Food insecurity is a real thing in Leon County, including the 32304 area code. Luckily, there are partnerships that work towards meeting the need in the community.
Second Harvest of the big bend is a social services organization that’s partnered with 15 schools in Tallahassee to have a food pantry.
One of the schools being Oak Ridge elementary.
“I can’t say enough about Second Harvest,” Principal Jasmine Canady-Scott said. “They believe when it comes to families, whether you’re in poverty or not, you want to be able to feed your family well.”
14,218 out of 32,212 children in Leon County alone are on free and reduced school lunches.
Smith believes the effort by Second Harvest is meeting an emotional need.
“It’s a tough task,” Smith said. “But they’ve been managing it well.”
The fact that many communities including the Southwest side of Tallahassee have a scarcity of food, it drives people like James McGowan, the Chief Development Officer of Second Harvest.
“It just warms my heart,” McGowan said. “Seeing that people that are on hard times, can turn and find food they need when they may not be able to afford it on their own.”
