Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida recently recognized dozens of volunteers for their contributions to the organization and its mission to fight hunger.
The announcement comes during Hunger Action Month, a nationwide campaign held each September to inspire people to get involved with relief efforts in their community. Between July 2024 and June 2025, 42,433 individuals provided 127,486 hours of service to feed hope across Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida’s seven-county area.
Every year, Second Harvest honors those volunteers and presents awards to people who have gone above and beyond to further the nonprofit’s critical work. The 2025 Volunteer Award recipients are:
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Boris Cooper Cooper Boris, Orlando. Cooper received the Andre Reyna Youth Against Hunger Award for leading relief efforts at Edgewater High School. As a member of Second Harvest’s School Partnerships Program, the Eagles Market distributed enough food for 10,283 meals during the 2024-2025 school year. Cooper volunteered at least 120 hours at the market as manager and handled nearly all aspects of the operation, including placing orders, budgeting, hosting site visits, compliance monitoring and more.
- Al Delio, Minneola. Al was honored with the David Pearlman Spirit of Volunteerism
Al Delio Award. Since 2016, he has clocked more than 5,600 volunteer hours. Al is one of Second Harvest’s volunteer captains, an extension of the operations staff – and he specifically holds off on signing up for shifts until he sees where the greatest need is to insert himself there. During his time at the food bank, he has stepped in to run volunteer projects, work special events or offsite projects.
J.J. Lullen, Orlando. J.J. was presented with the Most Inspirational Virtual Food Drive Award. Organizing a virtual food drive is one way to get involved with local hunger relief efforts for Second Harvest, and J.J. has been a dedicated supporter for more than a decade. He hosts an annual food drive – both physically and virtually – in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, most recently raising enough to provide more than 11,000 meals to feed neighbors experiencing hunger across Central Florida.-
Haley Hitzing Haley Hitzing, Colorado. Haley received the Going Above and Beyond Award for her extraordinary leadership and commitment to Taste! Central Florida. Despite living out of state, she has dedicated countless hours to guiding a volunteer committee of more than 50 members and supporting nearly every aspect of the event, from the silent auction and registration to entertainment, logistics and permitting. Her efforts help ensure the annual fundraiser continues its legacy of providing meals for Central Florida children who are at risk of experiencing hunger.
“These awards recognize more than hours served – they reflect the heart, compassion, and commitment each volunteer brings to our mission,” said Derrick Chubbs, President and CEO. “As we recognize their efforts during Hunger Action Month, we’re reminded that it takes all of us – and every dollar or hour given helps put meals on the table for families across Central Florida.”
In addition to the awards above, Second Harvest also recognized Jerry Hauck and Justin Molloy for joining the 50K club – a small but mighty group of volunteers, who through their time each year, provide more than 50,000 meals to kids, families and seniors facing hunger.
To learn more about the different opportunities to support Second Harvest and local hunger relief efforts, visit FeedHopeNow.org.
