Fighting childhood hunger is a year-round endeavor at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida’s Mercy Kitchen. With one in six local kids facing hunger, the team works with volunteers to ensure nutritious meals make it to the table at Kids Café sites after school and Summer Food Service locations all summer long.
“I love seeing people eat good food,” says Courtney, who works alongside volunteers at Mercy Kitchen. A former country club chef, he traded fine dining for food service to have a greater impact on the community.
“I’m feeding the community and working with volunteers who want to help do that,” he said.
This summer, Courtney and the team are preparing breakfast, lunch, and snacks to serve kids at more than 50 locations throughout the summer as part of the State of Florida’s Summer BreakSpot program. Meals are served for free to kids and teens weekdays at summer camps, parks and recreation centers, and other places where kids can safely gather.
“A lot of people depend on these meals that we put together,” Courtney says, acknowledging the importance of nutrition and also high grocery prices affecting family budgets.
“I see the impact,” adds Eric, who joined the food bank two years ago.
Eric’s first experience at Mercy Kitchen was as a volunteer. He joined his former coworkers for a three-hour shift during which they packed shelf-stable foods into cardboard boxes bearing the Second Harvest logo on the side.
“I recognized the boxes immediately because I had seen them at my friends' and family members’ homes,” recalled Eric, grateful to be part of the process that was helping keep his community nourished.
He went home that night and looked at the Second Harvest website. He noticed a job opening at Mercy Kitchen and applied. The rest is history.
Today, Eric plays an important role in fighting hunger. He keeps an accurate count of all the meal components for breakfast, lunch, and snack delivered to each site. He also ensures special diets are accommodated for kids with food allergies.
“I go to bed at night knowing I did something good,” says Eric.
Thanks to the support of a caring community, the Mercy Kitchen team and volunteers are able to help create a future where every child is nourished, safe and thriving.
