ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 More Orange County Public Schools students and their families could get help putting healthy food on the table through a $400,000 grant awarded to the Foundation for OCPS.<\/p>\n
The foundation announced Tuesday, Nov. 3, that it received the funding from the Florida Blue Foundation to strengthen school-based food pantries in low-income communities and expand access to nutritious food.<\/p>\n
The initiative will support pantry infrastructure and capacity, helping schools serve as a resource for families facing food insecurity.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo student should have to worry about where their next meal will come from,\u201d said Debi Pedraza, executive director of the Foundation for OCPS. <\/p>\n
What the grant means for local families<\/p>\n
The funding will support the foundation\u2019s Food Pantry Capacity and Access Expansion Initiative, which focuses on strengthening food assistance through schools families already know.<\/p>\n
The foundation said the investment will help school-based pantries respond to families\u2019 needs while addressing challenges outside the classroom that can affect students\u2019 readiness to learn and participate.<\/p>\n
The announcement did not identify which schools will receive support, how many families the initiative is expected to reach or when the expanded services will become available.<\/p>\n
Part of a statewide investment<\/p>\n
The Foundation for OCPS is one of eight nonprofit organizations included in the Florida Blue Foundation\u2019s September announcement of $3.1 million in grants for community-based food initiatives across Florida.<\/p>\n
The grants focus on food insecurity and its connection to health.<\/p>\n
\u201cHunger and chronic disease are deeply connected, and we know when we invest in food access, we invest in health,\u201d said Susan Towler, vice president, corporate social responsibility and Florida Blue Foundation. \u201cWe\u2019re partnering with organizations across Florida to break the cycle, ensuring that access to healthy food becomes a foundation for better health outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n
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