On Easter Sunday,
a local food bank surprises needy Central Floridians with a food package they otherwise would not have.
OCOEE — Damaris Bamaca had a look of surprise early Sunday, as two strangers hoisted boxes of groceries to her over her gate in west Orange County.
Her young son stood by her side, along with the family’s red pit bull named Commander, as they peered into the boxes packed with snacks, bread and paper products. When the strangers left, they smiled and waved and toted the items inside.
Such deliveries played out across west Orange County Sunday, as the Southeastern Food Bank hosted its 25th year of Food for Families drives. Based at Ocoee High School, volunteers showed up all morning ready to take the boxes of donated goods to the homes of needy families.
“It makes me emotional,” said volunteer Dawn Panny, wiping tears from her eyes as the vehicle left the Bamacas driveway. “It gives you perspective. You know you have bills to pay, and then you see people living like this.”
The agency hosts Food for Families drives each Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and typically feeds about 1,000 families each event.
But to pull off such a large endeavor, work began Saturday.
That’s when two semi trucks from Publix rolled into the high school loaded with groceries from the supermarket chain.
Then more than 300 volunteers unloaded the trucks, sorted the items and packed them into small boxes for delivery. One of the boxes was packed with groceries such as protein bars, peanut butter, and snacks, and the other has bread, pastries and paper products.
“We go to the neediest neighborhoods, mobile-home parks and apartments,” said Mark Anthony, president of Southeastern Food Bank. “We take it right to their door.”
Longtime volunteer Jason Walker said families are typically surprised to receive the donations because they don’t sign up for the program. The food bank typically receives addresses of those in need from schools, churches and other organizations.
“Everyone I’ve seen has been very grateful and appreciative,” Walker said. “It’s unexpected … their names aren’t given to anybody. It’s just their address.”
Patti McKeever and Panny were volunteering with a group from Project Novem-
ber, which meets each week to exercise in Baldwin Park.
When they arrived at Ocoee High School, they assumed they’d spend their Easter morning helping pack boxes or loading them into cars, but before long they were dispatched in McKeever’s SUV to make deliveries.
Their first stop was Bamaca’s home in Ocoee, which was surrounded by a yard of dirt with a few windows boarded with plywood.
McKeever was able to converse with the woman in Spanish and learned Bamaca had four children aged 1 to 16.
Then, they stopped at a pair of homes down the street for their next two deliveries on the route.
“I think it’s a really nice way to spend Easter by helping families who have had hard times,” said Panny, who has adult children. “We’re not used to the relaxed Easter morning … now we’re just putting our efforts for something besides hiding Easter eggs.”