Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is providing meals over the summer to students facing food insecurity through their Summer Food Service Program.
According to Second Harvest, over 487,000 children rely on free or reduced-price meals during the school year. Nancy Brumbaugh, chief food service officer at Second Harvest Food Bank, said while their budget has a deficit in the summer, it is important to get meals to the children in need.
“We do operate at a deficit that we do have to make sure we cover,” Brumbaugh said. “But the kids we serve are the kids that need it the most.”
Volunteers Elizabeth Brydson (left) and Dorothy Dubuisson (right) scoop fruit into cups at Second Harvest Food Bank’s Mercy Kitchen on Friday, May 29, to help prepare meals for families facing food insecurity during the summer. (JOSHUA-PAUL ESTABALAYA)
The Second Harvest’s Summer Food Service Program covers five counties with 60 distribution sites, which can be found at SummerBreakSpot.org.
“We have some routes that are 158 miles round trip,” Brumbaugh said. “It’s a lot, and gas prices are up, and so our cost[s] are rising.”
Second Harvest relies on volunteers and donations. Both options are available on their website, FeedHopeNow.org. Mercy Kitchen is a sponsor of the nonprofit summer food program, Brumbaugh said.
Mercy Kitchen was started in 2021 by Second Harvest Food Bank due to the heightened need for meals during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Second Harvest.
“Without volunteers, it would be a very hard day at Mercy Kitchen,” Brumbaugh said. “We wouldn’t be able to provide that high-quality food.”
Volunteers pack food in an assembly line at Second Harvest Food Bank’s Mercy Kitchen on Friday, May 29, to help prepare meals for families facing food insecurity during the summer. (JOSHUA-PAUL ESTABALAYA)
While donated food goes directly to the pantries, the Mercy Kitchen focuses on making fresh meals for the children and provides options for those with allergies or dietary restraints, Brumbaugh said.
Volunteer Elizabeth Brydson arranges fruit cups on a tray at Second Harvest Food Bank’s Mercy Kitchen on Friday, May 29, to help prepare meals for families facing food insecurity during the summer.
(JOSHUA-PAUL ESTABALAYA)
Mercy Kitchen runs routes to many rural areas without proper grocery stores, called “food deserts,” Brumbaugh said. She added that when grocery stores pull out of a community, residents don’t have a reliable source of fresh produce and begin to rely heavily on “ultra-processed” foods.
“This is what I am destined to do,” Brumbaugh said. “Make sure kids have access to food.”