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Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida

Blogging at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida

Fighting hunger. Feeding hope.

Fighting hunger. Feeding hope.

Disney Tourist Blog Virtual Food Drive Feeds Thousands

December 29, 2020 by Erika Spence 3 Comments

Central Florida is home to theme parks, entertainment venues, convention and meeting spaces and the kinds of places where family memories are made. It is heartbreaking to watch as parking lots stand empty and lights remain dark during the pandemic. Even worse, it is devastating to hear from thousands of our neighbors as they experience furloughs, job losses and business closures. Through no fault of their own, they now pile into their cars and wait for hours to receive groceries at a drive-thru food pantry, something they never imagined they would need to do.

There is a glimmer of hope. After watching these scenes unfold in their community, Tom and Sarah Bricker of The Disney Tourist Blog took action. They set up a Virtual Food Drive, a simple online platform that helps co-workers, friends, families, school groups, churches – and even blog readers – work toward a goal of raising funds to provide meals for people experiencing hunger.

“There has been a devastating and lasting impact on those who work in the travel and tourism industries,” Tom and Sarah wrote in their initial appeal. “We are strongly encouraging those of you who have the means to give back by donating to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.”

Within 24 hours, fans and readers opened their hearts and wallets and mobilized a $25,000 response to help provide 100,000 meals. Many donors shared that so many people in Orlando had brought joy and magic into their lives and they simply wanted to return the favor. As of today, the Disney Tourist Blog Virtual Food Drive has raised over $69,000 and continues to climb. Every one of those dollars provides four meals for a furloughed worker, child, or senior in need.

Two mobile food distributions were held this fall to provide hope to workers and their families. The first was held in Kissimmee, in the heart of Osceola County’s tourist district. Cars snaked through the parking lot at The Rock Church where volunteers placed a variety of groceries into the trunks of cars and truck beds. In all, 749 families received enough food to provide 33,815 meals.

Jennifer was among the first in line. She and her husband were laid off after the pandemic and rely on food donations to feed their family of six, including her grandmother who lives with them.

“I know everything’s going to get back to normal eventually, we just have to hang on,” Jennifer said.

A second distribution was held just before the holidays in Orange County in partnership with Good Samaritan Outreach. The event provided 47,747 meals to 803 households in a matter of hours. Tom and Sarah volunteered at the event and recorded a special video for you to thank you and show you the food distribution in action.

Thanks to you, thousands of people in our community have food to eat. Thank you for caring.

Join the Disney Tourist Blog Virtual Food Drive.

Every dollar donated provides 4 meals.

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Filed Under: Coronavirus, Hunger News Tagged With: COVID-19, furlough, mobile drop, Virtual Food Drive

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. James Hall says

    January 21, 2021 at 10:56 pm

    To whom it may concern
    I would like to get some location, where those big food drop, with the big food trucks ,really need some food

    Reply
    • Erika Spence says

      January 22, 2021 at 9:26 am

      Hi James. You should receive an email shortly from a food assistance team member to help connect you with a distribution happening near you. In the meantime, you can find a food pantry in your area at http://www.feedhopenow.org/need_food.

      Reply

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feedhopenow

feedhopenow
Let today be the start of something new. ❇️ Jo Let today be the start of something new. ❇️ Job opportunities listed in link in bio. #nowhiring #helpwanted #hiringforgood #feedhopenow
“I enjoy volunteering here since I know I am hav “I enjoy volunteering here since I know I am having an impact on our community. This is actually helping people." - Ken T., Mercy Kitchen volunteerVolunteers continue to offer acts of generosity by giving their time and energy to support pandemic response efforts. Each box packed by Ken and his fellow volunteers contains seven meals for a child or senior facing hunger. Learn more at link in bio. #welovevolunteers #helpingothers #makingadifference #feedhopenow
Countless neighbors are concerned about where thei Countless neighbors are concerned about where their next meal will come from, many for the first time.Together we can do something about this. #together #endhunger #feedhopenow
On #SocialJusticeDay, resolve to fight hunger. Sad On #SocialJusticeDay, resolve to fight hunger. Sadly, 1 in 6 Central Floridians is food insecure due to the pandemic. Hunger is a solvable issue if we work together. ✅ Take the pledge (link in bio) and join the movement to fight hunger in Central Florida. #endhunger #feedhopenow
Teamwork makes the dream work! Thanks to @publix a Teamwork makes the dream work! Thanks to @publix associates from Wekiva Springs for lending a hand at Mercy Kitchen. Teambuilding activities and volunteer info at link in bio. #teamwork #teambuilding #volunteer #feedhopenow
Spice World's late founder Andy Caneza always had Spice World's late founder Andy Caneza always had a passion for the food industry and helping others. As a tribute to Andy, @spiceworldinc recently made a donation to provide 20,000 meals to Central Florida neighbors in need and to inspire others to do the same. #ThankfulThursday #FeedHopeNow
"No one anticipates how much they’ll fall in lov "No one anticipates how much they’ll fall in love with volunteering at Second Harvest. I love every single person I work with and every day here feels like it means something. The best place to volunteer, hands down.” - GabrielaLooking for a place to complete scholarship hours? Check out volunteer opportunities and sign up at link in bio. Students must be 10 years or older for donation sorting and 16+ for production kitchen shifts. #volunteerspotlight #welovevolunteers #lovewhatyoudo #makingadifference #feedhopenow
Thanks to Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders' A Thanks to Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders' Alliance and Fish for America USA, the first several shipments of red snapper caught by local Florida fishermen and processed by @lombardis_seafood arrived at Second Harvest Food Bank. 🐟 🐡 🎣 This partnership will not only support fishermen in Steinhatchee, but it also allows them to help feed our neighbors with healthy, local, sustainably caught seafood in a time of crisis. #localcaught #freshfish #FreshfromFlorida #thankyou #feedhopenow
Wishing you a beary happy Valentine's Day! 💘 🐻 🍯 #honeyforgood #localhoney #orlandofoodie #orlandoeats #aspoonfullofhope #feedhopenow
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About Us

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is a member of Feeding America – the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States. Second Harvest secures and distributes food and grocery products to approximately 550 local nonprofit feeding programs throughout Central Florida. Last year, with the help of food and financial donors, volunteers and a caring, committed community, the food bank distributed more than 63 million meals to partner programs such as food pantries, soup kitchens, women’s shelters, senior centers, daycare centers and Kids Cafes. On average, Second Harvest is distributing enough food to feed 58,000 people a day.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit recognized by the IRS. Tax ID Number: 59-2142315 Email: info@feedhopenow.org

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Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
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