Feed-A-Palooza brings food, resources and community support to Lake Eola

ORLANDO, Fla. —

Central Florida families gathered at Lake Eola Park on Saturday for the annual Feed-A-Palooza event, where organizers distributed food and essential supplies while connecting residents with community resources aimed at addressing food insecurity and other needs.

Hosted by One Heart for Women and Children, the event is designed to fight hunger while providing families with access to services that can help them beyond a single day.

“This event started actually back in 2020 during COVID, where we actually set the record for 172,000 pounds of food we gave away at Camping World,” said Dylan Schimk with One Heart for Women and Children.

The nonprofit continues that mission throughout the year, partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank to host monthly mobile food distributions across Central Florida.

“We have mobile food distributions monthly where we give out 30,000 to 50,000 pounds of food alongside Second Harvest all around the community,” Schimk said. “So it’s really about connecting the resources and what we have going on to give people access to it.”

In addition to food, families received diapers and other essential supplies while representatives from local organizations offered health screenings, addiction recovery information, and additional community services.

“We have the Orange County drug- and alcohol-free treatment center. We have the Batmobile. So we’re doing testings here, screenings here,” Schimk said.

Local businesses also participated in the event, including Jeff’s Bagel Run, which provided free samples to attendees.

“We wanted people to taste our product, and it’s important to do outreach and be there for the community,” said Aaron Stevens with Jeff’s Bagel Run.

For One Heart for Women and Children’s founder, Stephanie Bowman, the event reflects her own experience with hardship. According to Schimk, Bowman was once homeless less than two miles from Lake Eola with her two youngest children and envisioned creating an event that would bring people together while offering meaningful support.

Organizers said they hope Feed-A-Palooza leaves families with more than groceries by connecting them with long-term resources and a stronger sense of community.