Second Harvest Food Bank prepares to distribute more meals after donation from Disney

Nonprofit asking for extra donations due to coronavirus pandemic

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida just received about 18,000 meals from Walt Disney World after the company closed its parks Sunday night.

Chief development officer Greg Higgerson said the food bank is now seeing an increase of need because of the recent shutdowns across Central Florida.

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"We know that our partner agency we distribute the food to are all seeing an uptick of demand as people are watching that last pay check evaporate so it's the beginning of a very tough time for people in Central Florida," Higgerson explained.

Higgerson said local nonprofit organizations usually grab meals from the food bank then take it to a designated location, like a homeless shelter.

Now the food bank is preparing to distribute even more food after the closures of several businesses because of the coronavirus.

"We definitely are kind of preparing to push more out as we need to," he said.

Higgerson is hoping more organizations will step in to help and donate during this time of need.

“If you’re a food company that has extra food as a result of restaurant closing, things like that, we definitely want to talk to you,” Higgerson said.

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About the Author

Ezzy Castro is a multimedia journalist on News 6's morning team who has a passion for telling the stories of the people in the Central Florida community. Ezzy worked at WFOR CBS4 in South Florida and KBMT in Beaumont, Texas, where she covered Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Being from Miami, Ezzy loves Cuban coffee and croquetas!

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