September is Hunger Action Month, a national campaign launched by Feeding America in 2007 to raise awareness and inspire action to end hunger in America. Now in its 18th year, Hunger Action Month is a reminder that hunger affects every community — holding back families, schools, and neighborhoods from reaching their full potential.
In Central Florida, 4Roots is answering that call through Meet the Need (MTN), a hunger-relief initiative born in 2020 as an emergency response to COVID-19 and now a cornerstone of the organization’s mission to unearth the power of food to build healthy communities. Since its inception, MTN has served more than 2.3 million meals and distributed over 1.46 million pounds of fresh produce to families, seniors, and children across the region.
But Meet the Need is about more than food distribution — it’s about dignity, education, and connection. By focusing on fresh, nutrient-dense produce rather than solely shelf-stable goods, MTN helps families build healthier diets and long-term habits. Recipes, cooking tips, and meal-planning resources are provided alongside each distribution, and participants receive guidance on how to maximize benefits like SNAP and Fresh Access Bucks (FAB).
This approach is made possible through partnerships with nonprofits, schools, senior communities, faith-based organizations, and medical facilities that help identify food deserts and underserved neighborhoods. MTN then tailors distributions to meet those specific needs. In times of crisis — from hurricanes to public health emergencies — MTN mobilizes quickly, delivering food, water, and essential supplies to the hardest-hit areas.
One example of MTN’s commitment to dignity is its partnership with The Desire Foundation, which operates a monthly food distribution in downtown Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood and a bi-monthly choice pantry in East Orlando. Unlike traditional pre-packed food programs, the choice model allows clients to select foods based on their preferences, dietary needs, cultural traditions, and household size — restoring dignity, reducing waste, and empowering families to make the decisions that work best for them.
This month, Meet the Need is deepening its impact with a robust schedule of Hunger Action Month events that bring neighbors together, share knowledge, and deliver real solutions. From senior distributions at Kinneret Council on Aging and Magnolia Senior Community, to curated produce for patients at Grace Medical Center and CF Pulmonology, to pop-up pantries with Senior First and The Desire Foundation, MTN is working across Central Florida to ensure nutritious food is within reach. Special programs include SNAP/FAB educational presentations at IMA Medical Group, a Zero Landfill Free Yard Sale fundraiser, food distribution with One Heart for Women and Children, and Get Cooking — a chef-led experience providing recipe kits and cooking instruction to OCPS students.
4Roots is also celebrating a major step forward in food access with the expansion of Fresh by 4Roots, its virtual farmers market. Thanks to a grant from the Elinor and T.W. Miller, Jr. Foundation, Fresh by 4Roots now accepts SNAP EBT payments online, offers dollar-for-dollar FAB matching on Florida-grown fruits and vegetables, and provides free grocery delivery for SNAP recipients in Orange County.
“This program is a game-changer for families who want to put fresh, healthy food on their tables,” said Carmen Gibson, Associate Director of Community Engagement at 4Roots. “Every order supports local farmers, strengthens our food system, and keeps fresh produce flowing into the homes that need it most.”
These efforts build on a summer of action that included a partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida to keep kids nourished while school was out, and participation in Feed-A-Palooza, Orlando’s largest free grocery distribution event, which connected thousands of families with groceries, health screenings, and community resources.
The urgency of this work remains clear: 47 million people nationwide face food insecurity, including 1 in 5 children who don’t have enough to eat to grow up healthy and strong. More than 50 million Americans turned to food banks and pantries last year.
“Meet the Need is more than food relief — it’s about restoring dignity, choice, and hope,” said Ellen Winter, Executive Director of 4Roots Foundation. “This Hunger Action Month, we are calling on our community to join us — by volunteering, donating, and sharing our mission — so that together, we can create a Central Florida where no family has to wonder where their next meal will come from.”