Why Community Partnerships Matter

By Gabriela Sabo, FPRA Orlando Intern

The November monthly meeting focused on our volunteer activity with Second Harvest Food Bank. We were joined by Dan Samuels, the Director of Philanthropy for Second Harvest Food Bank, who spoke about what Second Harvest is, what they do, how they partner with different organizations and how to get involved.

Second Harvest is a hunger relief program that helps provide food to people in need in our community so they can get back on their feet. As a part of Feeding America, Second Harvest has provided over 100 million meals to the community in the past year and engages in different programs in schools, home delivery services and providing access to jobs in the culinary industry to give people an opportunity to earn a living wage.

Through their connections within the food industry and partnerships, Second Harvest is able to access large amounts of food in order to accomplish their mission of giving back. Dan shared that at Second Harvest they seek partners who have a genuine desire to make a difference and can create a mutually beneficial relationship between both organizations. He said as a partner, it’s important to establish clear communication and expectations, but it’s also important to be creative, bring some new ideas to the table and have fun in the process.

There are many ways to get involved with Second Harvest, including volunteering, donations, third party events, product purchases and event sponsorships, which all directly help make a difference in the community. Getting started can feel overwhelming, but starting small is the way to go. As Dan said, just take a deep breath, start somewhere and grow into it.