The daily fight against hunger in Central Floridians is in no small part made possible because of women on a mission.
Showing up to volunteer to make the food bank's signature event a success, dedicating 30 years to their career at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, or partnering with the food bank to feed neighbors are women committed to combatting food insecurity.
This National Women's History Month and International Women's Day, Second Harvest recognizes and celebrates some of the women making history in the fight against hunger.
Finding a Meaningful Way to Help
It took one corporate team volunteer shift for Katie to be hooked on Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.
“I was so impressed with the organization and the mission. I was also amazed at how organized every volunteer shift was,” she said. “It is the best organization I’ve ever worked with. I was immediately drawn to work with them often.”
Katie had previous experience staffing reception areas for nonprofit galas before, so when she heard about Ultimate Garden Party, she signed up to be on the volunteer planning committee for the food bank’s signature annual fundraising event.
“This group of passionate people brings so much heart and soul to the community every single day,” she said. “It’s a privilege to get to work with them on such an important task.”
Katie will once again join the reception team at the fifth annual Ultimate Garden Party this year on May 16 at Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek.
This event aims to raise funds to support individuals and families in Central Florida who are experiencing hunger and food insecurity.
Fighting hunger is important to Katie because she does not want anyone to worry about where their next meal will come from. Her work in the senior living industry makes this very meaningful to her.
“When people are facing food insecurity, it affects their health, their independence, and their sense of dignity,” she explained. “Many older adults live alone or don’t have strong support systems, and something as simple as access to consistent, nutritious meals can make a huge difference in their well-being and quality of life.”
Katie said she has been inspired by many women who lead with generosity and have a strong sense of community.
“What has always stood out to me is how they show up for others in consistent, everyday ways,” she said. “They volunteer their time, check in on neighbors, and look for opportunities to help when someone is struggling.”
Witnessing these examples, Katie sees that giving back does not have to be grand. Small, thoughtful actions often make the biggest difference in someone’s life and strengthen communities.
A Life of Answering the Call to Help
Lourdes has always known helping people was her calling.
As the Director of Community Service at the Spanish SDA Church of Deltona, a major part of her job is making sure local families, children and seniors have enough to eat.
“It’s a privilege to help people in need,” Lourdes said. “I’ve been helping the community ever since I can remember.”
For 16 years, the church has been a Second Harvest feeding partner. They hold a monthly mobile distribution that typically serves about 500 families.
“More and more people have been coming in, and I expect it to grow a lot more,” she said of the increase in neighbors facing hunger she has seen in the past year. “People say thank you because they didn’t have anything to give their kids.”
The lives she has impacted and the people she’s helped reassure Lourdes that this is her calling in life.
“I thank God even though I was born in poor home, I never went to bed hungry,” she said. “I cannot imagine. I have two kids, and I can’t imagine not having food for them. It breaks my heart to see people without food. I just feel like I have to do whatever I can. We’ve got to help. We have to.”
Despite one in seven Volusia County neighbors facing hunger, Lourdes keeps showing up for her community.
“We have to care about each other. We have to do something without expecting anything back. You don’t have to pay me back; I’ll do it from the bottom of my heart.”
Building and Recording the History of the Food Bank
Judy is Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida’s most tenured employee.
Since she started in 1993, Judy has witnessed the food bank’s responses to Hurricane Andrew, COVID-19, and everything in between. She has worked at three locations, and as the food bank grew, so did Judy’s knowledge about the fight against hunger.
“Growing up, I was fortunate to always have an abundance of food and never had to worry about my next meal,” she said. “Hearing personal stories from families who didn’t know if they would have food for dinner was eye-opening. It helped me recognize that hunger is not a personal failing, but a real and complex challenge for some Central Florida families.”
In her role as Director of Data Management, Judy works with food donors to track donated food and feeding partners to help manage their accounts and inventory.
“What I value about the food bank is working with partners in helping them with online ordering, making sure they understand the quantity and variety of food available in real time to help them better plan their own inventory and food distribution into the community,” Judy explained.
Today the food bank uses sophisticated software and technology. This provides real-time data to feeding partners and funders. That was not always the case. Judy was instrumental in implementing stronger systems to track food donations, manage inventory, and process partners’ orders efficiently.
“When I started at the food bank, we had two computers, and our inventory software was not as reliable as we needed it to be,” Judy recalled. “Much of our work was done on paper and over the phone. It didn’t take long to realize that if we were going to serve our community well, we needed strong systems to support our day-to-day activities.”
Her greatest impact, in her opinion, is how many lives she has positively affected in the past 33 years.
“In my job, you hear so much about pounds [of food] and all the other numbers, but to me the most important numbers are how many people you helped,” Judy said.
Over the years, she has seen the food bank respond during difficult moments.
“Families would call, unsure of what to do next, and we would help guide them to available resources in the community,” Judy said. “Having that personal connection in being able to ensure people had food while they rebuild their lives was very meaningful.”
Judy’s conviction that no one should go without food is a big part of why she has stayed at Second Harvest for more than three decades.
“Food is a basic human right, not a privilege,” she explained. “It is one of the most precious necessities of life, and the fact that we can provide that for families across Central Florida during hard times is very meaningful to me.”
