At the 2019 Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show, two Second Harvest Culinary Training Program graduates took home honors in The Florida Wedding Cake Challenge, beating out veteran pastry chefs. Hosted by the American Culinary Federation's Central Florida Chapter, the competition challenged contestants to create a pirate-themed wedding cake. Clarimar swept the competition … [Read more...] about Culinary graduates find sweet success.
Stories of Hope & Courage
Meet Alaina & Nola
Alaina and Nola are best friends. And like best friends, they have many things in common. They share a love of unicorns and silly songs. Every day after school they play games, do homework and have a warm meal at a Second Harvest Food Bank Kids Café. On a recent afternoon they enjoyed chicken tenders, tater tots, oranges and milk. “My favorite is the oranges,” … [Read more...] about Meet Alaina & Nola
Rachel’s Story of Hope & Courage
Ten years ago, Rachel was a typical teenager. When the great recession hit, she had to face a jarring new reality: one where ordering off the dollar menu was a treat. Both of her parents were laid off from their jobs and suddenly their little income and savings was gone. Her parents decided to go back to school to help get the family back on track. It wasn’t easy. … [Read more...] about Rachel’s Story of Hope & Courage
Thelisha’s Story of Hope & Courage
This summer thousands of families are planning beach trips and theme park vacations in Central Florida. But other families in the tourist capital of the world are making a different kind of summer plan, one that involves where their next meal will come from. For low-income families who rely on school for regular meals, summer is a time of hunger and anxiety. Research shows that … [Read more...] about Thelisha’s Story of Hope & Courage
Qui’s Story: “Second Harvest has given me my life back.”
The last place any parent wants to raise their children is in a homeless shelter. After a series of unfortunate events, including job loss and domestic violence, Qui and her sons were living in an emergency shelter. She’d hit rock bottom. “So many bad things had happened that I felt like I would never find success,” explained Qui. “I felt pretty hopeless about myself and our … [Read more...] about Qui’s Story: “Second Harvest has given me my life back.”
