LAKE PLACID – AdventHealth is partnering with United Way of Central Florida through the United Way End Hunger Initiative to provide access to nutritious food and essential supplies for people living in the Highlands County area.
AdventHealth employees, United Way representatives and community leaders came together recently at South Oak Church in Lake Placid to distribute more than 10,400 pounds of food and household necessities.
AdventHealth hospitals in Highlands County are fully funding the annual cost for all three United Way of Central Florida End Hunger Sites in the county.
“By coming together as community partners, we can help provide relief, hope and stability for our neighbors during difficult times,” said Jason Dunkel, president and CEO of AdventHealth Sebring, Lake Placid and Wauchula. “We are grateful for the opportunity to support families in our community and connect them with resources that can make a meaningful difference.”
Recent data shows Highlands County’s food insecurity rate is more than 13%, including more than 3,000 children, which is higher than the state average, according to United Way of Central Florida.
The United Way End Hunger Initiative features a large mobile food pantry, aiming to improve food insecurity in Highlands County in partnership with Feeding Tampa Bay. The biweekly distributions at three sites in Highlands County provide nearly 660,000 pounds of food annually to 55,000 residents, including 16,000 families, with the help of more than 2,000 volunteers.
“The hardest part about food insecurity is that so many people struggle with it in silence,” said Shawn Beumel, Highlands County director of United Way of Central Florida. “Our End Hunger sites give them a place where they are welcomed with kindness, and AdventHealth has made that possible. Their support means families leave with more than just groceries. They leave knowing they aren’t alone.”
This food distribution event is one of several held every month in Highlands County to help people in need. Local sites where the food is distributed include:
- South Oak Church in Lake Placid: Every second and fourth Thursday at 9 a.m.
- Hands for the Homeless in Avon Park: Every first and third Thursday of the month at 9:30 a.m.
- First Sebring Methodist Church in Sebring: Every first and third Saturday at 9:30 a.m.
On the web: uwcf.org/initiatives/endhunger/ and adventhealth.com
