Before the sun rises, cars line up behind orange cones for food assistance. This was a common sight during the pandemic, and it continues to persist at a food distribution hosted by Advance Community Center, one of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida’s 750 feeding partners.
“You are not going to get up at 2 o’clock in the morning to wait for food if you don’t really need it,” says Sylvia, a volunteer and retired federal government employee.
1 in 8 Central Floridians face hunger, and inflation exacerbates the issue.
“Right now, the priority is rent, car payments, and insurance. But to eat is the last thing they think of,” explains Norberto Fonseca, who leads Advance Community Center.
Your support of Second Harvest Food Bank’s efforts makes a tangible difference in the fight against hunger. One way is through mobile food distribution. These large-scale food distribution events begin with a semi-truck loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, bread, dairy, and essential nonperishable foods. The truck delivers food to rural communities, food deserts, and areas with high food insecurity rates. A local feeding partner and volunteers help distribute food to 400 to 550 families within a few hours.
Volunteers play a crucial role in the food distribution process. They start by unloading food from the Second Harvest semi-truck, setting up boxes, and filling the bags. They shift to loading food into people’s cars as the distribution begins. Simultaneously, they prepare new bags to be loaded onto upcoming vehicles, ensuring smooth and efficient operation.
At a recent event, families received cabbage, avocados, peppers, onions, meat, milk, oranges, cantaloupe, lentils, and more. With the help of donors, partners and volunteers, Second Harvest provided enough food to provide 37,500 meals.
“Without the volunteers, forget about it; this could not happen,” Fonseca states. “Together, we make a difference.”
