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Second Harvest touts new Melbourne warehouse, reports 8.8 million meals delivered in Brevard last year
Summary
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida described a new 23,000‑square‑foot Melbourne facility, greater distribution capacity and local programs including school partnerships and SNAP assistance; the food bank said it delivered over 8.8 million meals to Brevard County in the past year.
Representatives from Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida presented to the board July 22, describing a new 23,000‑square‑foot facility in Melbourne and the organization’s county programs. Stephanie Palacios, Director of Government Relations, said Second Harvest is the largest hunger‑relief organization in Central Florida and serves a seven‑county region; its new Brevard branch increased local capacity by about 60%.
Palacios told commissioners Second Harvest distributes roughly 300,000 meals a day across its service area and last year provided more than 8.8 million meals to Brevard County residents through about 92 local partner agencies and 11 school‑partnership sites. The food bank runs refrigerated pickup trucks to collect retail donations and purchases additional healthy options, and it provides SNAP application assistance through two specialists based in Brevard.
The new Melbourne facility also stores disaster relief commodities and supports the network’s role during hurricanes and other emergencies, Palacios said. She invited commissioners to tour the warehouse and discussed workforce development programs, school markets and culinary training operated from the organization’s Orlando campus.
Why it matters: The presentation highlighted countywide hunger needs — Palacios said one in seven Central Floridians and one in six children in the region experience food insecurity — and the role of the new facility in expanding capacity for emergency response and ongoing hunger relief.
No vote was required; staff thanked Second Harvest for its partnership and offered to coordinate follow‑up tours and constituent referral pathways.
