Volunteers lend their helping hands six days a week at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. During Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, many dedicated individuals and volunteer groups work together to make a difference in the fight against hunger.
LUNA Interest Group
One organization making a difference is LUNA Interest Group, a multicultural Asian interest group at the University of Central Florida.
“Our primary goal is to encourage young women to take the initiative in improving the lives of others and giving back to their local communities,” says Brittany, an active LUNA Interest Group member. “We pride ourselves on providing a welcoming environment and a foundation of support for our neighbors who may be undervalued, unheard and underrepresented.”
The group began in 2020 as a way for young Asian women to connect to support neighbors in the Central Florida community. Group members are active volunteers at Second Harvest and have donated over 100 hours of their time packing thousands of meals for kids and seniors at Mercy Kitchen.
“As a group that encourages people to give back to local communities, we love giving our time to volunteer. At Second Harvest, we can make a big impact,” explains Philana.
Brittney adds, “I think that we inspire each other by surrounding each other with people that love to give their time, and especially with LUNA Interest Group, we love to donate our time for our community. Being in that environment and seeing everyone put their free time to volunteer for others is what really inspires us.”
Volunteer Captain Jessie
Jessie found the food bank around the start of the pandemic, and she’s been volunteering ever since. She has donated 484 hours of her time to the fight against hunger.
“I chose to start volunteering here because hunger and food insecurity are causes that I hold really close to my heart,” Jessie says.
Jessie gained enough hours and experience to be elevated to a Volunteer Captain in the meat sorting area. Now, she can lead shifts and inspire other volunteers along the way.
“I think that getting involved with Second Harvest Food Bank is just a really great way to give back to the community and to those in Orlando that need it the most,” Jessie says.
