Second Harvest Hosted 24-Hour Packing Event

Volunteers packed 150,000 meals in Orlando to combat local food insecurity during Hunger for Action Month.

Updated on Sept. 18, 2026 in Philanthropy

A stack of plain kraft cardboard boxes on a wooden pallet inside an organized warehouse facility. — Three hundred volunteers participated in a 24-hour packing event at Second Harvest Food Bank in Orlando, preparing 150,000 meals to combat regional food insecurity. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Three hundred volunteers completed a 24-hour meal-packing marathon at the Second Harvest Food Bank in Orlando. The intensive effort aimed to provide 150,000 meals to those facing food insecurity in the region.

Why it matters

The event was organized during Hunger for Action Month to directly address regional food insecurity and raise awareness about hunger in Central Florida. It demonstrates the scale of community mobilization required to meet local nutritional needs.

This second annual 24-hour event utilized 300 volunteers to process 150,000 individual meals. The packing process involved manual labor to box and palletize food items over the full day of operation.

The players

Second Harvest Food Bank

This organization operates as a primary food distribution center serving the Central Florida region.

The details

Volunteers worked in shifts to fill boxes with food and load them onto pallets for distribution. The initiative serves as a primary response mechanism for the food bank during the designated Hunger for Action Month.

The event began Friday morning.
The event concludes Saturday morning.

Market Landscape

This effort aligns with Hunger for Action Month, a coordinated initiative designed to focus public and private resources on regional food stability. It reflects a trend of high-intensity, time-bound volunteer drives within the non-profit sector to generate measurable output.

The 150,000 meals packed during this session will be distributed to help alleviate food insecurity for families throughout Central Florida. Residents interested in future volunteer opportunities can access scheduling information directly through the organization.

The takeaway

Large-scale packing events provide immediate relief to food-insecure households by processing thousands of meals in a single day. Community members can contribute to these efforts by checking the official calendars of local food banks for recurring volunteer opportunities.