Local nonprofit receives 60,000 pounds of food donations

Food will help feed thousands of Central Floridians

ORLANDO, Fla. – Tuesday was a big day for a local food bank, which received sizable donations sent to help feed hundreds of thousands of people in need.

Smithfield Foods and Winn-Dixie re-stocked the shelves at Second Harvest Food Bank with nearly 60,000 pounds of donations, including 30,000 pounds of protein, which equates to 120,000 servings for people in Central Florida.

"It can be hot dogs, it can be sausage, it could be meatballs," said Greg Higgerson, vice president of development for Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

He said donations like that help feed the half-million Central Floridians who seek food assistance.

Boxes of packaged meatballs were taken off the truck, unpacked by volunteers and sent to about 550 local food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters in Central Florida.

Smithfield is taking the deliveries cross-country to help replenish one grocery item that's donated the least.

"When we can get a truckload of high-quality protein, that's one of the items that low-income families really have a hard time affording on their own, so when they can get it from an emergency food pantry, it really makes a big difference," Higgerson said.

He said protein donations are essential to any food bank organization. Dennis Pittman, Smithfield Foods' senior director of hunger relief, said his company is glad to help.

"We're able to salute the food bank, such as the one here in Orlando, for what they do every day in trying to help people in their time of need," Pittman said.

Tuesday's delivery was just the first donation of protein. Smithfield Foods plans to send another 30,000 pounds to Daytona Beach at 10 a.m. Thursday.