Stories of Hope

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and Orange County Public Schools helped ease the burden of hunger this holiday season by providing meals for 3,000 local families .

On December 13, student leaders, volunteers and community members gathered at eight schools across Orange County to distribute fresh and nonperishable food at the 16^th annual holiday food distribution.

Students heading home for the two-week winter break will not only take a break from homework and tests, but they also leave behind free, school-provided meals, making the need for assistance even greater during this time of the year.

For Melissa, a Winter Garden mom of three, the relief of receiving the food could not have come at a better time. Her job was recently reduced to part-time, which has affected her family financially.

“Right now, it’s really bad,” she said as she was waiting in line for the distribution at Maxey Elementary School. “This is a lot of help for everybody in a situation like me.”

While trying to provide Christmas for her 12-,15-, and 17-year-olds, Melissa is worried about food because the children will be out of school and will need to eat at home.

“This will help me a lot with my groceries for this month,” Melissa said. “It will help us get through the winter [break] and make the holidays a little easier.”

Volunteers filled trunks of cars with holiday turkeys and fresh produce, including sweet potatoes, cabbage, bell peppers and onions. Neighbors also received boxes of nonperishable items needed to prepare holiday meals, as well as pantry staples.

High school students Gabrielle and Elizabeth were grateful for the opportunity to volunteer at Evans High School to help other kids and their community.

“I’m grateful that we had the opportunity to be a part of this,” Elizabeth shared. “If (students) are getting fed right and having what they need during the holidays, it can help them do better in school.”

Throughout the morning, there were continuous moments of joy and relief as volunteers loaded groceries into the cars in line, sending holiday well wishes to each family. At the end of the event, families received enough food to provide 105,000 meals.

Thanks to financial support from Orange County Government, families can gather to share warm meals and create heartfelt memories this holiday season.

Thank you for spreading holiday cheer through meals and hope!