Second Harvest Food Bank awarded $425,000 for hunger relief 


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Grant from Lockheed Martin will help purchase additional food for distribution

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  • Second Harvest Food Bank
    Second Harvest Food Bank
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Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida has received a $425,000 grant from Lockheed Martin that will be used to purchase food for distribution.

This equates to more than eight tractor-trailers’ worth of food to families in need.

 “I’m pleased to recognize Lockheed Martin for donating $425,000 to the Second Harvest Food Bank in Orlando to support Floridians’ nutrition needs during the COVID-19 crisis. Our state is stronger when the public and private sectors join forces to ensure our communities have the necessary resources and support,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis. “We thank Lockheed Martin for their continued efforts to help individuals, organizations and businesses across the Sunshine State during this pandemic.”

Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings agreed: “I am proud to recognize Lockheed Martin for stepping up its efforts even further to support our community during this challenging time. This contribution to Second Harvest Food Bank’s hunger relief efforts will support its critical work to deliver millions of meals to Central Floridians in need.”

Food insecurity, measured by the number of “missing meals” in Central Florida households, has increased by 11 percent as a direct result of COVID-19 unemployment. To serve the growing demand, Second Harvest has doubled daily distribution from 150,000 to 300,000 meals per day since the end of March.

 “During this time of crisis, many of our families are struggling to put food on the table and our non-profits are struggling to meet the increasing needs of our community,” added Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.  “We are grateful for corporate partners like Lockheed Martin Corporation for helping us, as a community, meet these challenges our residents are facing and providing essential food for our families.”

Dave Krepcho, president and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida said, “It can be hard to express the scale of hunger in our community, especially at a time like this – so we are especially grateful for Lockheed Martin’s generosity. But it seems likely that what we see today is the ‘new normal.’ The economic tail of this crisis will far outlast the virus itself – and we must be prepared for that.”

 Since 1990, Lockheed Martin has actively supported the food bank by donating, participating in volunteer events, training staff members and providing operational expertise.

 In addition to distributing more meals, Second Harvest is expanding programs that deliver food to older adults at home, neighborhoods in “food deserts,” and children who no longer have access to school breakfasts and lunches. 

However, demand continues to outpace long-term capacity. Forty-five of Second Harvest’s feeding partners have closed in response to the pandemic, while the remaining 496 are experiencing unusually high numbers of food requests.

For more information about how to support Second Harvest Food Bank, or to find food assistance programs near you, visit www.feedhopenow.com.

 

 About Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
SHFBCF is a member of Feeding America – the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States. SHFBCF secures and distributes food and grocery products to approximately 550 local nonprofit feeding programs throughout Central Florida. Last year, with the help of food and financial donors, volunteers and a caring, committed community, the food bank distributed nearly 63 million meals to partner programs such as food pantries, soup kitchens, women’s shelters, senior centers, day care centers and Kids Cafes. In addition, Second Harvest’s 16-week culinary program teaches foodservice-based technical, life and employability skills to economically hard-pressed adults. Second Harvest is distributing enough food to feed 58,000 people a day. To learn more about SHFBCF, visit www.FeedHopeNow.org.