One in five kids in Central Florida faces hunger. Without proper nutrition, kids face delayed growth and development. They may also act out in school, withdraw socially, and cannot reach their academic potential.
One way to combat childhood hunger is by meeting students and families where they are: at school. Through Second Harvest School Partnerships, students, parents, and guardians can conveniently access nutritious foods, snacks, fresh produce, and more. The effort complements existing free or reduced-price school meals by allowing students to bring food home for evenings and weekends.
At Liberty High School in Kissimmee, a significant portion of the student population lives at or near the federal poverty level. Hunger is a significant issue, explains Greta Gomez, English teacher, and student ambassador faculty advisor.
“I have had many parents come up to me, crying, saying thank you, because they didn’t know where they were going to get their next meal,” explains Greta. “It’s hard to see that they’re trying their best to provide for their children, and sometimes they can’t.”
Since 2019, student ambassadors at Liberty have used a rolling snack cart to hand out food to any student, no questions asked. Affectionately nicknamed “The Beast,” the large cart rolls out to the courtyard once a week and is filled with grab-and-go snacks, drinks, and quick meal items.
“One student asked me if she could take an extra item or two. When I said, ‘yes,’ she told me I had made her day,” recalls Victoria, president of the Liberty Ambassadors.
Now, the student leaders are taking the next step in combatting student hunger with Chargers Corner.
“The Chargers Corner is a public store open for all students at Liberty – and their parents – to pick up groceries,” explains Valeria, vice president of the Ambassadors.
Thanks to support from Abbott, the student leaders fill grocery bags with nonperishable food from Second Harvest Food Bank each week. The initiative is anonymous, and the ambassadors have no idea who will receive the food.
“We didn’t know how impactful it would be until now,” says Victoria. “Being able to open a store for families to come whenever they need and to have it fully stocked is incredible.”
