Darden Foundation Helps Fight Hunger with $69,000 Grant

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida has been awarded a $69,000 grant from The Darden Foundation to provide hunger relief to local families. As COVID-19 drives food insecurity in Central Florida, the funding will allow Second Harvest to sustain its emergency response.

“We’ve served Central Florida through many disasters, but nothing compares to what we’re seeing from this pandemic,” said Dave Krepcho, president and CEO of Second Harvest. “This funding will mean hope for many hardworking families who saw their livelihoods erased essentially overnight. Thanks to The Darden Foundation, we’ll be able to purchase more food for distribution and support our neighbors in a time of unprecedented need.”

Since mid-March, when businesses and theme parks shut down to curb the spread of COVID-19, Second Harvest has doubled its daily distribution to keep pace with rising need for hunger relief. Now, the organization distributes enough food to provide 300,000 meals a day.

Second Harvest, a member of the Feeding America^® network, is one of 192 food banks to receive funding from The Darden Foundation. The Foundation has worked alongside Feeding America for eight years and remains committed to supporting families facing food insecurity in communities across the United States.