Food Bank’s Social Enterprise Generates Funding for Workforce Training
It’s not every day that shopping for your groceries can make a difference in your community – but Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida’s A Spoon Full of Hope aims to do just that. Launched in 2018, the product line has gained popularity for its Soup, Honey, and Classic Shortbread Cookies. Now, the social enterprise is introducing three new shortbread cookie flavors – strawberry lemonade, cranberry pistachio, and chai – as well as a new look for its retail brand.
One hundred percent of A Spoon Full of Hope’s proceeds directly support Second Harvest’s no-cost 16-week Culinary Training Program, which provides qualified, economically challenged adults with the culinary and life skills training to pursue a sustainable career in the food industry.
“We’re successfully demonstrating the power of innovation when it comes to hunger relief,” said Dave Krepcho, president and CEO of Second Harvest. “As the first Feeding America network member to launch a multi-product signature food line, Second Harvest is not only committed to remaining competitive in the retail market, but also to providing the opportunity for more people to build employability skills – especially when food service jobs are in such high demand.”
More than 380 students have graduated from Second Harvest’s Culinary Training Program, which was established in 2013. Of those, more than 95% went right to work or continued their education in the restaurant/catering industry.
Forty-five retailers currently sell A Spoon Full of Hope Tomato Basil Soup; A Spoon Full of Hope Honey: mangrove, orange blossom, palmetto, and wildflower; and A Spoon Full of Hope Classic Shortbread Cookies in their stores. The products can also be purchased online individually, in bulk, or as part of a gift basket at www.ASpoonFullofHope.org.
For more information about Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and its Culinary Training Program, visit www.FeedHopeNow.org.
About Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida (SHFBCF)
SHFBCF is a member of Feeding America – the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States. SHFBCF secures and distributes food and grocery products to approximately 550 local nonprofit feeding programs throughout Central Florida. In the past year, with the help of food and financial donors, volunteers and a caring, committed community, the food bank has distributed enough food for 96 million meals to partner programs such as food pantries, soup kitchens, women’s shelters, senior centers, daycare centers and Kids Cafes. In addition, Second Harvest’s 16-week culinary program teaches foodservice-based technical, life and employability skills to economically hard-pressed adults at no cost to them. Second Harvest is distributing enough food for a quarter of a million meals every day to the six-county service area. To learn more about SHFBCF, visit www.FeedHopeNow.org.
