility on Mercy Drive over the next twenty years.   

To help Second Harvest Food Bank realize this vital future vision, Walt Disney World has committed $500,000 toward the completion of the new facility, which we hope to occupy before the end of 2012. This gift will recognize the contribution of volunteers to our mission, and will dedicate the volunteer work area and volunteer break room areas of the new facility.    The generous support is another step toward the $10 million philanthropic goal of the campaign, and will help set the bar for other caring contributors going forward.

 So … On behalf of a grateful community and the board of directors, volunteers and staff of Second Harvest Food Bank, thank you to Minnie, Mickey, and all our friends at Walt Disney World. It definitely takes some magic now and then to accomplish big steps forward in hunger relief, and we definitely had some of that this morning!  

For more information on the Building Solutions to Hunger capital campaign, please visit www.showmercynow.org   

Video and photos of this morning’s announcement:

Greg Higgerson
Vice-President, Development