Fighting College Hunger on Hunger Action Day

On Hunger Action Day, volunteers and advocates took action in the fight against hunger in a variety of ways, including volunteering, wearing orange to raise awareness and starting virtual food drives. In Lake County, hunger advocates also joined forces for a Mobile Food Drop on the Lake-Sumter State College South Lake Campus in Clermont. The distribution was a partnership between Second Harvest Food Bank, Lake Cares Food Pantry and the LSSC Foundation.

Faculty, staff, students and community volunteers helped load fresh produce, meat, and non-perishable food items into the trunks of cars in line to maintain with a contact-free distribution. In just a few hours, 2,467 people received enough food to provide 52,500 meals.

Go behind the scenes of the mobile food drop at Lake-Sumter State College.

“We know that food insecurity is a significant issue for many of our students,” said Dr. Laura Byrd, Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the LSSC Foundation. “The pandemic has made these issues more urgent and we are grateful to our donors and partners that allowed us to offer this valuable event.”

The economic upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has permeated many communities and populations across Central Florida, including college students and their families. Many students work part-time jobs in the service and hospitality industries. These industries are some of the hardest-hit in Central Florida making it difficult for students to maintain stable income while pursuing advanced education for sustainable careers.

Thanks to the support of caring individuals in our community during the coronavirus pandemic, Second Harvest Food Bank is able to distribute enough food for 300,000 meals daily through a network of 550 feeding partners, including emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, women’s shelters, senior centers, daycare centers and programs such as Mobile Food Drops, Kids Cafes and Bright Hope Home home delivery.