The Future of Fighting Hunger

With so many food drives going virtual in 2020, Second Harvest has found some of its greatest fundraisers and advocates in classrooms across Central Florida. From elementary through high school, teachers and students are hosting virtual food drives to fight hunger and spread awareness of the challenges facing our neighbors in need.

Summerlake Elementary School created the biggest virtual food drive team in Second Harvest’s history with 41 teachers participating and using the tool as an opening to talk about the issue of hunger. “Summerlake Elementary has an amazing PTO. They decided to sponsor the fundraiser for Second Harvest,” said Ms. Orlando, a 1st grade teacher at Summerlake. “Our school community was excited to help out and give to a worthy cause.”

“My students and I discussed how blessed we are to be able to have food on our tables every day. We talked about how many people around the world, especially in our community, are not that fortunate. They were sad and wanted to make sure they took part in helping those families,” shared Ms. Orlando. “The excitement from my students was overwhelming. Knowing that they made a difference towards fighting hunger was a great feeling for them.”

It’s not about winning the pizza party. It’s about giving.
Harper, 1st Grade

“The holidays are all about giving,” said Felix, one of Ms. Orlando’s 1st graders. His classmate Harper added, “It’s not about winning the pizza party. It’s about giving. My whole class is glad we helped the community!”

Not to be undone by their younger counterparts, students from Ms. Perez’s 6th grade classes at Hunter’s Creek Middle School have stepped up to help provide crucial meals to those in need. As part of a class project, the students created flyers and advertisements to spread awareness.

“I really wanted this activity to be special and meaningful for my students. I hope that each of my students grows to become someone who continues to give. I want them to learn the power of their words and the influence they have over others to do what is good and right,” said Ms. Perez. And based on the comments from her students, she has certainly succeeded.

I’ve learned fighting hunger takes more than one and can only be beaten with the help of all.
Sakura, 6th Grade

6th grade student Elijah said, “I’ve learned that hunger is a lot more common than I thought it was. But in this I’ve learned that there’s a way to fight it, then stop it, and we’re going to figure that out someday. Could be today, could be in 5 years, there is no knowing, just seeing that it will be stopped.”

With the keen insight and kind hearts of kids like these, the future is certainly in good hands. “I learned that some problems are right in front of you and you won’t notice them. I also learned that it is important to help others that may not be able to help themselves because it makes the world a better place,” said 6th grader Drew.

This holiday season, Hunter’s Creek Middle, Summerlake Elementary, Trinity Prep, Windermere Prep, and others have provided over 140,000 meals (and counting!) for our community. Thank you to all the teachers, students, and families for showing us that kindness and compassion truly have no age requirement.

I was the most excited about learning how many meals we provided for a family. This was the most exciting part, because we learned how to do something good in the world, and nothing can ever top that.
Sakshi, 6th Grade