Despite some improvement in the local economy, President and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Dave Krepcho is not optimistic that there would be any easing of hunger needs among the area’s disadvantaged population in the near term.
Krepcho, who made these observations recently in an exclusive interview with West Orlando News Online said, currently, one in four children goes hungry in Central Florida and some 12,000 seniors within the Orlando city limits are unable to adequately feed themselves.
“What is shocking about Central Florida, when you consider childhood hunger, Orlando is the number one tourist destination on the planet,” he said. “More than fifty-four million people come through here every year and it is the land of dreams and sunshine, resorts and pools, and golf courses and it’s like, “how can that exist here?”
Krepcho said, he doesn’t think that the issue of hunger is treated with the priority it deserves, despite the scale of the problem and though Second Harvest receives government assistance, “significant resources [are not] being put toward alleviating hunger.”
Asked why he believes that hunger needs are not being addressed more meaningfully, Krepcho said:
“I think part of it is, the influential pressure on legislators or elected officials isn’t there on issues such as hunger, as it is on other issues. On matters such as building a new soccer stadium and how much the city or county should contribute, or whether another public venue like the Amway Center is built – those folks have powerful lobbyists and commercial interests. The elected officials know the lobbyists and commercial interests have a lot of influence on a lot of folks and their votes really count. They have power.”
Krepcho added that, with political will at the national, state and local levels, the problem of hunger can be solved quickly.
See the full interview with Dave Krepcho, President/CEO Second Harvest Food Bank Here.
