Second Harvest Partners with Orange County Public Schools to Feed 2,000 Students

With more families in need of assistance due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) helped ease the burden of hunger for families this holiday season with their 11th annual holiday food delivery event. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, one in six area residents – and one in three children – faces economic hardship that puts them at greater risk of experiencing hunger.

To maintain safety measures during the pandemic, volunteers spread out around bus loops and school parking lots to help load food into the trunk of each car in line. Families received turkeys, ham, produce boxes filled with fresh vegetables such as potatoes, onions, cabbage and oranges, as well as pantry essentials like rice, beans, canned meat, pasta and sauce.

During the school year, Second Harvest helps operate a variety of childhood hunger programs, including School Markets, Kids Snack Packs and Kids Cafes. As students head home for the two-week holiday break, they also leave behind their free and reduced school-provided meals, making the need even greater during this time of the year.

“This is a huge blessing to the community, especially this year when everything has been so hard and you have a whole lot of kids,” explains Meghan, a mother of two who drove her van through the receiving line. “This event helps out a lot and I appreciate it so much.”

For nearly two hours, cars snaked through parking lots and drivers waved through the windows, smiling, and saying thank you to the volunteers. When the last car pulled away and the gates were closed, three women approached on foot. They explained that they would have come to the event sooner but didn’t have a car. Unable to carry the full load, the women divided up the vegetables and pantry items and helped each other carry food home for their children.

At the end of the day, 116,013 meals were distributed to 2,000 families at seven locations across Orange County.