With the help of 100 volunteers, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida rescued more than 230,000 pounds of fresh produce from the 2026 Global Produce and Floral Association Show at the Orange County Convention Center.
What does it take to pull off a food rescue of this magnitude?
Imagine you’re standing in a massive convention hall, and colorful produce vendor booths are set up wall to wall, as far as the eye can see.
For several days, vendors displayed their prized harvests – from fresh avocados to pineapples to tomatoes to green beans and so much more. Then, the show is over, and it’s time for the vendors to fly back home.
The fresh, nutritious food must go somewhere too. That is where Second Harvest steps in. Vendors donate their leftover products to ensure they do not go to waste. Volunteers help collect the donations and pack them for distribution to neighbors facing hunger.
For three hours, the rescue crew descended upon the show floor with boxes, bins, pallet jacks and forklifts to load as much produce as they could find in the carefully curated displays into waiting trucks to be safely transported to and stored at the food bank.
“This is one of the largest sustainability efforts that the food bank participates in,” Volunteer Manager Ian said. “It’s a huge impact for our Central Florida neighbors who are facing hunger, and it’s also a great way to keep all that food out of the landfill.”
Leslie, a regular food bank volunteer, was excited to pick up a special event shift.
“My first reaction was simply, ‘Wow!’” she recalled. “The magnitude of the event was incredible, and there was so much amazing food available to rescue.”
The recovered produce was distributed through Second Harvest feeding partners and mobile distributions throughout the seven-county service area. To ensure it all was used quickly, more than 60,000 pounds of produce was shared with Treasure Coast Food Bank and Feeding South Florida, which are sister food banks in the Feeding Florida network.
In total, the rescued food provided more than 190,000 meals for children, families and seniors facing hunger.
Neighbors received fresh potatoes, salad mixes, apples, bananas, asparagus, grapes, cucumbers, carrots, cabbage, kale, peppers, pomegranates, corn, onions, celery, grapefruit and more fruits and vegetables packed with nutrients.
“What really stuck with me wasn’t just one particular type of produce, but the huge variety and sheer volume of product, and the high quality of the produce we recovered,” Leslie added.
She said knowing the rescue crew saved more than 230,000 pounds is an incredible feeling.
“I find it very rewarding to know that so many of our feeding partners will benefit from rescuing this food, ensuring it reaches people who need it rather than going to waste,” Leslie said. “I also think about how much better this will make the recipients’ days knowing they were able to eat healthy food.”
