40 Years of Sharing Your Christmas with Neighbors Facing Hunger

This December marked the 40th consecutive year that WESH 2 News partnered with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida to rally the Central Florida community in support of neighbors facing hunger during its Share Your Christmas campaign.

As in years past, Share Your Christmas kicked off with a Giving Tuesday telethon, where WESH 2 dedicated the day to Second Harvest and called on the community to help feed local children, families, and seniors.

Meals and Hope for Hard Times

Anybody can fall on hard times. For neighbors living paycheck to paycheck, a cut in hours or a lost job can quickly turn everyday choices into painful tradeoffs. Grocery shopping becomes less about preferences and more about survival. Neighbors have to weigh decisions like what they can afford, what has to wait so rent, insurance, and medical bills still get paid.

Nourishing Students at School and Home

“The student told me ‘We only got a can of beans. I don’t know what I’m gonna have for dinner tonight,’” he recalled.

That was the moment Deacon Pete knew the team had to find a way to feed any student at school and at home. The Catholic learning community educates young people of limited economic means through a rigorous college preparatory curriculum, integrated with relevant work study experience, so students graduate ready to lead lives of faith, purpose and service.

Mobile Distributions Feed Thousands Across Central Florida

Anna is one of the one in seven Central Floridians who face food insecurity and are forced to make tough decisions about whether to purchase food or pay rent and other bills. Neighbors like Anna turn to mobile food distributions, like the one hosted by Wings of Faith recently in Ocala for which she waited hours in line.