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About Us

Food Assistance

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About Us

Who is Second Harvest?
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is a private, nonprofit organization that collects, stores and distributes donated food to more than feeding partners in seven Central Florida counties

What areas do you serve?
We distribute food out to seven Central Florida counties: .

Who is hungry in Central Florida?
Click here to learn about who is hungry in Central Florida.  

Where does the Food Bank get its food?
Food comes to us from farmers, grocery stores, retailers, distributors, wholesale, and other food industry sources. In addition, kind-hearted members of our community hold food drives that bring in tons of food. Click here to learn about how food gets to our facility.

How is the food distributed?
We partner up with more than local emergency food assistance programs to get food to the people who need it the most.

What else does the Food Bank do besides provide food?
In addition to helping feed the line of our neighbors who need help, Second Harvest also transforms dozens of lives directly every year.  Economically-challenged adults who graduate from our 16-week culinary training program are placed in ‘better than minimum wage’ jobs that set them and their families on a path to self-sustainability.  Yet another important activity helps connect people who are eligible to receive SNAP food assistance benefits with the resources they need to access the program and get help.

How does the Food Bank help in a natural disaster?
Second Harvest Food Bank plays a vital role in responding to emergencies such as floods, tornadoes and hurricanes throughout the state. As an affiliate of Feeding America, Second Harvest responds to both national and local disasters that take place.

What is the Food Bank's connection with Feeding America?
Second Harvest Food Bank is a partner food bank of Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks that helps feed people across the country. Click here to learn more about this network of food banks.

Food Assistance

How do I get food?
If you need immediate assistance, please call us at 407-295-5009. You can also fill out our food assistance form and we will get back to you with a list of feeding programs near you. If you need assistance during the weekends, please call United Way's 2-1-1. 211 provides free and confidential information and can also help with food, housing, employment, health care, counseling and more.

How can I apply for SNAP?
You can apply online for SNAP benefits here. Second Harvest's Benefit Connection team can also help out with SNAP application assistance. Click here to view where our Benefits Connection team will be located in Orange and Brevard County.

Volunteer

How does an individual sign up to volunteer?
View a list of upcoming volunteer opportunities and sign up for a shift by going to our online volunteer management website. After you click on the opportunity that still has slots available- there is a SIGN UP button on the bottom that will take you through the registration process. If you are interested in a specific volunteer date or have a question, please email volunteers@feedhopenow.org.

How old do you have to be to volunteer?
Volunteers have to be at least 10 years old with a chaperone who is 18 years or older in order to help out in our facility, 16 years old without a chaperone. We also now have a "Family Night" or a "Family Day" for families with children ages 5-9 years old. 

How can I sign up my group to volunteer?
If you have five or more individuals volunteering together, we encourage you to sign up as a group. Just go to our online volunteer management website to view shifts that are available. Place your mouse over the opportunity that you are interested in and it will let you know if any slots are open. Once you find an opportunity for your groups, email Ian Dixon at volunteers@feedhopenow.org the following info: 1. Name of group. 2. Number of volunteers in your group. 3. Volunteer opportunity date and shift. Then, just wait until you receive an email confirming your group volunteer shift.

Can Second Harvest accommodate volunteers with special needs or a physical handicap or disability?
Yes, please contact Ian Dixon at volunteers@feedhopenow.org to set up this volunteer opportunity.

Do you accept court-ordered community service volunteers?
We are not able to accept court-ordered community service volunteers at this time.

Donate

What is my donation impact?
Second Harvest can turn every dollar donated in to $9 worth of food to help our neighbors facing hunger. Another way to look at this is that Second Harvest can turn every dollar donated in to 4 meals. These figures are calculated by looking at the organizations efficiency. For the $1 donation = $9 in food calculation, Second Harvest looks at the retail value of the food distributed to the community each year and divides that by the organization's total operating budget for the year. For the $1 = 4 meals calculation, Second Harvest calculates the total number of meals distributed annually, determined by pounds distributed, and divides that by the organization's total operating budget.

Where can I drop off food?
Donations can be dropped off at our main facility located at 411 Mercy Drive Orlando, FL 32805 typically Monday through Saturday between the hours of 8am - 4pm. Please come in through the entrance on Mercy Dr. and proceed straight to the loading dock area where your donation will be weighed and you will be provided with a receipt.

