Asking for help is never easy. When businesses started to close their doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Merari was furloughed from her theme park job. Her roommate was also furloughed. They pooled their savings to pay rent and then had to decide between making a car payment or paying the cell phone bill. Then, there was the matter of food. She saw a Facebook post about … [Read more...] about Merari’s Story of Hope and Courage
food pantry
Hope for Carlos
Like many of our neighbors in Central Florida, Carlos works in the hospitality industry. Without guests filling hotel beds, workers like Carlos have had their hours cut and, in many cases, they’ve been furloughed or laid off as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Carlos’s main concern was for his two school-aged daughters who rely on breakfast and lunch at their elementary … [Read more...] about Hope for Carlos
Cardboard Boxes of Hope
When the phone rings at Come As You Are Food Pantry in Leesburg, the voices on the other end are always different, but they have one thing in common: they need help. “They tell me they have no work, no money, no way to pay the rent,” explains Roy Curet, food pantry organizer and pastor at a local church. “We try to help everyone, connecting them to different resources, like … [Read more...] about Cardboard Boxes of Hope
“Come on down.”
While many church buildings sit empty, their parking lots are bustling as they are now one of the most critical places in the community. Here, hope is offered one cardboard box at a time, as many as six days a week. “One lady said if it wasn’t for us, she did not know what she would do,” said Jewel Simmons, a volunteer at the Apostolic Church of Jesus in … [Read more...] about “Come on down.”
The New Normal: Drive-Thru Food Pantries
I learned at a board meeting that some of Second Harvest’s feeding partners, the food pantries that serve our communities in need, were having to close due to the lack of volunteers, mostly seniors, amidst the Coronavirus crisis. I thought, “How can I help them still provide the food to the communities that are most vulnerable?” How can I help them still provide the food to … [Read more...] about The New Normal: Drive-Thru Food Pantries
