Second Harvest has chosen to include the health of the community into its core work through the creation of the Healthy Pantry Network. Second Harvest started this initiative by working with a subgroup of the 550 feeding partner pantries with the goal of helping support and provide healthier food and nutrition education for people referred from clinics, hospitals and doctors’ offices. Now, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida wants to extend the work of the Healthy Pantry Network across the entire system by providing training and resources that all pantries can use to promote healthy choices at their sites. These tools come together to form the “Healthy Choices Matter” campaign. This campaign will include resources about distributing and promoting healthy food in your pantry.
The first set of virtual trainings on pantry nutrition nudges are currently being released! Check the Promote Healthy Foods page for the newest training videos. You can expect one video each month!
At Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, our mission is to fight hunger in Central Florida. Because that means more than simply providing calories, we strive to solicit, obtain and distribute as many nutrient-rich foods as possible.
Our warehouses receive a wide range of food products varying in nutritional value each day. We believe that all types of food can fit within a healthy diet and we understand that every individual we serve has food preferences.
Knowing this, we choose not to reject food and beverage donations based on nutrient quality. Through nutrition education and the distribution of nutrient-rich foods, we strive to feed the hungry, help them make healthier food choices and positively impact the health of Central Floridians.
In the coming years, we will continue to expand our reach and strive to make our community healthier by feeding hope, fighting hunger and fueling health.
The nutrition position statement of the Second Harvest Food Bank incorporates the following concepts:
- We accept all donated foods
- All types of food can fit in a balanced diet
- Individuals exercise choice in food selection
- We encourage healthy choices