We strongly advise you to call us before coming to drop off to make absolutely certain someone is on duty to receive your donation. Please do not leave food donations outside the door —there is a 100% chance they will be stolen before we can receive them. Please contact our main office at 407.295.1066 to confirm that we will be open.  

Am I able to start a virtual food drive?
Yes! The Second Harvest Food Bank virtual food drive is a representational web-based tool that allows individuals and organizations to hold an online food drive. While we love donations in any form, our virtual food drive allows us to serve more clients, more efficiently. It's fast, easy and fun! Learn more and get started today.

What are your most needed items?
Click here to view our list of most needed items.

Does the food bank need more food or money?
Certainly the Food Bank needs both of these vital ingredients to be successful in helping our neighbors.  It can be helpful to consider, however, that for every $10 contributed to our mission, we can distribute $90 worth of food.  That’s up to nine times more food than you would be able to access at retail (or even wholesale club) prices if you bought it yourself and gave the food.  And the difference becomes even more significant as the amount of a gift grows.  For example, consider what the $9,000 worth of groceries made possible by a $1,000 gift might look like!

How can I donate money online?
It’s very simple!  Click here or look for the Give Now buttons on each page of our website to access our easy online giving form to contribute in a secure way with your credit card.  It just takes a few minutes to complete, and the funds will be helping provide more food right away. 

Can a $10 donation make a difference?
Hunger is a ‘one person, one meal’ at a time kind of problem.   And for kids, seniors, families, veterans…literally every meal counts.  Imagine a table set with 40 place settings and plates loaded with food if you would like a mental image of what $10 can do to help.

Is my donation to the Food Bank tax-deductible?
Yes. Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. 

How much of my donation goes to feeding people?
According to the formula on the IRS 990 form that Second Harvest Food Bank is required to submit each year, 97.4% of every charitable contribution received is used for programs that help feed people facing hunger. We are very proud of this uncommonly high efficiency ratio.

Where does my money go when I donate?
Depending on where you reside within the Food Bank's geographic service area, your contribution will be used to help provide food for people in your local area.  For example, gifts made by Volusia County residents will be used to support the work of our Volusia Branch operation in Daytona Beach, which serves 90+ partner organizations throughout the county.   Similarly, gifts from Brevard County residents are directed toward our Brevard Branch operation in West Melbourne, which serves dozens of partner programs county-wide.  All other gifts (including those made by people living outside of Central Florida) to Second Harvest Food Bank are used to support the work at our main distribution center in Orlando, which serves hundreds of partner feeding programs in Lake, Orange, Marion, Seminole, and Osceola counties.

What if I want to support my local branch?
If you contribute online, or through the mail, by check or by credit card, your gift will be automatically credited to the work of our closest branch to the address we have on file for you.  No additional communication will be needed in order for this to occur.   Volusia residents’ gifts will support our Branch operation’s work throughout that county, and Brevard residents’ gifts will be applied to the work of our Brevard Branch operation.  All other gifts will support the work at our main distribution center in Orlando, serving partner feeding programs in Lake, Orange, Seminole, and Osceola counties.

Get involved

How can I become a partner agency?
You must first fill out our interest form located on our partner agency website. Applications are generally reviewed during our application period from April 1st June 1st but may be considered outside this timeframe in alignment with the strategic vision of the food bank. Anything submitted after this period will be saved for the next period and kept on file. We currently serve Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Marion, Lake and Volusia counties. Please email AgencyRelations@feedhopenow.org for further assistance and or information regarding our application process.
Click here to download an application.

How can I help?
Making a real difference for our neighbors facing hunger is easy and can be accomplished a variety of ways. Visit our ways to help page to view all the different ways that you can help get food to our neighbors facing hunger.

Can I take a tour?
Yes. Second Harvest holds tours several times during the month. During this one-hour information session, you will learn more about who is hungry in our community and then take a walking tour of the Food Bank to see how we operate. Click here to sign up for a future tour date.

Hunger In Our Community
Stories of Hope and Courage Click to read stories of hope and courage
Meet some of the people that your support helps. Read their stories.
Culinary Training program
Your support provides so much more than meals. Meet our students.
Food is more than a meal Food is more than a meal.
Thank you for making a difference. Watch here.
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Give a One-Time Gift
$10 Donated provides 40 meals for our neighbors facing hunger.
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Contact Us 411 Mercy Drive, Orlando, Fl 32805Ph: 407-295-1066 | F: 407-295-5299 Visit our other sites: Feed Hope Now Blog Partner Agencies gogreenback with Second Harvest Food Bank