Fighting Food Insecurity with Empathy and Compassion

People from all backgrounds and walks of life fill different roles in the fight against hunger at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. But everyone has one thing in common, the goal of supporting neighbors facing food insecurity.

Whether a volunteer or a feeding partner, every person at the food bank is there to put meals on tables for their neighbors.

One Year of Fresh Fruits and Veggies To-Go

The Mobile Farmers Market is a food is medicine strategy led by Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, in partnership with the DOH. Once a week, patients like Marshalene can visit the refrigerated produce truck parked outside the DOH clinics in Daytona Beach and Orange City and pick out fresh, seasonal produce to prepare and eat at home. The program aims to increase patients’ access to nutritious foods to improve health outcomes.  

How Workforce Training Changed Tiquana’s Life

Tiquana and her daughter moved to the Orlando area from South Carolina last year and were just settling into the community. Her family lived in a hotel while Tiquana was saving money from her job at a local big-box store to move them into an apartment. 

Her dream was to work in the culinary field, but cost and transportation were barriers to the educational programs she had researched. She was struggling to pay bills because her hours at work had been cut dramatically.

Volunteers Help Rescue Food to Fight Hunger for Local Families 

To keep food flowing across its network of feeding partners, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida runs the Retail Rescue program, which collects millions of pounds of unsold food from stores like Walmart and Sam’s Club. The food reaches people in two ways. In one, a Second Harvest truck brings the food to the food bank, where volunteers sort it. Then, a feeding partner picks it up and takes it to their food pantry or community meal program.