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Central Florida Public Media

Central Florida nonprofits strengthen their fight against hunger

By Joe Byrnes

February 3, 2025 at 6:00 AM EST

Two nonprofits that address hunger in Central Florida celebrated improvements last week.

In Orlando, Seniors First marked the addition of a refrigeration-freezer system funded by the city through a $186,000 federal grant.

Now the more than 900 Orange County seniors in its Meals on Wheels program will get a better mix of food. It'll also help prevent food waste.

"We really want the community to know that they can supplement our Food Is Medicine initiative. This is something that we're doing to supplement the Meals on Wheels program," Seniors First President and CEO Marsha Lorenz said. "This will allow us to deliver fresh produce, fruits, vegetables and things that will supplement their diet -- to keep them out of the hospital, keep them in their own home."

In Brevard County, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida celebrated the opening of a new $5 million, 23,000-square-foot distribution center at 3125 Skyway Circle in Melbourne.

Right away, President and CEO Derrick Chubbs said the warehouse will help increase distribution to the Second Harvest's 87 local feeding partners.

"We expect a 50% increase in the amount of food that we're able to distribute in this building versus the old building," Chubbs said, "and our hope is that will fill a lot of plates that we've probably been missing, you know, over the past few years."

Chubbs says Second Harvest provides 33,000 meals a day in Brevard and 300,000 a day over seven Central Florida counties.

"That's a lot of food," he said. "That's a significant amount of need."