Due to coronavirus, a new national Feed America study finds that Central Floridians will likely experience a 49% increase in food insecurity this year. The study describes food insecurity as a lack of access to enough food to lead a healthy lifestyle.

In Central Florida, the study found that the food insecurity issue was larger than the rest of the state, besides the Panhandle. Dan Samuels, director of philanthropy at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, compared Central Florida to the likes of Las Vegas in terms of tourism and the immense toll the pandemic has taken on our local economy, making Central Florida the worst hit area.

“We have a large number of lower-paying jobs, folks who are barely making it on a normal day, and the hospitality industry took a major hit. We have a very big hospitality community here in Central Florida, so when it hit, it didn’t just affect a few people; it impacted tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people,” Samuels said. “We have always talked about having a housing crisis in Central Florida, and I think that always plays a factor when anything happens.” 

With the large increase in unemployment claims mixed with the sheltering from the pandemic, millions of people across the country have found themselves needing food and seeking food banks for the first time.

At Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, prior to the pandemic, the food bank was delivering 150,000 meals per day. Now, the local food bank is delivering 300,000 meals per day in an attempt to save families from worrying about where to get food when they’re also trying to find new jobs and figure out how to pay rent.

Servant’s Heart Ministry’s executive director, Chip Hanna, delivers weekly grocery boxes to single mothers, the elderly, and the immunocompromised. Servant’s Heart had to increase weekly grocery boxes by 100 families to bring a total of 220 families a weekly grocery box. 

“Before, we would get seven to 10 phone calls per week of people needing food. Now, we get 10 calls, 12 calls daily,” Hanna said. “We are about maxed out at the location that we have.” 

Along with the increased need from the community, handing out food has become increasingly difficult during the pandemic.

“The grocery stores are struggling just to keep things on the shelf for you and I to purchase, so the food supply chain was just dramatically hit. We were receiving a lot less donations from the grocery store, which meant we had to go out and purchase more food to meet the demand,” Samuels said. “On top of that, we are distributing over twice the amount of food.” 

The Darden Foundation, Darden Restaurants’ philanthropic company, awarded Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida a $69,000 grant. The money will go toward helping the food bank buy food and keep up with the increasing deliveries.

Servant’s Heart Ministry often gets support from Second Harvest but relies on the community’s continued support to help those who are going hungry.

“At the beginning, the money wasn’t there, yet we were still at our normal donor base and were already running at a deficit most months. But almost immediately, our donor base stepped up, and money started coming in,” Hanna said. “It was kind of a miracle.”

Another tough challenge facing Central Floridians is the decision on whether families should risk sending their kids to school to get a meal but possibly get sick or stay home and stay hungry. Orange County offers free or reduced meal programs to many students, but during this health crisis, the start of this school year is different for those who are in need of food.

“Families who continue to need that help or now need that help, even though the school system has offered something, their circumstances won’t allow them to take advantage of it,” Samuels said.

Even after a COVID-19 vaccine is proven effective, the struggle in Central Florida to put food on the table will loom for 18 months to 2 years afterwards, predicts Samuels.

“We are still in the thick of it. There are still new people everyday,” Samuels said.

To help, visit Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida’s website to donate funds, seek help with food insecurity, or find volunteer schedules. Servant’s Heart Ministry is also looking for five to 10 more volunteer delivery drivers, financial donations, and volunteers.

Photos Courtesy of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida