Moms Make Tough Decisions to Feed Their Families

Every day, mothers make hundreds, if not thousands, of decisions for themselves and their families. As a mother of a toddler and infant twins, Ferayda knows this all too well. She juggles feeding schedules, nap times, the never-ending laundry, and the family budget.

“We have to designate a lot of money from our budget for food, especially milk and formula,” explains Ferayda. “We spend a lot of money just to buy a few things.”

The heat is rising, so is hunger

The Florida heat is unbearable, and most everyday necessities still cost more than they did a few years ago. As Central Florida temperatures continue to rise, so does the number of people seeking help to put food on the table.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida’s online Food Finder tool surged in July, August and September with more than 46,000 searches for emergency food pantries across the seven-county service area. Last year, just over 22,000 searches were performed during the same period – a 105% increase. As more people seek food assistance, Second Harvest continues distributing enough food to provide kids, families and seniors with 300,000 meals daily – the same rate as at the height of the pandemic.

Food Provides Stability for Students and Families

It’s impossible to concentrate in math class, contribute to group projects or stay on top of homework when all you can think about is not what but if there will be dinner.

Second Harvest’s School Partnership Program meets students and families where they are – at school. With snack packs, school markets and fresh produce distributions, each partnership aims to expand access to the nutritious food students need to learn and thrive, while allowing food to take home for the entire family.

Transforming Lives: Nerlande’s Story

For years Nerlande wanted to be a professional cook. Despite working in restaurants for years, her lack of education and cooking experience kept her from moving forward with her career.

She found the professional training and personal growth she needed at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida’s 16-week Culinary Training Program.

“Coming to the program is the best decision I ever made,” said Nerlande.